Dear Friends,

Today's prayer above is dedicated to St Therese of Avila, whose feast day occurs tomorrow. St Therese was especially known for her advocacy of the power of prayer as she states-

 "Whoever has not begun the practice of prayer, I beg for the love of the Lord not to go without so great a good. There is nothing here to fear but only something to desire." 

Now, more than ever, the need for quiet reflection time and prayer is certainly warranted. Also needed  is acknowledgement of the importance to look after your own physical, mental and emotional well being as a parent during the pandemic and lockdown.  I hope you take some time to read our well being article below focusing on this.  The quiz at the end may also be an opportunity for some fun family time together! 

As per last term, families still experiencing financial hardship may continue to apply fee reduction or remission.  Please complete the relevant links below and ensure all supporting documentation is attached with this completed form.   Term 4 school fees will be sent home to all families by the end of next week, noting that swimming lessons and camps have now been credited to family accounts.  As 87% of our fees are allocated to CE for staff salaries, we appreciate families continuing to financially support the school wherever possible. 

Fee Assistance Form (All families requesting assistance tp complete)

Fee Remission Form (Families wishing for support with fees to complete)

Request to Defer Fees (Families wishing for additional time to pay fees to complete)

As we enter Term 4, we will be farewelling two of our School Board members, Penny O'Connell and Jan Ridd.  We will have opportunity to formally thank both these members for their wonderful contribution to our School Board and community later in the term.  The School Board now encourages other parents in our community to nominate for positions on our school board, whose functions are as follows:

FUNCTIONS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD

The Board has responsibility to advise on decisions in the following areas:

• Supporting the development of the Catholic identity, ethos and mission of the school.
• Supporting pastoral care strategies in the school community.
• Promoting the school in the local community.
• Supporting the implementation and continuation of the IB PYP curriculum framework and Professional Learning opportunities. 
• Developing, approving and monitoring the annual budget, including school determined levies, loan commitments and the fees collection and remission policy.
• Developing and monitoring school enterprises, eg. Holy Trinity Early Learning Centre, Outside School Hours Care (Kids Biz), sports associations, hall hire.
• Developing capital and maintenance programs.
• Developing local strategic plans (finances, buildings, resources) and contributing to Archdiocesan educational strategic planning.
• Facilitate local school community debate in response to System leadership by the CEC and the CE in lobbying governments in school funding campaigns.
• Approving school uniform items decided at school level.
• Ensuring that the Parish and school community receives the Annual School Board Report. (Yearbook)
• Consulting with the P & F Association on the expenditure of levies or funds in keeping with Archdiocesan regulations.

Please click here for the nomination form  due to me via email on  Wednesday 27th of October. 

On Site School Supervision links for Week 3 and 4

From Monday 25 October (Week 4, Term 4), ELC,  Kindergarten, and Years 1, 2, and 6 can return to on campus learning. These year groups will also be able to attend our out of school hours care programs- ELC or Kids Biz.

• If you are needing your child/ren to attend school for onsite supervision  for weeks 1-3, please ensure you have firstly emailed me about this, and secondly, register using the link below:

 
https://holytrinitypscurtin.schoolzineplus.com/form/294
 

From Monday 1 November (Week 5, Term 4), Years 3, 4, 5, can return to on campus learning at Holy Trinity. 
Please note:

• With our multi-aging in Year 5 and 6, Year 6 will be attending school in Week 4 and Year 5 will continue remotely for this week. Year 5 return on Monday 1 November. We are still,  however, in Week 4 be open for students in Years 3-5 of parents/carers who are unable to provide care
  for their children. Our school will also remain open for vulnerable students. If you require supervision of your child/children in Year 3-5 during Week 4, please complete the following form-  this will ensure we have appropriate supervision ratios. 
  

  https://holytrinitypscurtin.schoolzineplus.com/form/295

• Please note that  there is one mode of learning employed for children needing on site supervision, the remote learning model. This is where the same learning is delivered to students both at home and on site at school. 

Parents needing to order summer uniforms for our return to school soon will be pleased to know that the Uniform Shop  have organised a Click & Collect - Cheryl is planning to open the uniform shop for click & collect through the front office between 3pm-4:30pm this Sunday 17th Oct. Orders must be placed by tomorrow,  Friday 15th Oct - holytrinityuniformshop@gmail.com

Congratulations to the Bew family (Ashton KG) on the arrival of Rory earlier this week- such wonderful news! Please also keep in your prayers other families in our community experiencing hardship and sickness at the moment.

Enjoy a wonderful weekend with more restrictions easing at 12pm tonight.  In next week's newsletter I will explain in detail all the COVID requirements being set up for  students safely return in Week 4 and 5. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out for anything at all and continue to stay safe. 

