“So often, children are punished for being human. They are not allowed to have grumpy moods, bad days, disrespectful tones, or bad attitudes. Yet, we adults have them all the time. None of us are perfect. We must stop holding our children to a higher standard of perfection than we can attain ourselves.”

                                                         Rebecca Eanes

As a parent myself I fully understand this quote from Eanes. I am guilty of holding my own children to a higher standard than I hold for myself at times. Eanes reminds us that our children are not perfect and neither are we. This is not to say that we shouldn’t hold our children accountable for their behaviour and attitudes. When we think of holding children accountable, many are drawn to the conclusion of discipline. I believe discipline is important, however, we know that parenting is very complex and as our children grow and develop, our focus and attention is challenged to adapt to each new situation. Recently I have focused on ways to enhance my parenting journey and assist in raising positive and healthy children, and I would say that these ideas such as ‘less correcting and more connecting’ may be even more valuable than discipline.

Gratitude:
Gratitude is a bedrock for self-worth and personal happiness. Gratitude has a wonderful way of working against entitlement and feelings of disappointment. A habit that has worked for me is to get my children to share the good things they have witnessed or achieved in their day.

Positive home comfort:
What is the atmosphere in our homes? Are loving, connected and positive relationships what creates warmth in your home? Our home atmosphere may suffer if us as parents fail to model loving and strong relationships. Our children are so easily influenced by their home life, but also friendship groups and solid peer relationships will add value in their lives. How is your child treating others and what example are we setting as parents?

Connection to Community:
Being engaged in a community through volunteering, supporting, donating, participating in a team or club sport and generally being involved in the community has always had a positive effect on my family. For children and young adults to see how their actions can influence other lives may give them a sense of responsibility and instill good values.

Screen Media:
Phones, tablets, computers, gaming consoles and television are informing your child every day. What are the key messages they are receiving from these technologies and how often are they getting it? Social media has its benefits, however, the real meaningful connections in our day-to-day lives should not be on a screen.

GI GO “What Goes in – Goes out”:
If Garbage goes in, Garbage comes out! Good nutrition, sleep, and exercise are essential for the well-being of your child and many studies have found this also influences behaviour. Fresh and unprocessed food along with good hydration has also been linked to many positive outcomes.

Communication:
Communication with adolescents can be challenging and it is fundamental to robust relationships. Adding extra resources into your parenting armory won’t hurt. Below is a link to an article which was featured in The Guardian which, despite the tile, has some positive tips in dealing with teenagers.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As you know, we are participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout for the third year in a row.  This event is to raise awareness and funds to enable St Vincent de Paul to care for people who are homeless. 

So next week on Thursday 23 June, I will be sleeping out with the CEOs and 130 JPC students and many members of staff will be sleeping out in solidarity.  In recognition of this quite exceptional effort by a school, there will be a live cross during the evening from the venue where I will be to JPC.  Several students will ask a question of CEOs, including Brendan Nelson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, about their motivation for the sleepout. 

Thank you to all of you who have already contributed to this incredibly worthwhile cause.  It would be wonderful to exceed the amount we raised last year which was almost $10,000.  At the moment, we are reaching $6,000 – already a fabulous effort.  We would all be grateful for further support from the community.  There are several ways you could contribute:  through cash to the school, through the QKR app or directly to the Vinnies website.

I am so proud of the efforts our students are making (and will make next Thursday!) and the great support behind us from the community.

Thank you all!
Catherine

Year 7 Drama have been working extremely hard to create and perform pieces of theatre this term. The showcase will be a variety of assessment performances from the two Drama classes this term. Students have self-nominated to perform.

Please join us to support our budding actors as they

dazzle you with their growing talents!

The Student Office is often awash with lost property – drink bottles, school hats, clothes, sports gear, etc. When these items are named clearly, we are able to return them to their owners. However, quite a bit of the lost property has no name, so cannot be returned, and sits sadly in the office, unloved. At the end of each term, unclaimed items are donated to charity.

Please could you ensure your child has labelled all their school items (clothes, sports bags, drink bottles) so if items are mislaid they can be returned.

Preparations are well underway for the Year 10 Transition Week in Week 10 of this term. We have organised a range of activities that will encourage students to think about potential pathways after school. Some of the highlights will include visits to tertiary institutions around Canberra, guest speakers from various industry and subject selection information sessions.

The program for the week is available on Moodle and there will be more information in next week’s Key Messages.

Madeleine Harley

Tuesday 21 June GWS AFL Gala Day
Wednesday 22 June AIME Program at the Australian National University
Thursday 23 – Friday  24 June ACT Swimming
Thursday 23 June  JPC Sleepout
Friday 24 June Round 2 Year 7 Immunisations