Our office has received lots of calls regarding the new P&F Terms of Reference so we have attached a copy of the most recent version, and the accompanying guidelines below for your information.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call our office on 9338 9985.

Terms of Reference

Terms of Reference Guidelines

The Education and Training team at eSafety have just launched the Parent and Carer webinars for Term 1 2023.They have listened to feedback and now most of the webinars are 30min long. They include:

• eSafety 101: how eSafety can help you
• Setting your child up for success online
• Getting the most out of gaming
• Navigating online friendships

To register, please click here.

To download a flyer which can be shared with your school community, please click here.

Parents are first and foremost the primary educators of their children, and as such, parents' rights to have their children taught in a school according to their values and beliefs is fundamental.

This right along with the right to hold and manifest religious beliefs and access religious schools, is recognised in international law, including Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that has been ratified by Australia.

Despite assurances from consecutive parliaments, there is still no Religious Freedom Legislation in Australia to protect these fundamental rights. If you value your right to choose the education that best suits your child's needs, please consider completing this survey. 

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) is asking for feedback via submissions or through the online survery by Friday 24th February. Take the survey by clicking here: https://www.alrc.gov.au/.../anti.../submission/survey/

In September 2022, CSPWA took part in its first ever Parent Pilgrimage. We walked the first part of the Camino Salvado, from St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco to Bardon Park in East Perth, a walk of approximately 8 kms. 

We are going to offer the same opportunity again in 2023, but this time hold the event on a Saturday (6th May). More details will follow soon, with an opportunity to RSVP to the event. In the meantime, please email [email protected] if you have any questions. We hope you can join us.

Please see the flyer for full details and the terms and conditions.

Welcome to the almost half way mark of Term 1 2023!

At this stage of the term I am sure our children are well settled into their routines whether it is their last or first year of school.  Our staff here at CSPWA have commenced their work again this year with gusto and are so enthusiastic about having a productive year with all of our school parent bodies.  Nicole, Jennifer and Siobhan are always happy to be contacted with your queries.

Whether your child has started kindy or commenced senior school or is somewhere in between, your children will thrive if they know you are invested in their schooling.  Participating in school events, volunteering as able in the classrooms or around the school, lets our kids know that we are interested and value their schooling.  It is a major contributing factor to student engagement and performance.  So it is fabulous to see so many posts of wonderful Welcome to the School Year functions and to see rosters being filled.  We all contribute what and when we are able.

Of late, the media has been full of information regarding changes to NAPLAN and the Consultation Paper related to the Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws.  These two issues are not only of interest to parents, but directly related to decisions that we make as parents.  You can find information related to these and other issues pertaining to parent related content on our CSPWA Facebook page and as always, our Executive Director, Siobhan Allen is across these issues.  When able to, it is a great idea to respond to surveys and expressions of opinion when articles are posted or issues of interest are publicised.  You may think you are just one voice, but we know that many voices as a collective can be a powerful tool.

This week all of our children will have marked Ash Wednesday, the traditional holy day of fasting and prayer.  Sackcloth and ashes are not very modern I acknowledge, however as families of children in Catholic Schools, we know we are in the reflective season of Lent and the children will prepare for the Easter Season during the remainder of this term.

As we move forward into  this term and the year, the Council and staff of CSPWA wish you well in all of your endeavours whether they be fund-raising and/or purely community building, and please remember we are always available with advice, reassurance or guidance should you ask.

We look forward to partnering with you to work in partnership with your schools.

Warm regards

Marina

Sacred Heart College in Sorrento is holding its inaugural “Cars on the Coast” fundraiser car show on Sunday 7 May. This event is open to the entire community, all are welcome.

The organisers are interested in hearing from car related businesses who would like to set up displays. Bays are $10.00 and can be booked by scanning the QR code on the flyer or via our online store https://www.sacredheart.wa.edu.au/online-store/community

Please see the flyer for more information: Car Show Flyer

If your school has a fundraiser they would like to promote in the CSPWA newsletter, please email [email protected] 

From 2023, there will be three main changes to the way the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is administered and scored.

1. NAPLAN tests will be held in Term 1, allowing results to be returned to systems, schools and parents/carers earlier in the year.

2. NAPLAN is moving online to deliver more precise information.

3. The previous numerical NAPLAN bands will be replaced with the following 4 levels of achievement:

• Exceeding
• Strong
• Developing
• Needs additional support.

The descriptors for each category will make it clear to parents what their child’s literacy and numeracy skills are at the time of NAPLAN testing, and support discussions with their school on their child’s progress.

Why do students do NAPLAN?

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

How are NAPLAN results used?

• Students and parents/carers may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.
• Teachers use results to help identify students who need greater challenges or extra support.
• Schools use results to identify strengths and areas of need to improve teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.
• School systems use results to review the effectiveness of programs and support offered to schools.
• The community can see information about the performance of schools over time at My School.

What can I do to support my child?

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best. Some familiarisation and explanation of NAPLAN is useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance. 

For more information, please see the parent section of the NAPLAN website.

