OPENING OUR SCHOOLS BACK UP TO OUR PARENT COMMUNITY

One of the greatest challenges that schools have faced during Covid-19 has been the disconnect from parents, families and carers who have been unable to access the school site because of Covid-19 regulations and rules.

Over the last few months the goal posts have moved almost daily and we have had to adapt to the many changes in the shadow of a Covid’s possible return. With that in mind and making sure we are putting all the required practices into place, we are looking at ways that we can support parents and carers to have access to our school site whilst maintaining Covid-19 expectations as outlined by the State Government and DOSCEL.

As of our next assembly I will be inviting parents of the Student of the Week Award and our Sports Star Award to attend so they can share in their child's success. I will also be allowing parents whose students are presenting Assembly Prayer and Class News to attend our fortnightly Whole School assembly. All Parents attending the assembly will be asked to sign in via a QR code before entry.

Whilst there is no Mother's Day stall this year as our P&F has been dormant due to Covid-19, I've taken the liberty to do something special for all our mums. On Friday we will have a whole school ZOOM meeting at 3.00pm and we will be having a special raffle draw for our beautiful mums to help them celebrate their special day and say thanks for everything they do for us.

The prizes on offer will be;

• A night for Two at the Mercure Hotel Warragul
• $200 Hamper SGO Candles & Co
• $100 Coles Myer Card
• $60 Willow Branch Voucher
• $50 Club Hotel Meal Vouchers
• A Mystery Money Tree

Mr Pitt has organised to put all our students into the draw via their school student number into a random generator. 

Some lucky winner will have a very special treat for their mums on Sunday.

PARENTING IS OFTEN A MINEFIELD OF 'SHOULD I OR SHOULDN'T I?'

Should I breastfeed or bottle-feed? Should I co-sleep or let them cry it out? Should I use a dummy or not? Should I go back to work or stay at home a bit longer? These are tough questions and there are no easy answers. But without question, one of the biggest issues parents face is what age to send their kids to school.

A new study shows that children who are held back and start school later are at a huge advantage - one that follows them throughout their lives. The study, looking at 1007 adults between the ages of 24 and 60, found that those who had started later were more resilient, competitive and trusting and far more self-confident than those who had started earlier.

"Our findings indicate that school entry rules influence the formation of behavioural traits, creating long-lasting disparities between individuals born on different sides of the cut-off date," said lead author Lionel Page from the University of Technology, Sydney, speaking to The Herald Sun.

Dr Page believed that those children who were sent early rather than late felt the full "potential adverse effect" of school entry rules.

NO UNIFORMITY

Looking across the states, there is a huge variation in when parents are allowed to send their kids to school. 

In Tasmania, all children must be five by January 1 of the year they start school, while in Victoria and the ACT, they must turn 5 by the 30th April. In South Australia, the date is May 1, while in Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, the date extends to June 30. New South Wales has the latest cut-off of all, with children given until July 31st to turn five, in the year they start school. 

As a result- especially in NSW- there can sometimes be up to 18 months difference in the age of children starting kindergarten. This is not just tricky for the kids to manage, it's really hard for teachers, who have to deal with a huge range of developmental abilities in the one classroom.  

And what the study suggests is that the effects aren't just felt while children are in school. "We find that participants who were relatively old in school exhibit higher self-confidence about their performance at an effort task compared to those who were relatively young," Dr Page said. "Moreover, they declare being more tolerant to risk in a range of real-life situations and trusting of other people in social interactions. Taken together, this set of results offers important insights on the long-term effects of relative age at school on behavioral traits."

A WIDE-RANGING STUDY

The study was a joint research project between the federal government and various universities, including the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia. 

Recently, a study of parents conducted by the University of NSW found that a quarter of them are holding their children back, letting them start school as they turn six, not five. 

And as the mother of a boy born at the end of June, I can say unreservedly that both these studies reflect everything I already thought: my little boy will be waiting until he is five-and-a-half before he starts school. Yes, sure, it'll mean an extra year of day care fees and an extra year of juggling work and childcare, but for me, it's a no brainer. Childhood is short enough, and if these studies are to be believed, children are happier, healthier and more successful both early on and later in life, if they're not pushed into school before they're ready.

INSIGHT SRC PARENT SURVEYS

Thanks to all our parents who completed an Insight SRC survey for our school.

These surveys are designed to obtain feedback about our school in relation to the things we do well and things we can do better.

Although we strongly encourage you to do the surveys, your participation is voluntary. It is important to remember, however, that the success of this project is dependent on St Ita’s parents’ involvement in giving us important information via the surveys.

The survey takes approx. 20 minutes to work through and once completed the surveys can be sent to Insight SRC online or returned to school in the confidential envelope provided via St Ita’s admin, where they will be returned to Insight SRC for analysis. The results of the survey are usually delivered to schools within 8-10 weeks.

We thank you for your ongoing support of our teaching and learning community.