Welcome back to term 2. I hope your families were able to gather in the spirit of Easter and acknowledge after a period of sombreness we awake to the resurrection of Christ. I was able to take some time to spend with my family where we were all able to reflect on the busyness of the start of the year. It seems that no matter your occupation the start of 2023 has indeed been hectic.

As Steven indicated in his report all our College staff have been involved in professional learning through MacKilliop Family services ReLate Program. It is important that this program is viewed as a College response not just something that falls on classroom teachers and support staff. Throughout the semester we aim to provide an opportunity to bring our parents/carers on board so they too have a greater understanding on how ReLate can contribute to positive outcomes for students.

One of the key points that was addressed on Monday was the need for our community to respond to matters in a Predictable, Calm and Reliable way. The presenters pointed out that routine and predictability reduce stress and improve the feeling of students safety in the surrounds that they are operating in. Whether that be in the workplace, home or at school our young people are looking for consistency of practice. As parents/carers you may to consider how you are addressing this. Patterns such as regular meal times, bed times, study, switching off social media at an agreed time all help build a consistent body of practice.

In addition it is important that our relationships are build around a calm and controlled patterns of behaviour. Our interaction with our young people, whether it be in behaviour management or supporting them at sporting events should be expressed in a way that emphasises a degree of calmness and control.

Finally we need to demonstrate reliability in these spaces. While we might be consistent in our expectations it is equally important to be reliable in our follow through. Knowing that behave in a manner that demonstrates a reliable outcome is important in establishing norms and expectations.

I hope that you take the opportunity to reflect on these three practices as students return to the hurly burly of term 2.

All the best,

Andy