Dear St John the Apostle families,

With the election last weekend and waking up Sunday morning to a change in political landscape, it has been a week with new possibilities and excitement in the air.

At the same time the extraordinary tragedy of another school shooting in the US has caused so many mixed responses: sadness for the young children and families who have experienced this, anger at the fact that this continues in the US at such great cost, and relief that we live in a part of the world where our children can come to school safely every day without such life threatening concern. We keep the families and community of Robb Elementary School and Uvalde in our prayers.

It's been a very busy week at school as well.

While quite a number of teachers across Catholic schools in the ACT and NSW were on strike today, our school operated as normal. The strike action taken by the IEU was to shine a more public light on the concerns being raised as part of the current enterprise bargaining process. 

I know that many parents have appreciated that we operated as usual. I would also like to point out that each staff member makes their own decision regarding participating in strike action. Their choice to remain at school does not mean they don't support the cause. They may have chosen to continue to work for other reasons, personal to their circumstances.

We all want fair and reasonable employment conditions (including pay) and staff who work in schools are no different. 

Reconciliation

Yesterday was Sorry Day. The anniversary of the The National Apology to Australia's First Nations People.

We began the day with a special morning assembly that highlighted the importance of The Apology in our Australian history. Thank you to Ms Wormald and Ms Gardner for organising our students to lead us through this important commemoration. This year, as part of our Annual Improvement Plan, we are working to embed opportunities for our students to develop a greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.

Next week we will celebrate Reconciliation Week. We have a number of activities planned for classes. We'll share these with families via our Facebook page and other communication means over the course of the week.

The theme this year is Be Brave, Make change. As a teacher and school leader I spent years wanting to help students grow in their understanding about First Nations history and culture. Having learnt very little at school I didn't feel confident in talking to my students. I worried about getting it wrong, offending First Nations people and embedding 'incorrect' ideas in the students I taught.

Years later I participated in a three day course that would help build my understanding. The greatest learning I had was that it was better to do something than nothing at all. I learnt that all I had to do was drop the fear of getting things wrong and just look and listen and be involved, with curiosity and openness. I realised that by being less fearful and more curious I would develop a far greater understanding of the history and culture of our First Nations people. In doing so I would develop empathy, friendship and a stronger sense of mine and our Australian identity. I now look forward to learning and embracing more and more all the time.

Australia is a diverse country, beginning with those who were here first and the diversity across all First Nations people. 

I encourage everyone to lean in to Reconciliation Week, with eyes and ears wide open, and just learn whatever comes across your path. I promise, you will be richer for it and will feel even more connected to our entire community.

Last year I was pleased to attend the Reconciliation Day activities at the National Arboretum on the Monday public holiday. If you're looking for something to do as a family I encourage you to attend. You can find out more about what's happening at: https://events.canberra.com.au/reconciliation-day 

National Simultaneous Storytime

National Simultaneous Storytime was another national event our students participated in this week. We joined students across Australia to listen to Josh Pyke read his book Family Tree.

Illustrated by Ronojey Ghosh, this book was a joy to listen to and across the school students were mesmerised.

If you'd like to hear the story please go to the following:

Tell Them From Me

This week, all students in Years 4 - 6 will be given the opportunity and time to participate in this survey during regular school hours. The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Students will be given a random username and password to access and complete the survey online. Students’ names cannot be linked to their responses which allows it to be completely anonymous. Results will show all student scores combined – it is not possible to single out individual students in the results.

The survey measures include such topics as emotional and social well-being, physical health, and behaviours and attitudes linked to student success. The survey also allows students to give their thoughts and feedback in open-ended question responses.

Participation in the survey is entirely voluntary. Your child in Years 4 - 6 will not take part if either you or your child do not wish to. If, during the survey, your child is uncomfortable answering any question, he/she will be encouraged to leave it blank and move on to the next one.

If you do not want your child to take part in the survey, please contact your child's teacher.

Have a wonderful long weekend.

Matthew Garton