Dear Parents and Friends,
As schools, teachers and parents we should be encouraging our children to grow without hurry towards adulthood. There is plenty of time for children to have access to the latest mobile phone, the latest games and toys or have extravagant birthday parties, or go to the movies as boyfriend and girlfriend. In recent weeks I have had to speak to students and deal with issues that lead me to believe that some of our children are growing up too quickly and our society is placing enormous pressure on them to experience what they’re not yet ready for. Sonya Ryan in her presentation several weeks ago was quite clear when discussing when children should be permitted to have social media accounts. If you would like to know more, I encourage parents to visit the eSafety Commissioner web site or better still get your children off all social media.
In addition to this, there is also another concerning element that has made it into the lives of our children and that is the notion of ‘overload’. Their day can suffer from overload when they go from school to basketball practice to music lessons to a quick meal then homework and often over seven days a week. Of course, organised activities can offer a host of benefits for children. They can foster social skills and provide opportunities for play and exercise. They can teach sportsmanship, self-discipline and conflict resolution. They can promote cultural enrichment.
However, the research also tells us that children’s activities should be scheduled in moderation according to age, temperament, ability and interests. The activities chosen should be for the child’s gain not the parents. Our children should never be involved in a multitude of activities because it boosts our self-esteem or simply because we had to do them when we were children or, we missed out as children so our children will “do it all”.
We do harm to our children when we hurry them through their childhood. Children should be allowed to be children. Childhood is a preparation, not a full performance. Children need space to grow, to learn and to develop. The value of play, which fosters fantasy and imagination, has been diminished in our society and needs to be re-emphasised. Children need time for personal expression.
Book Week Celebrations
Thank you for your support of this year’s Book Week activities. Last week was a great celebration, culminating in Wednesday’s Book Week Parade. It was great to see so many children get into the spirit of the day and dress up. The imagination of our parents and caregivers never ceases to amaze me, we had Aladdin on magic carpets, pirates, Snow Whites, Where's Wally, Cats in the Hat and many more! Other costumes ranged from fairy princesses, to Harry Potter; Little Mermaids to Sponge Bob Square Pants, and so much more. We had the lot! The Book Week Assembly capped off a great celebration! Many thanks to the Library Staff, Helen Kolaczkos and Maria Ottery for creating such a rewarding week of activities in the Library.
Colour Run
Our major P&F fundraiser for the year is the Colour Fun Run, which will be held on Friday, 27th September 2019. Information has been sent home with the children and further details will be coming home about where it will be held, what to wear etc. The Colour Fun Run is very different to our usual Annual Athon Day in that children can raise sponsorships towards a particular item or prize. The children have each received a booklet with a catalogue of prizes included so that they can set their goal. I hope all families will join in with this fun activity. Other schools have been doing the Colour Run for a couple of years now and the response has been excellent. It is an opportunity to involve students, school staff and parents, grandparents and old scholars as well as raising much needed funds for our P&F. It is the only major fundraiser for the year – please join in enthusiastically.
Dads' Breakfast
There are many traditions and events at Star of the Sea and the Dads' Breakfast is one event not be missed. Tomorrow 30th August all Dads and significant males in the lives of our children are invited to join us for breakfast on the school oval. Breakfast is served at 8am. The children can play on the oval and the dads catch up with other dads. When the school bell goes at 8.40am we invite the dads to assemble in front of the Grandstand for the 'Blessing of the Blokes' and then we invite you to take the children to their classrooms, settle them in and then head off to work. It might be helpful to know where your child's classroom is before Friday.
Please be aware this is not a breakfast for the kids; Dads Only! Please make sure that your children have a good breakfast before school. The purpose of this day is to honour the special place of Dads and significant males in the family, spoil our Dads, provide a chance for Dads to network and allow the Dads a chance to take the children to class in the morning. I hope all dads have a great Father's Day on Sunday. This quote made me smile and I thought it worth sharing!
"It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping."- John Sinor
Enjoy the weekend ahead
Joe De Tullio