2020 Term 1, Week 10

The story continues…

“Words were exchanged, challenges were made and the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.

One boat began falling behind – not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the ovens. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fuelled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but burned their cargo.”

I don’t know if this race actually happened, but it is a wonderful fable (or parable): there is a moral to the story – a bit like the tortoise and the hare.

As I speak with others about what we are learning from the impact of COVID-19 on our lives (those of us who remain well, but in isolation, that is), a common thread is that we are appreciating the opportunity to slow down, to spend time at home with our loved ones, to realise that there are other ways to think about work and the other activities that normally consume all our waking hours. People are (re)discovering simple pleasures: a walk in the late afternoon sunshine; a Facetime call with friends or family you haven’t seen for a long time; games and puzzles; a home-cooked meal. Others are expressing creativity and imagination in wonderful ways – like the Marsh family (Kent, UK), who are taking the internet by storm with their rendition of ‘One Day More’, from Les Miserables (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXWi1xUHmPY – please excuse just one rude word).

For the next two weeks we go into school holidays but, unlike in other years, I don’t suppose anybody will be going camping. In fact, it is unlikely that anybody will be going anywhere. I really hope that you are able to reimagine, rather than resent, what a great opportunity this offers us. Slow down. Don’t burn your metaphorical cargo in the race for success, or growing up, or ‘winning at life’ – whatever that means.

Easter falls in the middle of the holidays. Why not slow down enough to consider why it is that all of human history revolves around the birth, life, death and resurrection of a carpenter, who lived in an obscure backwater over two thousand years ago? Take time to ponder these words of Jesus, as recorded by John – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10: 11, 10)

Happy Easter… He is risen.

Mr Nigel Grant
Executive Director of Faith & Community

We have all been thrown into a new world of learning and hopefully everyone, children and parents alike, are feeling a lot more comfortable with it all.  It has been a real learning curve, but it seems as though we have managed to get there as a community.  So hopefully moving forward, if this plan continues, we will all be experts!!

I know many children are missing the social connection of school and the sense of community.  Children will have to manage play dates in a whole new way for a while.

Please refrain from using school devices for Zoom or Teams as a way to connect.  Obviously if you do this on home devices and under supervision of parents than that is a family choice.  In school time this needs to be done out of school hours just like a normal play date.

Child protection organizations have strongly recommended not to use Zoom or Teams as you can imagine how active undesirables are at this time and particularly in this space.

The holidays have arrived and it doesn’t feel quite right but please have a break and spend time with your family doing some old fashioned things, learn something new together or create a family spectacular!

I am so looking forward to the time when we can all be back together as a community.

I will be contactable by email over the holiday break if there is anything I can help with please just ask – [email protected]

I have attached a message from the staff.  Enjoy!

Mrs Marianne Connolly
Director of Junior School

Red Class – Naruki Suzuki
Green Class – Seonyeong (Seon) Lee

These students received this award for demonstrating patience, perseverance and resilience, trying their best in all of their classes and overcoming challenges.

Congratulation Naruki and Seon!

We work hard to find many opportunities for our students to perform in authentic settings, so it was very difficult to make the decision to cancel MITD but, depending on how the pandemic unfolds and on advice from the government, we hope to be able to run this event at a later date.

For the time being, all other performances are going ahead as scheduled unless otherwise indicated. These can be found on the Performance Schedule section of the Music website. Students should be continuing to work hard on their band parts in preparation for our eventual return to school as rehearsal time will be tight when things return to normal. There are Seesaw pages (Junior School) and Teams (Secondary School) set up for each ensemble and ensemble directors will liaise with students via these platforms and email to instruct students on their practise requirements.

Details of the audition process will be released at the beginning of Term 2, however, students should be preparing a 30-45 second section of their work to play during their audition (which may be via online submission). From there we will select students to move through to Round 2, from which we will choose students to play at the final at Sandgate Town Hall on Friday June 19.