You may also find the following two flyers helpful:

NAPLAN parent carer information.

Acara NAPLAN Infographic.

WA students are invited to enter the Road Safety Commission’s ‘Road Safety Starts With Me’ poster and video competition for the chance to win an iPad. Entries must be submitted by 3 April 2023. For more information and to submit entries, visit Community Connect. 

The competition is open to high school students in years 10-12 and university or TAFE students aged 18-25 (for individuals and groups), as part of the Road Safety Commission’s National Road Safety Week Youth Summit event to encourage youth involvement with road safety. To enter you need to create a poster or video that shares a strong road safety message or shows how you would improve a road safety issue.

Please see the below advertisement from St John regarding their free first aid training for students from pre-primary to year 10.

CSPWA has a range of resources available on our website including tips on how to attract more volunteers, and an overview of the benefits of volunteering in your school community.

Please click on the links below to view each resource.

Catholic School Parents WA has recently developed a new brochure you might find useful to have available at any upcoming welcoming and/or orientation events for fellow parents. The brochure is intended as a welcoming resource for parents and gives an overview of school gospel values, feast days and sacraments. The resource recognises that each family is at a different place in their faith journey and encourages them to engage and work with the school and parish as their child/ren progress through their Catholic education.

Siobhan recently had the pleasure of visiting some of the schools in the Geraldton area and whilst there was warmly welcomed at Nagle College, St John’s School and St Lawrence’s Primary School. For anyone thinking of making the move to Geraldton these are great schools led by passionate and committed Principals.

However, Siobhan’s main reason for making the trip to the region was to present a Catholic School Parents WA Award of Excellence to St Mary’s School in Northampton. The CSPWA Awards of Excellence are presented annually to schools, who are making a commitment to building positive school communities

Students at St Mary’s have always endeavoured to live their school values through a service mindset. Prior to Covid-19 restrictions the students would regularly visit the local hospital and aged care facilities to read to the residents or to drop off food and care packages.

“We believe strongly that service is at the heart of our school charism and tradition”, says Principal Ben Will. “This service extends to our Parish, as we see the relationship between the school and parish to be key for our students understanding of living our Catholic faith.”

St Mary’s School in Northampton caught the eye of the adjudicator this year because the nomination demonstrated the close relationship this school has developed with its parish and the willingness of the students to assist in a very practical way.

Ben notes “as a small school and parish in a regional town, we lean on each other heavily for support. The parish community has decreased in recent years and parishioners who have assisted in the past are no longer able to help, due to health concerns. As a result of this, the school assists the parish in several ways. Most notably, have been the efforts of our Year 5/6 group, who through their Christian Council, chose as one of their roles, to regularly clean the church on a roster. This was linked to a fundraising effort where Year 5/6 students organised a community carwash to raise funds for a new parish vacuum, raising over $300 dollars. We are very proud of our school, our students and our school and parish communities. We hope to continue to foster this relationship into the future as it is a true example of living our faith in our actions and words”.

Catholic School Parents WA warmly congratulate St Mary’s in Northampton on their successful nomination!

On the 17th November, Support Officer Nicole visited St Mary's Boyup Brook to present the Parent Group with their Award of Excellence at their final assembly for the year.

The P&F group was nominated for their positive work with the school Principal, staff and school community, both formally through regular P&F and School Advisory Council meetings, and informally through day to day interactions and school and social events. "St Mary's is a relatively small school with less than 50 families and 75 students.  The P&F consistently have 10 - 12 parents attending their meetings which, given their small size, is a great reflection of the level of engagement they have in the school community." The P&F also organise and promote social initiatives to encourage community involvement, including a community colour fun run, which gains support from the Lions Club, Local Fire Service and Police.

"Another example is the bi-annual Gala Auction Night which provides a wonderful social event for the community, involves local and relevant business sponsors, promotes the school and raises funds for the school's projects. The P&F also organise an annual outdoor movie night, providing a family friendly event for the local and surrounding communities. This attracted over 200 people and is the P&Fs third Movie Night event."

The P&F fund subscriptions for Mathletics and software for all students and a printed year book for each family, in addition to providing an annual Staff Wish List fund for staff to purchase resources to enhance their teaching and classrooms. In the last few years the P&F have also provided new library furniture, sports equipment, a new set of reading resources for the whole school, a set of faction shirts for use at carnivals and new innovative furniture for classrooms.

Nicole was lucky enough to have a tour of the school before the assembly to have a look at all of the things the P&F have helped to fund over the years, including a cookbook, and new tree top walk/fort that is currently being constructed. Pictured below from left to right are Treasurer Paula Bagshaw, Vice Chair Dana Caldwell, President Kirsten Skraha, Secretary Gemma Lee Steere and Nicole Beresford, and  a photo of the new fort.

As the summer holidays approach, children may be requesting more and more screen time during the week. This can be hard to manage but the eSafety Commissioner website has a range of tips on how to help kids manage their online time and set boundaries.

