Dear Families,
Family connections are key
I was recently reading an article by parenting author and presenter, Dr Justin Coulson, discussing the mountain of research which shows that being happy is not just a natural human desire – it is actually really good for us.
Happiness makes our hearts healthier, improves our immune system, lowers pain, is associated with improvements in long-term illness and even increases longevity, meaning that happy people live longer. Today’s focus is on families, and Dr Coulson promotes the following, to experience greater happiness.
Family dinners
Family dinner time might be the single best thing that can be done as a family. It is the most reliable time of the day to connect with loved ones, and connection leads to greater happiness.
Dr Coulson’s research highlights that family dinner time also fosters great outcomes. It leads to children to have lower anxiety, better physical health and less likely to engage in high-risk teenage behaviours and lower rates of depression. They also are more likely to do better at school.
Less stress, more sleep
The child raising years are a busy time. In an extensive survey, which involved 1000 families, children were asked, ‘If you were granted one wish about your parents, what would it be?’. Their number one wish was that their parents were less tired and stressed (the parents thought it would be more time together).
Dr Coulson advocated that more sleep and less stress will make families happier, but admits that it can be a big ask. He suggests that maybe it could be about dropping one extra commitment (such as saying no to social events on Sundays), or by making it a habit to go to bed earlier each night instead of watching mindless reality TV or surfing the web. Small changes can greatly increase a family’s happiness.
Share your family history
Dr Coulson advocates that families with a strong sense of family history are the happiest. Dr Coulson states that the more children know about their heritage, the more they feel a part of a story that is bigger than themselves. They have a better sense of control over their own lives, have higher self-esteem and are even able to handle stress better.
Subsequently, Dr Coulson recommends to pore over family photos and tell family stories often (dinner time is a great opportunity). The best stories don’t shy away from the negative, but talk about the family’s ups and downs. They also end by emphasising how your family always sticks together.
Love is spelled T-I-M-E
There is nothing that creates more happiness than spending time with another person. Dr Coulson refers to a dad at one of his seminars who takes his family out for hot chips every Tuesday. It’s not a big or expensive outing – and children don’t need that. However, they do need consistent availability.
Dr Coulson does however emphasise the need to be available when our children need us. They need to know they are always welcome to come to us. It’s important to honour that request.
Screens….
Dr Coulson emphasises that screens degrade the quality of our relationships (he calls it ‘technoference’ and it’s not good). So, to really promote happiness in our families, we need to put the phones and the tablets down, shut off the computers and turn off the television. We need to spend that time looking each other in the eye, talking and having fun.
School Uniform, Term Two
As mentioned previously, Term Two is when the school Winter Uniform is worn. We always have a two-week transition period. However, by this week all students need to be wearing the Winter Uniform. If you are unsure of any school uniform requirements, please speak with your child’s class teacher, or the Front Office.
If wanting to purchase a uniform item from the second-hand uniform shop, the usual hours are Thursday afternoons, from 2:30 – 3:15pm, and Friday mornings, from 8:30 – 9:15am. Thank you to Kayla Holding (P&F member and parent at our school) for volunteering her time so the second-hand uniform shop is available to families. Lastly, if you have any school uniform items that are no longer required, these can be donated to the school.
COVID update
- Whole school liturgies/assemblies (and the like) are allowed to resume.
- Adults are still required to wear masks if entering buildings and other indoor spaces.
- Under the Catholic Education SA COVID-19 Vaccination Policy Outcome, Workers, including staff, volunteers and contractors need to be COVID vaccinated i.e., have completed a course (being 1 dose of a single-dose vaccine, or 2 doses of a double-dose vaccine, in accordance with the schedule recommended by ATAGI) of a TGA-approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccine; or be considered medically exempt with a Medical Contraindication to Vaccination, which means one of the contraindications outlined in formal clinical advice from the Australian Department of Health to vaccine providers based on advice from the TGA and ATAGI.
Student Free Day, Friday 10 June
Advance notice that Friday 10 June will be a Student Free Day. Staff will be involved in professional formation. If you require your child/ren to be OSHC for this day, please contact Karina Forte (OSHC Director).
Congratulations
Lastly, I share with you the following ‘good news’ and offer my best wishes to:
- the Haines family (Beau, RM) on the birth of a baby girl, ‘Lola’.
- the Do family (Matthew, 1T) on the birth of a baby boy, 'Mason'.
Wishing you well!
Simon Mechis
1844 but the history to this day, dates to the start of the 1800's at a time when Napoleon Bonaparte had gaoled Pius VI (who also died in gaol). And later, when Pope Pius VII was elected, he too was gaoled by Bonaparte, who kept him prisoner at Fontainebleau.
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