All secondary Music students are encouraged to participate in this competition. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Green.

Businesses are having to manage new risks in everyday practices with proximity and hygiene concerns, staying on top of daily changes to rules and regulations and also having to service and communicate with their customers more regularly than ever before.

In these uncertain times, businesses (and employees) need to call on their creative mindsets, hone their tolerance for ambiguity, undertake trial and error, and practice being adaptable and agile.

There are examples all around us of adaptive and creative business thinking. In chatting with a Queensland business this morning, I learned about how they have managed to transition approximately 2500 staff from offices to working from home (where possible) whilst maintaining critical services.

Gyms are developing online programs and hiring out equipment to their members. Our libraries (prior to closure) were encouraging us to borrow more books and extended due dates by three months. Several beer and spirit brands are using the alcohol content from their products to make hand sanitiser instead. Musicians are live streaming their concerts for free and the Opera is streaming for free too! Virtual birthday parties, conferences going from 500+ in person to live streaming events, restaurants rejigging menus and processes to deliver take away options, grocery stores extending operating hours, and so much more.

These are hard times for businesses everywhere. We have been discussing with our CIE student businesses about adapting in these circumstances – revisiting their value, customer interactions, and products and services.

Here are some hints and tips for businesses to support adaptive thinking and being future focussed during these uncertain times:

The value you provide and to who:
Can you still provide the same / similar value to your customers but just through a different channel?
Even if the value is slightly less, is it worth pursuing to maintain brand and customer loyalty until you decide what to do next or things settle down?
Example: A La Carte Restaurants providing takeaway meals but without the 5-star restaurant dining experience.

Customer Interactions:
What can you do to ensure your customers feel safe, informed, and cared for?
Is there a safe way to still interact with them without cutting services totally?
Is there a way you can ensure the safety of your product and keep customer confidence?
Example: Cleaning Services are now going touchpoint free. No longer do you need to interact with the cleaners, exchange keys, equipment, or money.
Our Schools moving to on-line learning!

Products / Services:
Is there another service or product you could add to help your customers during this time?
For example: Workout Apps adding live sessions during peak periods (morning & night) to help customer feel supported and connected. Even adding mini mobility routines to keep remote workers moving at home.

This has been helpful for our student businesses to help them navigate the Covid-19 world we currently find ourselves in.

Please refer to the Queensland Government – Business Queensland site for up to date information and resources for impacted Queensland Businesses.  https://www.business.qld.gov.au/

If you would like to chat through any ideas or changes for your business, the CIE is available to support you.

Please contact me on [email protected] and we can arrange a suitable time to meet (via phone or video call).

Dr Renae Jones
Director, Centre for Innovators and Entrepreneurs

As of last term, parents/guardians can report their child’s absence from school via parent lounge.  An email detailing the process will be sent to you in the coming days.

If you have forgotten your Parent Lounge password, you can reset this yourself via the Parent Lounge login screen. If you have forgotten your Parent Lounge username, please contact the School’s reception.

This change is another improvement in the School’s approach towards child protection as it adds a level of security and authentication to child absences from school.  If you have any questions please contact the Risk and Compliance Officer, Renaye Ansell ([email protected])

Please note, if your child will be absent for three days or longer email your child’s House Leader.

For a detailed look 2020 dates, see HERE.

The uniform requirements at St Paul’s School vary depending on what year level students are in.

For a full breakdown of uniform requirements per year click HERE.

Any students requiring an appointment this week should email Counselling Administration Assistant Mrs Rexina Harding [email protected] or phone 3261 1388.  We will do our best to schedule an appointment this week and at this time, students are asked to connect with their Counsellor online.

Helping siblings resolve their fights

By Michael Grose, Parenting Insights

With family members living in close proximity during the current COVID-19 pandemic, parents may find an increase in sibling squabbles.  This is understandable as any relationship is tested to its limits by excess time and lack of space. Sibling squabbles usually arise over low level issues such as space (“He’s sitting in my seat.”), possessions (“That’s my book!”) and fairness (“It’s not fair. I was here first!”). It’s enough to send most parents around the twist.

