On All Souls Day, the day when Catholics honour their dead, the students and staff of the College created a Human Poppy, to honour and remember our Defence Forces.  Our tribute to our fallen soldiers came together beautifully due to a combination of School Leaders, Teachers and Students who all embraced the spirit of respect and reflection, along with good weather and an expertly manned drone.

In the two days since posting our Human Poppy, the response has been very humbling.  From the comments of support from our JPC families and community; to the shares of our video from RSL Clubs, Defence Associations and the Department of Veterans Affairs; our heartfelt tribute has reached the wider population.  With every Veteran and their family who watches our poppy forming, we hope they know that we are remembering them.

In a generation when we hand out merit cards for children behaving well, it is worth noting that our Veterans rarely seek out accolades or acknowledgement.  All the more reason to remember them and the legacy they have left for us.   The debt we owe them and their families cannot be undervalued or unappreciated.  Our tribute is a small way of letting them know we are thinking of them and are thankful for their service.

My Dad, Gilbert Harvey Hall, served in the New Zealand Royal Navy, along with his brother and sister during WWII.  They came home.  So many did not.   But like so many survivors, my Dad never spoke of what he did or saw.  In fact, so disgusted with the War, he threw away his medals, as he wanted no reminder or credit for what happened.  But for so many of our Veterans, it is not easy to escape the memories when the battle is inside of them.  After experiencing and witnessing trauma, they return home, then deal with PTSD and the daily struggles associated with anxiety and stress.   This tribute is also for them and their families.

Remembrance Day this year marks the moment when 99 years ago, the guns fell silent and fighting ceased on the Western Front.  As Australians we are urged to observe one minute's silence at 11am and to remember those who died or suffered for Australia's cause in all wars and armed conflicts.  This year also marks 70 years of the first Australian Peacekeeping Mission and in that time, over 80,000 Australians have served on more than 50 peacekeeping missions. 

We also remember that we have families at JPC with loved ones currently deployed.  We pray for peace, their protection and safe return.

To the currently serving ADF Personnel and their families, we thank you.  To the Veterans and their families, we support you.  And to the ones who never came home; who gave their todays so we could have our tomorrows, we will not forget you.

Lest We Forget

Vicki Walsh
DTM

Parents: How can you support a Growth Mindset in your child?
(Session 4 of 6)

“Talk the Talk”

This week’s Family Challenge:
Find out - How often does your family ACTUALLY use the language of Growth Mindset? – keep a tally for 1 week!
 

Activity:
Everyone falls into fixed mindset thinking sometimes. The first step toward fostering a Growth Mindset in our children is to become aware of language that signals one mindset or the other.

Here are some questions to think about:

1. What thoughts did you have this week when your child struggled? How could you frame their struggle in a Growth Mindset way by helping them understand that this is when their brain is growing most?
2. What thoughts did you have when your child excelled? How could you frame their success in a growth mindset way, e.g., by talking about the process that went into their success?
3. What kinds of Fixed and Growth Mindset statements did your child make?
4. How often do you notice and praise effort, strategies, and progress in your child?

Action Ideas:
• When you hear or provide praise, ask yourself "What is being praised?" Is it effort, strategy, persistence, focus, and improvement, or does it sound more like a fixed trait or ability?

• When you or your child makes a mistake, ask yourself “How does my reaction influence my child’s future behaviour?” Does it encourage learning and growth, or does it encourage them to avoid challenges in the future?

• When something you or your child says or does signals a Fixed or a Growth Mindset, write it down! You may be surprised how often mindset statements come up. Keep a tally on your fridge for a week, then see if it changes at some later time.

Use this template for the fridge:

                 Fixed Mindset Statements                        Growth Mindset Statements
Week 1                /////   /////                                                  /////      /////    //

Week 2 

• Track your conversations and make sure you schedule some time to talk about your child’s effort and progress this month.

Jen Tually and Patrick Wood

Adapted from https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset-parents/how-parents-can-instill-growth-mindset/activity-use-growth-mindset-language

On Thursday 9th November, the Piano Club, Concert Band, Vocal Group and the 9/10 Music class walked over to the Grove to perform for the residence. The Vocal Group and Concert Band performed a selection of ABBA music, while soloists performed pieces on flute, bass, piano and vocals, and the 9/10 class performed their assessment of ‘Counting Stars’. I was very proud of all the students for their efforts and would like to personally thank Tom Mugridge for helping us with the sound and Mr. Jason Paris for accompanying me and the students to the Grove.

- Miss Sharon Robinson

On 3 November 2017 year 8 had the wonderful and unique opportunity of hearing our local Deacon, Deacon Namora share his insights and experiences around the Sacraments of Healing. This has been particularly timely given that this week the Church celebrated both All Souls and All Saints days- both of which are important opportunities to remember, celebrate and pray for formal Saints as well as those from our own lives who have passed.

Deacon Namora spoke beautifully on the power of the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick in restoring faith, spiritual wellness and connection with God. The year 8 students were particularly engrossed in his explanation of the importance of the healing miracle in the Gospel of Matthew, ‘Jesus heals the woman with the hemorrhage’. The Deacon highlighted for year 8 the power of faith in restoring spiritual health and the infinite power of God to offer forgiveness through the Sacraments of Healing, as evidenced by this insightful scripture passage.

Year 8 have been studying the Sacraments this term, and are in the midst of preparing an assessment task on the Sacraments of Healing. We thank Deacon Namora for his time and for sharing his wisdom as the students prepare for their task.

-Year 8 Religious Education Team

Every year, more and more emphasis is placed on achieving good results in exams causing many students to feel extraordinary pressure and having unrealistic expectations. This month on SchoolTV, parents will find advice on how to help students cope with the pressure and how students can work smarter to achieve the results they desire.

Exams are like a game. Once you know how to play the game, your chances of achieving great results rapidly increase. Parents can learn how to assist their kids to maintain perspective and keep their sanity intact during exam time.

Diet, exercise and sleep all play an important part in helping a student balance a busy schedule and study smarter. Keeping stress levels to a minimum and reducing anxiety can be easily achieved through careful planning and having a supportive environment.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition and we always welcome your feedback.

If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information.