Fr Richard will be holding Altar Server Training at the Church on Saturday 17th September between 9am and 10am. For more information please see the link below or EMAIL the Church Office for a registration form.

Altar_Servers_Guide_2022.pdf

Olivia: Student and Family Counsellor 

School Avoidance and Refusal

School refusal can be a challenging issue for students and their families and can be more frequent after school holidays where students have had a break from their routine and school. Post-covid we are also seeing this becoming a more prevalent issue among our students. For many young people, refusing to go to school can be part of a larger issue, and it is important to provide support to assist them to go to school safely.

What is school refusal?

School refusal is when a student frequently does not want to attend school due to anxiety and worry about being there. This worry can become so great that the student refuses to attend school and may act out in order to stay at home.

School refusal can look like:

• Throwing tantrums and acting out when it is time to go to school
• Becoming increasingly anxious or worried on the Sunday before school, or the morning before a school day
• Complaining of illness/injury that requires them to stay home, but then symptoms go away once they are at home and have missed school
• Crying and begging not to go
• Trouble sleeping

Common school refusal causes include:

• Worrying about leaving the comfort of home (common in younger students and students who are new to a school)
• Learning difficulties – challenges in class that include not understanding key concepts, difficulty concentrating, finding all schoolwork “too hard”
• Social problems – bullying, fighting with friends, feeling left out

How can we help?

As a parent it can be hard to remain patient with your child when they don’t want to go to school, but it is important to take the time to learn why, and how your child can be supported.

• Learn about the issue from your child’s perspective. Have an honest and open discussion about what they are feeling and why. In doing so, you can gain an understanding of what support they need in order to attend school. If your child is having difficulty identifying the issue, a useful way to explore this is to ask them to rate each part of the day – homeroom, class, recess, lunch, bus ride etc. In doing so you can find the main issue together.
• Acknowledge feelings and manage expectations. It is important to acknowledge how your child feels and let them know they are not alone, and you are there to help. It is also important to let them know that they are still expected to go to school and will be supported to do so. Plan with your child about how you can work together to get back on track.
• Communicate with schools and other supports. Let the school know what is going on for your child and work together to collaboratively support them. Communicating to others involved with your child is also important (e.g., sport coach or music teacher). The best way to support a child is to have a team around them with a common goal.
• Reach out if you are concerned. School counselling is available if you are not seeing any improvement with your child, or if they would like to talk to someone else about the issues they are experiencing.

Additional Support and Information

This video may be helpful in guiding your conversations with your children. You can also show your children this video to build their own understanding of what they can do in response to these feelings.

If you would like to discuss any concerns you have for your child please reach out. I am contactable through EMAIL  or you can reach me though the school's phone number.

Those parents who are wanting their child/children to have piano lessons, can contact the teachers directly on the following contact numbers;

• Mrs Hildegarde Mendoza Phone: 0417 580 975
• Mrs Pam Cox Phone: 0418 442 203
• Mr Craig Mewett Phone: 0409 151 887 / 6278 7382