Warmest wishes,

Philippa 

Parent wellbeing during COVID-19 and lockdown: why it’s important

As a parent, it’s important to look after your own physical, mental and emotional wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

When you’re well, you’re better able to stay calm and positive as you manage home learning, work and family commitments, health concerns and uncertainty about the future. And if you’re calm and positive through these challenges, you’re better able to give your child what they need to cope and do well too.

There are several things you can do to stay physically, mentally and emotionally well during the pandemic:

• Use self-compassion.
• Look after yourself.
• Be realistic.
• Use routines.
• Plan your approach to paid work.
• Seek support.

Self-compassion for parents during COVID-19

Self-compassion is being kind to yourself and reminding yourself that you’re doing your best, even if things are difficult. It’s a helpful attitude during the COVID-19 pandemic, when things might seem out of control or aren’t going well. When you’re self-compassionate, you’re likely to feel less overwhelmed or hopeless. This means you’re better able to get things done and look after your family.

Here are ways to practise self-compassion during COVID-19:

• Pause, notice your feelings, and label them. This can stop feelings from overwhelming you. For example, if you feel frustrated about not being able to focus on your work, stop and tell yourself that it’s OK to feel this way sometimes.
• Remind yourself that you’re raising your children in a challenging situation. It’s OK to feel many different emotions, to need help or support, or to let things go. For example, ‘Many parents are finding lockdown hard – I’m not alone’, or ‘It’s OK if I do the vacuuming next week rather than today’.
• Make a distinction between the things you can control and the things you can’t. For example, you can’t control when lockdown rules will change, but you can control getting outside and getting some fresh air each day.

All emotions are OK. It’s fine for your child to see you feeling frustrated, disappointed, sad or angry sometimes. The key is also showing your child what you do with these emotions. For example, you could say, ‘I’m feeling sad that we haven’t seen Nan for a long time. I’m going outside for a walk, because that will help me feel better’.

Looking after yourself during COVID-19

It’s important to make time for looking after yourself. It’s also good if this time can include things that help when you feel tired, overwhelmed and down.

Here are ideas:

• Do some physical activity. Even something as simple as going for a walk can lift your mood.
• Choose healthy food whenever you can. This can give you more energy.
• Try to get enough good-quality sleep. You can improve your chances of sleeping well by going to bed and getting up at regular times if you can, keeping electronic devices out of the bedroom, and doing something relaxing in the hour or so before you turn the light out.
• Make time for things that bring you joy and energise you – for example, reading, taking a bath, gardening, singing along to your favourite track or having a spontaneous dance party! Even if it’s only 15 minutes, it’s still time for you.
• Stay connected with others. Even if you can only do it online, spending time with family members and friends is good for your mental health. You can talk about how you’re feeling, and share your ups and downs. Not only will you get support for yourself, but you’ll also be supporting others too.
• Try something new. The challenge of learning a new skill is a great mood booster. You could learn new recipes or card tricks or try a new craft.
• Try some wellbeing exercises like mindfulness, breathing or muscle relaxation. These activities don’t take long, and you might be surprised at the benefits.
• Think about limiting your time on social media and news sites if you feel overwhelmed by bad news. You could also try news sites or accounts that focus on positive news.

When you look after yourself, you show your child that it’s good to put time and energy into your own wellbeing. This sets a healthy example for your child.

Being realistic about what you can achieve during COVID-19

When you’re trying to balance home learning with work and family commitments during lockdown, it can help to be realistic about what you can achieve each day or week.

It’s OK to let things go for a few hours or a few days if you’re tired or stressed. It’s also OK not to do things the way you usually would. Just tell yourself you’ll get back to them when you’re ready.

When you’re thinking about what to let go, it might help to ask yourself what’s most important for your wellbeing and your child’s wellbeing. For example, you might decide that going for a family walk after breakfast is what you and your family need right now and that making the beds can wait.

When you focus on what really matters for you and your family and avoid taking on more than you can handle, it takes the pressure off.

Appreciation, gratitude and positive thinking can get you in the habit of focusing on what has gone well for you and why. You can make these attitudes part of a fun daily activity for your family. For example, get everyone to share their best 2 minutes of the day, something they’re grateful for, or something that has brought them joy. These can be little things like the smell of morning coffee, the warmth of the sun on your skin, or the sight of a beautiful bird outside.

Getting support during COVID-19

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, or you’re struggling with your mental health, parenting or relationship, getting professional support is a very good idea. You could start by talking to your GP.

Here are more ways to get support:

• Call a parenting hotline to get free parenting advice.
• Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 for mental health support.
• Check Head to Health to find online programs, forums and information on specific mental health topics.
• Call Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277 or Family Relationships Online on 1800 050 321 to talk to government-funded relationship counsellors.
• Call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) if there are problems in your relationships like family violence, or you feel you might hurt your child.
• Check whether your workplace has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).