Dear McAuley Families

A promise of spring has really lifted everyone’s spirits in the last day or so after the icy blast of snow last weekend.  I saw an amazing photo on Facebook showing a paddock in smoke, drought and now lush green which reminded me powerfully of the incredible year we are enduring each in our own way.

This year with bushfire, COVID, remote learning and restrictions in place has certainly tested our resilience.  It’s been a rapid entry to the Principalship here for me!  People ask what resilience is, and after eleven years in a boy’s school and 35 years in education I would assert it is the one of the most important qualities we need to build in our children.  The ability to “bounce back” or “get back to normal” is something our children learn from us and something which we need to teach them to do.

“Bounty Parents” online propose 3 Simple Ways to Build Resilience in children. They suggest:

1. Make sure kids have enough sleep. 6 – 9 year olds need 10 – 11 hours of sleep a night and 12 – 15 year olds need 10 hours.  Build routines that ‘wind down’ body and mind before bed.  Read and relax – put away devices as they stimulate the mind rather than relax it.
2. Get kids being active. Physical activity has positive effects on self-esteem.  Walk, ride, do chores, garden… all are simple (and free) ways to be active.  This enhances ‘feel good’ brain chemicals (and helps you feel tired to sleep). Already I see a more peaceful playground in the Secondary as we embrace movement and the refurbished blacktop area.
3. Problem solve together. Helping our kids solve their problems is vital.  Encourage them to talk about their worries.  Look at ways to solve problems… write, draw and look at consequences.  Help them to understand that things don’t always work out the way we want or expect but to be confident in having a go.

It’s easy to try and solve problems for our children.  It upsets us to see their pain and confusion but by jumping in too early we create more problems than we solve.  Let’s not be “lawnmower” parents who smooth the way for our young ones so they have no obstacles!

We continue with Kinder and Year 7, 2020 interviews at the moment and offer phone options now with the increased restrictions on schools.  Again, please encourage those with an interest in McAuley to contact me for a chat or a tour. Education writer Linda Stade writes beautifully about the benefits that come from choosing a small school and highlights the “measuring stick” of a school’s quality is it's past students… give that some thought when you read about our current student leaders and past students highlighted in our #mcauleymademe campaign on Facebook. They are all successful people who praise our wonderful school for the fine job our staff and parents did in their early education.

Week 7 (next week) is “Well-being Week”. The school aims, that this week each term, is set aside as a time where we can be free from distractions, assessments, meetings and so on. Staff will try to avoid this week as much as possible for due dates or testing. I hope that in your family, you can make use of some time to do something special for your family’s health and well-being.

Mary our Mother… Look After Us.

Eamonn Moore

Principal