Dear Families,
Learning from a Monk
In his great book, “Think Like a Monk”, author Jay Shetty, suggests that if you want to become a master you should learn from the best. If you want to be a great basketballer, you should learn from Michael Jordan. If you wanted to learn about innovation, follow Elon Musk, and to become a master performer then learn from Beyonce. Shetty recommends that if you want to train your mind to find peace, calm and purpose, Monks are the experts.
According to Shetty, Monks can withstand temptations, refrain from criticising, deal with pain and anxiety, quiet their ego and build lives that brim with purpose and meaning. For millennia, monks have believed that meditation and mindfulness are beneficial, that gratitude is good for you and that service makes you happier.
Shetty draws the comparison between the monk mindset and the monkey mindset. He argues that today we struggle with overthinking, procrastination and anxiety, as a result of engaging the monkey mind. The monkey mind switches aimlessly from thought to thought, challenge to challenge, without really solving anything.
| MONKEY MIND Overwhelmed by multiples braches Complains, compares and criticizes Overthinks and procrastinates Distracted by small things Short-term gratificcation Demanding and entitled Looks for pleasure Looks for temporary fixes |
MONK MIND Focused on the root of the issue Compassionates, caring, collaborative Analyses and articulates Disciplined Long-term gain Enthusiastic, determined and patient Looks for meaning Looks for genuine solutions |
Our lives seem to be frantic, as well as challenging and demanding. Now might be the perfect time to work on the Monk mindset. If you aren’t ready for the book (yet) then perhaps finding a quiet time each day to calm your mind and focus on your breathing can help you through the challenging times (we all have them). A good ritual for adults and children alike.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
A last reminder that the AGM will be held tonight, Thursday 3 March 2022, commencing at 7:00pm. Due to current indoor restrictions, the AGM is now being held online. If you are interested in being present (online), please advise Ingrid Douventzidis by 5:00pm today so an invitation link can be sent to you. Ingrid’s email address: Ingrid@stjopayn.catholic.edu.au
Welcome to our university students
We have two UniSA students, Phoebe McGee and Shaira Tu-Ayon, at our school as part of their Social Work university placement. They will be here over the course of the first semester, providing support for children.
I also welcome Pellegrino (Pelle) Chiuchiolo to St Joseph’s Payneham. Pelle is from Curtin University, and will soon be completing his teaching placement in the Year 6 classrooms.
Parents and Friends, 2022
The Parents and Friends (P&F) are eager to have more members. There are no special skills or qualities required – just a willingness to share ideas and help-out from time to time.
It is not an onerous responsibility, rather an opportunity to join a group who share common goals that include: holding events for the children at St Joseph’s Payneham; raise funds for the school; and create occasions for community bonding, all whilst having a bit of fun and building relationships with other parents/carers at our school.
There will be an informal gathering over a cup of coffee, just outside the school canteen, on Thursday 10 March after school drop-off (from 8:50am). This will be followed by a meeting (online) on Thursday 17 March at 7:00pm. If you are interested in joining, please email Ingrid Douventzidis with the subject line ‘P&F’ at: Ingrid@stjopayn.catholic.edu.au An invitational link will be sent to those who wish to be present.
Talking to trusted adults
Whilst we promote children being friendly and saying ‘hello’ to people, it is also important to remind children about only engaging in conversation with adults whom they trust. Teachers cover a unit as part of the Child Protection Curriculum, called ‘talking to adults whom we trust’. I also strongly encourage you to have a talk with your son/daughter about this subject.
Occasional Care, ‘Piccolini’ News
Occasional Care (or ‘Piccolini’) has re-commenced. Celesta Seal is facilitating the program this year. Piccolini will continue to operate on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, for children aged 3-4 years. The Education Standards Board has granted us additional sessions (if there is demand). This means we can offer morning (9am-12pm), as well as afternoon (12-3pm) time slots. Please contact Dora Cavuoto for further details: dcavuoto@stjopayn.catholic.edu.au
Student Counsellor, Andrea de Dezsery
Our school counsellor, Andrea de Dezsery, is at St Joseph’s Payneham every Friday. If you believe your child requires student counselling support, please email Andrea (address below), or have a conversation with your child’s teacher(s), who can communicate your concerns to Andrea. AdeDezsery@stjopayn.catholic.edu.au
Guidelines for Compliments, Concerns and Complaints
We are aware that there may come a time when a parent/carer has a genuine grievance regarding a school and/or class related matter. I believe the majority of grievances can be resolved after speaking to the person concerned.
Therefore, I strongly encourage parents/carers who may have a concern or question, that the first port of call should always be with the person/teacher/staff member who is directly involved in the matter. For example, all class related issues should be concentrated to the class teacher; OSHC issues should be focused to the OSHC staff; etc. A link to our ‘Guidelines for Compliments, Concerns and Complaints’ can be accessed here: Parent Grievance Policy
Children’s University, 2022
Children's University (CU) offers educational experiences for children aged between 7 and 14 years outside of school. There are strong connections with local educational and learning activity providers and an emphasis on experience as a significant learning tool; acknowledging the value of the range of different learning experiences and environments in which children engage.
