This week is National Student Protection Week. The most important message parents and teachers alike can give children is about personal safety.

Child Protection Week is aimed at raising the profile of all issues connected to child protection. In Queensland, the Child Protection Committee falls under the auspices of Act for Kids. Act for Kids supports children and families across the whole spectrum of child protection.

Last night in our Lynch Family Hall, we were fortunate to have an information session for parents presented by Act for Kids. The psychologists from Act for Kids provided some excellent and practical information for parents and teachers. Below are some suggestions should your child, or any child raise something concerning (a disclosure) about their personal safety or the safety of another child.

The key messages are:

Listen - remain calm and allow the child to share the concern or information. If you need to ask questions, make them open ended e.g. Can you tell me more? Staying neutral can be difficult when our emotions ‘kick in’, however it is important that children don’t stop talking because of an adult's reaction.

Affirm - tell your child you believe them and acknowledge their choice to speak up. There should be no secrets.

Support -Talk to your child about the people they can go to for help. A typical activity is to ask children to draw a hand and write the name of five people they trust. 

Regular conversations around safe and unsafe behaviour is a great starting point. Talk to your child about what feeling safe looks like and feels like. Teach children to identify the feelings which make them feel uncomfortable and share with your child some of  your indicators of feeling unsafe.

Just like Helpline, Parentline is a great resource. The phone no. is:1300 30 1300

Have you noticed the RUOK messages on our pathways?  Tomorrow is RUOK Day, a great opportunity for us to ‘check in’ as there are many ways to mask when someone is not ok. We are all aware that mental health is a growing and serious concern with no easy solution.

Genuinely asking someone if they are ok and listening carefully might just make the difference for someone else. Noticing changes in behaviour can also be a sign to look for.

Finally, this week has been a great opportunity for many of our students to excel in a variety of extracurricular activities. On Tuesday, our choirs performed in the Townsville Eisteddfod with the following results:

Year 4 Choir - First Place

Year 5 Choir - First Place

Year 6 Choir- First Place and two Second Places

Today the Spirit Rugby League Team played Proserpine State School in the Les Stagg Trophy final and our Quest for Knowledge Team placed 3rd, they competed against seventeen schools across the Townsville Diocese showcasing their skill in questions covering literacy, numeracy, religion and general knowledge. Both teams are to be congratulated for their commitment to practice – that’s the Strength in the Spirit.

Geraldine