You may wonder, how much is too much? The eSafety website suggests considering your child’s screen use in the context of their overall health and wellbeing. For example, is online time getting in the way of their sleep and exercise? Is it impacting on their face-to-face connections with family and friends? 

There are warning signs to look out for including less interest in social activities, meeting with friends or playing sport, appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer, or obsessions with particular websites or games.

The eSafety website recommends creating a plan with your child. One example might involve creating a family plan for leisure and entertainment time that balances time spent sitting in front of screens — including time online and watching TV — and a variety of offline activities. As well as agreed age-based time limits, the plan could include rules about which websites can be visited and online games can be played. It could also include control of access to the internet or devices, perhaps with daily passwords revealed once family time, homework and chores are complete. 

You can also set specific boundaries: Your family plan could include rules like:

• no devices in the bedroom for younger children
• all screens off in bedrooms after a certain time for older children
• all screens off at least one hour before planned bedtime
• all family members switch off at dinner time
• devices charged overnight in a place your child cannot access

For more information, please click here.

Are you planning on enroling your children in an Outside School Hours Care program, or camp over the school holidays, or are you thinking about employing a private tutor for one to one lessons for your children? The Working with Children Check (WWC) team provide factsheets and advice to help you to understand when it is appropriate to ask to see an employee or volunteer's Working with Children Card, and when it is appropriate to apply for one yourself. 

A WWC Check is required by a person if they engage in certain paid or unpaid work with children, described as child-related work under the WWC Act, and if no exemptions apply.   Click here to view the full list of categories in Factsheet 1: What is 'Child-Related Work'?.

Certain people do not require a WWC because they fit within the description of an exemption that applies to the specific category or categories of child-related work they engage in.

Some general exemptions include:

• work carried out on a voluntary basis by a child;
• work carried out on an unpaid basis by a student under 18 years of age; and
• parents volunteering in certain activities where their child is also involved or participates (unless attending an overnight activity).

For specific information about the various exemptions please read Factsheet 2: Child-Related Work and Exemptions.

It is important to note that if the WWC Screening Unit receives new information about a person during the period of their card being active, relevant to the immediate safety of children (e.g. a charge or conviction for a relevant offence) their eligibility to hold a WWC Card may be re-assessed. Once a re-assessment is triggered, the WWC Screening Unit can then request and consider any information that is relevant to the issue of whether a child may be exposed to a risk of harm should they continue to engage in child-related work.

If you signed their application form, authorised their online renewal or completed the 'Register Card Holders' online form on the WWC website you will be notified of any change in your employee, volunteer or student’s eligibility to hold a WWC Card. For more ifnromation, please see: Working with Children Check - Western Australia

As the end of a very busy Term 3 drew near, Catholic School Parents WA (CSPWA) embarked on its first ever Parent Pilgrimage on Sunday September 18.

We often hear about the importance of looking after ourselves first in order to better look after the others in our lives. Although all school terms are busy and have their challenges, Term 3 in WA is a busy one with Book Week, Science Week, the Performing Arts Festival, School Sports Carnivals in addition to all the ex-curricular activities our children and young people engage in. Many of these activities depend heavily on the involvement of parents - who doesn’t love Book Week and the creation of all those wonderful costumes!!!!!!

Keeping this in mind, the idea of a pilgrimage was put forward as an opportunity to renew in a spiritual way. The experience of the ancient faith tradition of pilgrimage provides a wonderful way to recharge the batteries and have some time to encounter God, ourselves, others and nature.

The Camino Salvado is a pilgrimage which runs from Subiaco in West Perth to the monastery town of New Norcia, approximately 160 kms north east of Perth. New Norcia was founded in 1846 by Dom Rosendo Salvado, a pioneering monk from Santiago in Spain. The pilgrimage follows in the footsteps of Dom Salvado and provides an inspirational way to connect with country.

The pilgrimage organised by CSPWA walked the first section of the Camino Salvado from St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco at the head of the trail to Bardon Park in East Perth, a walk of approximately 10 kms. The pilgrims were blessed with a beautiful day and were guided ably by Ms Mandy Connor, Director of Teaching and Learning at Catholic Education Western Australia. Mandy is an avid Camino walker and her enthusiasm for this tradition had a positive effect on all who took part. On a relatively short walk through the lovely city of Perth, Mandy pointed out many of the connections to our Catholic faith, including the pro cathedral of St John the Evangelist on our way to St Mary’s Cathedral in Victoria Square.

As the group stopped and restarted at the various landmarks relevant to our faith, it was lovely to fall into step with someone different each time. Although all participants live in Perth, they encountered beautiful pathways and tracks they had not walked before. God’s wonderful creation was certainly in evidence as they walked along the Swan River on a beautiful spring day with pilgrims sometimes chatting and sometimes walking in silence.

Although the group was not a big one, they look forward to continuing the Camino Salvado next year, moving on to the next section of the track. CSPWA also look forward to encouraging more parents to join in this unique experience and taking the opportunity to meet some new people while celebrating God’s creation and reflecting on the journey of our lives.