Each child is issued with a Passport to Learning in which the hours of each validated activity are recorded. Once they have reached the required number of hours, children will graduate from the Children's University. Certificates are presented at a graduation ceremony.
If your child is interested in participating in Children’s University this year, please contact our CU School Coordinator, Peta Yates at: pyates@stjopayn.catholic.edu.au and if wanting further information please visit the CU website: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/childrensuniversity/
Supervision before and after school
Supervision in the yard commences at 8:30am. After school, any child who is not collected by 3:30pm, will be taken to OSHC. Also, a reminder that if your child is being collected early from school, they need to be signed-out at the Front Office.
Supervision at After School Sports Training and Clinics
Any siblings of children attending after-school sports trainings or clinics, need to be supervised by a parent or a caregiver. If this is not possible, please ensure any children not directly involved in the after-school training or clinic are booked into OSHC. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.
Head injuries at school
Our school’s current procedure for managing ‘minor’ student head injuries i.e., collision of heads, bumping into another object, etc., is for students to be assessed by a Senior First Aider in the Front Office. If students are identified to be well enough to continue their day at school, you will be telephoned to alert that a minor head injury has taken place.
Student Free Day, Friday 11 March 2022
As has been promoted, on the above date, staff will be engaged in a whole day of Professional Learning (along with other Primary Catholic Schools in the Eastern Region), and therefore will be a Student Free Day. OSHC will be available from 7:30am until 6:00pm; just please ensure you book.
Volunteering in 2022
In line with Catholic Education South Australia (CESA), to volunteer at St Joseph’s Payneham in 2022, you need to have a current Catholic Police Clearance, which can be applied for through the School Office. If you hold a current Working with Children's Clearance (WWCC) this can be used to apply for your Catholic Police Clearance. Please provide a copy to the Front Office for processing.
In addition to the appropriate Police Clearance, all volunteers will need to either show or send their COVID Vaccination Certificate (indicating double vaccination) and complete the RRHAN (Responding to Risk of Harm, Abuse and Neglect for Volunteers) Course. Please go to the following link, login and complete the RRHAN training by clicking on Non-Department for Education Staff: https://www.plink.sa.edu.au
Should you have any queries or wish to become a Registered Volunteer please contact the Front Office. Lastly, please note that parents/carers who visit the school, who are not volunteering, do not need to provide evidence of their vaccination status.
COVID-19 Update
As highlighted previously, unfortunately, we will have children who will test positive to COVID-19. This may impact on the child’s class mates and their Class Teacher (and ESOs). When we are notified that a child has tested positive, the families of the child’s class will be notified (via our Skoolbag or Seesaw app). Obviously, staff may also test positive from their interaction within the school community, or may be exposed to family members who have tested positive (as has been the case with me this week). We will endeavour to engage the appropriate temporary staff for the period of the staff member’s quarantine time.
A reminder, in line with SA Health, to keep ourselves and others safe, please:
- aim for a prompt drop-off and pick-up;
- do not congregate with others in the community;
- continue to have your child focus on good hygiene and hand washing;
- note that face masks are strongly encouraged for students in Years 3-6; and
- keep your child(ren) home when they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms and have your child tested, notifying us as soon as possible if your child does test positive for COVID-19.
Isolating at home
At the moment, like all schools, we have children who are isolating at home (which will probably continue for some time). If your child is home, and not feeling well, the most important thing is that they focus on recovery.
Classroom teachers will endeavour to provide ‘learning continuity’, for those children who are isolating (either due to having COVID, or being a household contact). It is however important to note, that teachers are not providing online/remote learning. They are engaged in face-to-face teaching and learning with the students in their classroom.
I provide the following links (which have been set-up by Catholic Education SA and the Department for Education) for you to access and use, if required, during an isolation period.
https://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/learning-online/information-for-families
https://www.education.sa.gov.au/our-learning-sa
Best wishes to Vanessa Saccardo and Staff News
This is Vanessa Saccardo’s last week for this year, as she and husband, Stef, prepare to welcome a baby into the world.
For the last two years, Vanessa has been our school’s Leader of Learning, with a particular focus on developing Literacy and Numeracy, as well as Assessment + Moderation and intervention programs too. Vanessa has contributed significantly in this space and we will miss her. However, we are hoping that Vanessa will be back with us in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, our best wishes to Vanessa and Stef.
Replacing Vanessa as Leader of Learning – Literacy, will be Sonia Tronnolone (0.2). Sonia will be out of the class on Fridays to undertake this important work. Nadia Plawecki will take 1T on Fridays.
The Leader of Learning – Numeracy, will be Natalie Caruso (0.2). Natalie is presently employed in a neighbouring Catholic school and has agreed to join us for the rest of this year. I welcome Natalie to our community. Natalie will be working at our school on Wednesdays.
Congratulations
Lastly, I share with you recent ‘baby news’ and offer my congratulations to: - the Colalancia family (Nicodemo, RA), on the birth of a boy, John Jr.
Wishing you well!
Simon Mechis
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