While it seems that kids in families are programmed to fight with each other, the good news is that parents have the power to facilitate learning.

According to a recent study, sibling fights teach kids important conflict resolution skills. In fact, parents who stop their children from arguing may well be depriving them of important learning opportunities. Researcher Laurie Kramer from the University of Illinois in the US found that kids who learned how to argue with their siblings had more advanced emotional development.

Many parents also worry that their children who fight with each other will not get along as adults. The evidence doesn’t support this view. The test for strong families is more about the willingness for kids to pull together when the chips are down, rather than the frequency of the squabbling.

Healthy families know how to fight well.  When parents take an active approach to helping their children resolve their fights, they are teaching them a valuable life skill as well as reducing the incidence of fighting over the long term. Here are some practical strategies to use:

Model good conflict resolution skills

Kids wear L plates when it comes to solving disputes. Some kids will yell, get abusive or even get physical when they are settling disputes.  Show them better ways of sorting out problems by talking things through with your partner, compromising and apologising when you’ve said something upsetting to your partner or your children.

Help kids manage their emotions

“Yep, it would make me mad too if someone said that to me.” Usually someone’s feelings get hurt when siblings argue so make sure you recognise their emotions without taking sides.  This focus on feelings helps kids develop emotional literacy and promotes empathy in siblings as well.

Monitor sibling relationships

Keep your antenna up for the signs of discord within sibling relationships. Some disputes kids can sort out themselves, but you need to be ready to intervene and assist kids in the peace-brokering, or at least to act as a safety net when one child continually appears on the wrong end of a power imbalance.

Mentor them to sort out disputes

Kids need the chance to sort their conflict out themselves, but sometimes they need a little coaching. They often invite their parents to take sides, which is usually counter-productive. Rather than trying to sort out who started an argument, focus on possible solutions, provide suggestions such as taking turns, giving way, bargaining, swapping or even walking away.

Encourage them to make up

Kids often get over disputes far quicker than adults. They can be squabbling one minute and cuddling up the next, so it gets tricky intervening sometimes. However there are times when you need to encourage a child to mend bridges with an aggrieved sibling. This can mean kids have to swallow their pride, admit that they may be wrong, make an apology or make some sort of restitution such as doing a special favour.  This type of restoration means kids must take responsibility for their behaviours and is a sign of growing maturity.

Conflict and siblings tend to go together. While sibling squabbles can be annoying, they also offer parents great opportunities to help kids to handle conflict effectively, which is a great life skill.

Related webinar…

Our school has a membership with Parenting Ideas. As part of this membership, you can access the below webinar recording ‘Sibling Fighting’ at no cost.
Spend an hour with renowned parenting educator Michael Grose as he explores the weird and wonderful world of sibling relationships. He’ll help you develop an active approach to resolving sibling disputes so they learn valuable life skills.

To redeem:

1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/sibling-fighting-what-to-do
2. Click ‘Add to cart’
3. Click ‘View cart’
4. Enter the voucher code HARMONY and click ‘Apply.’ The $37 discount will then be applied
5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’
6. Fill in your account details including our school’s name to verify your eligibility. These are the details you will use to login to your account and access your webinar and resources
7. Click ‘Place Order’

This voucher is valid until 5 May 2020.

St PAUL’S SCHOOL CAREERS

Career information is available on the St Paul’s School Careers website at https://www.stpaulscareers.com.au/

Click HERE to see the latest newsletter from the website host, Career Tools.

USEFUL CAREERS WEBSITES

Raffle

The winning ticket belonged to Grant Harrison – Congratulations Grant.

As you all know, the prize was State of Origin tickets, and at this point we’re not quite sure whether it will be postponed or rescheduled, but felt it important to draw it at this point.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Easter. See you all in Term 3 for girls season.