Mothers’ Day Breakfast
I hope that all our mothers will be acknowledged for their contributions they make to their families on Sunday for Mother’s Day, and your children take some time to show their appreciation of everything you do for them.
Yesterday morning we celebrated this special time in advance with many mothers who attended our breakfast. The Hospitality students at the College were once again fabulous in their preparation and delivery of the breakfast and so we thank them and their teachers for working with us in this way.
The Primary Years Parent Support Group then backed up with a Mother’s Day Stall where the children purchased a gift or two at a reasonable price for their mothers. There was a great deal of excitement in Belfield Hall while the selection and purchase process occurred. We hope you enjoy what they have purchased for you.
Thanks to everyone involved in this fabulous community event.
Don’t forget that if you are the mother of a Prep student, you will be having your Mother’s Day pamper afternoon after lunch on Friday – Enjoy!
With Mother’s Day on the horizon I was keenly searching for an article to share on the importance of family time together when I came across the one below that encourages delegating tasks to children. I thought what a lovely Mother’s Day gift for all; the possible removal of some small tasks attached to the motivation of encouraging independence. Michael Grose shares his tips and expertise below on developing independence.
'Do less, not more, for your kids' - Michael Grose
With school-aged children we can find ourselves making lunches, getting kids out of bed and cleaning out schoolbags rather than giving these basic tasks of living over to them. The basic task of parenting, whether you have a two-year-old or a twenty-two year old, is to work yourself out of a job at the first possible chance. REDUNDANCY should be the aim of the game! We never become redundant in a relationship sense – the emotional connection between our children and us is never severed. In a practical, physical way we need to make children less, rather than more, reliant on us.
Developing independence is about stepping back to allow children in. Doing less rather than more! We develop greater independence in our kids one job at a time.
We easily take on children’s responsibilities
It is easy as parents to take on the jobs and responsibilities that really should belong to our children. With toddlers, it is so easy to dress, feed and clean up after them rather than give these jobs over to them. With school-aged children we can find ourselves making lunches, getting kids out of bed and cleaning out schoolbags rather than giving these basic tasks of living over to them.
TIP NO. 1 for developing independence:
Be clear about who owns jobs or tasks in your family and never take on a child’s job, or part of a task, unless there is extenuating circumstances such as illness.
A mother I met recently is very clear on who does what in her home. It is her job to wash the clothes of her early teenage children but it is their job to place them in the washing basket. She doesn’t check bedrooms as it is not her job to place kids’ clothes in the washing basket.
Okay, I can hear your thought processes. Sounds good but what happens if kids don’t care and they don’t mind being dirty. Good point. In this case, this mum has a son who is, to say the least, fairly slack in the area of hygiene. But she didn’t become overly fussed about that.
She certainly didn’t get fussed when he played a game of football in the wet, muddy jumper that lay in his sports bag for a week. And she happily showed him how to work the washing machine when he wanted his favourite shirt (that he forgot to put in the washing basket) to be washed for a special night out.
TIP NO. 2 for developing independence:
Never be more worried about a child’s job than they are, otherwise it becomes your job, not theirs.
This mum remained very clear that it was her job to wash the clothes but not to place them in the washing basket. She would remind kids about washing night, but never nag them to put clothes in the basket. She knows that as soon as she keeps reminding them, it becomes HER job rather than her children’s job to put the washing in the clothes basket.
The school holidays provide a good opportunity to reflect on the whole notion of job-sharing. It’s also a good time for kids to increase their job load when they are not burdened with schoolwork and extra- curricular activities.
Here’s my challenge for you: Think of a job that you regularly do for your child that he or she can do for him or herself. Then step back and enable your child to do that for themselves on a full-time basis. Do less not more for your kids.
If you do that, then you can congratulate yourself as you have moved one step more toward REDUNDANCY.
Pam Carden
Head of Primary Years
NAPLAN 2019
Next week, students across Australia in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will participate in the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). These tests will be held from 14 - 16 May as per the schedule published earlier in the year.
The NAPLAN tests assess a variety of skills essential for students: reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy. These assessments form just one part of the profile teachers use to measure the learning progress of each child. Our students have been preparing for NAPLAN for the whole of their schooling journey and not just in the weeks leading up to the assessments.
It is important to help students normalise this process. Our class teachers have been talking with students about this as just another of the learning experiences they will encounter at school. We have been encouraging students to do the best that they can and try their hardest, as we would expect with any task.
The classroom will look a little different on the days of the tests, posters in classrooms may be removed or covered and desks will be separated, but teachers will talk students through this in the days closer to the tests. Nevertheless, please rest assured that your child’s teacher will do their best to manage these days for the children; other than completing the tests on these days, it will be business as usual.
If your child is unwell on any of the days of NAPLAN, we can do catch-up assessments on Friday 17 May, so please ensure that they are well enough to attend school. A good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast are a great way to prepare the students for the day ahead. It is also important to maintain normality around these school days and the testing process. If your student is anxious, discuss these feelings with them and let their teacher know.
Results will be sent to the school for distribution later in the year. More information will be sent out about this when we receive the papers.
If you have any concerns about NAPLAN please speak to your child’s teacher or send an email to s.mitchell@stpeters.qld.edu.au . You can also read more about it here.
Simone Mitchell
Head of P-6 Curriculum
