18 April 2018

Newsletter Articles

Francis admits 'serious mistakes' in handling of Chile abuse cases

Pope Francis has admitted making "serious mistakes" in his handling of clergy sexual abuse cases in Chile, telling the country's bishops in a lengthy letter that he feels "pain and shame" for the "crucified lives" of those who suffered abuse.

But Francis has not revealed whether he will sack a Chilean prelate accused of covering up abuse, whom he has previously defended to the outrage of abuse survivors. Instead, Francis has asked the country's bishops to come to Rome en masse for a meeting at some point soon.

In a letter released late April 11, Francis is reporting to the bishops about the mission of Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, whom the pope sent to Chile in February to interview abuse victims and look into the case of Bishop Juan Barros Madrid.

"I have made serious mistakes in the assessment and my perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of truthful and balanced information," Francis says in the letter. READ ON

Repentant sinners need merciful confessors, not inquisitors, pope says

Priests must give hope to men and women seeking forgiveness, encouraging them in their struggle away from the slippery slope of sin, Pope Francis said. Being merciful in the confessional helps penitents return to God without fear, even if they repeatedly stumble or slip on a path that "is filled with stones and banana peels," the pope told 550 priests he designated as "missionaries of mercy."

"In short, mercy restores dignity," the pope said April 10. "The penitent does not indulge in self-pity for the sin committed, and the priest does not blame him for the evil from which he repented. Rather, he encourages him to look to the future with new eyes, leading him to 'springs of water.'" The missionaries of mercy, religious-order and diocesan priests from around the world, were among more than 1,000 who received a special papal mandate to preach and teach about God's mercy during the 2015-16 Holy Year of Mercy. After listening to "many testimonies of conversion," Francis said he felt the need to prolong their mission.

"We must truly recognize that God's mercy has no limits," the pope said, "and with your ministry, you are a concrete sign that the church cannot, should not and does not want to create any barrier or difficulty that impedes access to the Father's forgiveness." READ ON

CSSA Forum

The CSSA Forum online site for registration to the CSSA Forum NESA HSC Reforms Including the Literacy and Numeracy Standard on Friday 18 May 2018 is now opened to register.

The agenda for the day is attached and also available on the registration website.

Action:

Go to the link below and enter your username and password.

If you don’t have your username and password contact CSSA at forum.division@cssa.catholic.edu.au or phone 9486 3555.Please note: The CSSA does not send you the invoice. Schools and education offices generate and print the invoice. Go to Invoices on the Menu Bar. Payment details are on the invoice.

Australian Women’s Leadership Symposiums

The Australian Women's Leadership Symposiums are a national series of events focused on the experiences of women leaders in the contemporary workforce.

Taking place in every state and territory capital between May and August, the Symposiums are an unparalleled gathering of the best and brightest female talent. Keynote speakers for 2018 include Gail Kelly, Professor Gillian Triggs, Nova Peris OAM OLY, Jessica Rowe AM, Ita Buttrose AO OBE, Katrina Webb OAM, The Right Hon Dame Jenny Shipley and many, many more.

The principal themes that will be tackled at this year’s events include:

• Resilience within the workplace
• Enabling women to lead
• The power of networking
• Being bold, being brave, being new
• Leading through change
• Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable.

An attendance discount of 25% is currently available by entering code ANSY18 at the time of booking (available until each Symposium sells out). For more information and to book:

Sydney: Thursday 21st & Friday 22nd June 2018 Shangri-La Hotel
Canberra: 5th July 2018 Hyatt hotel

The A for Attitude Project

The Attitude Books Project offers primary schools heavily subsidised access to the A for Attitude resilience book for all grade 3 students.

The book supports all wellbeing programs, so it can be used in class and taken home to access as required. Ideally it would be shared with other family members to expand its value and to create a bridge between school and home.

As you’d appreciate, some parents don’t have the words, time, experience (and sometimes the access) to help children deal with common issues that confront them on a daily basis. Parents who have this resource available can actively reinforce the important values taught in your school.

We know that children without good coping skills become troubled teens later on. Prevention and early intervention are behind our campaign to have this book given to every year 3 child in Australia every year. Currently there is a strong focus on reducing bullying – particularly amongst teens in the online environment. We believe that getting in much earlier; giving kids a tool with strategies to build self-esteem and resilience, will help them to stand strong, which will lessen their risk of being bullied, or having it affect them.

Boosting feelings of value and self worth in all children can also help to placate those who would bully others.

Social Workers and Assistant Principals report that A for Attitude is often their resource of choice when they counsel children. The simple language and visuals work well for people of any age and education level. Children with their own copy will have a constant reminder of what positive affirmative thoughts and behaviour can achieve – to assist them to ‘know and do better’.

Leading Change: The Jagged Edge

The implementation of change almost always occurs in an uncertain, ‘jagged edge’ manner. This is due to behavioural factors such as low psychological ownership, lack of confidence and fear of the unknown, which if left unaddressed have the potential to derail everything. However, effective leadership can sharply reduce behavioural resistance and improve the acceptance and application of a new way of doing things. Change is a constant. However, it affects each person differently according to real or perceived personal and professional loss, and in doing so impacts on the rate of takeup which is often a trade-off between the long and short term. Further, one person may see the change as merely a variation of current practice while another may see it as being asked to do something significantly different. Marzano et al. (2005) refers to this as the difference between ‘first’ and ‘secondorder’ change. It’s not the change itself that matters, but the implications of the change for those charged with carrying it out. The type of change also adds to the ‘jagged edge’ effect.

Vitamin Zzz - Sleep your Way to Wellbeing

The length and quality of sleep can impact all other aspects of wellbeing. Understanding why people need to sleep and the impact quality of sleep has on overall wellbeing is a conversation that can benefit staff and students. The school leadership team can raise awareness of the benefits of sleep and support staff and students through education, ensuring the school setting supports a healthy sleep hygiene routine. Adequate sleep is measured by the length and quality of sleep a person has each night. Recent research (Adams et al. 2016) highlights that inadequate sleep is common across all age groups, with 33-45% of Australian adults having inadequate sleep. Stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, and the use of screen-based equipment before bedtime have a detrimental effect on sleep. Stress and recurring negative thoughts can also impact sleep quality.

Schoolzine

Schoolzine is proud to be a digital partner and supporter of ACSP NSW - Association of Catholic School Principals in NSW Inc.

Schoolzine has been an industry leader in digital school communications for 10 years. They are dedicated to customer service, product development and understanding the school landscape that keeps them at the top of the industry. Schoolzine’s Parent Engagement Platform consists of 3 packages, an eNewsletter, Mobile App and Website offering. Purchased separately or together, they guarantee each package will make engaging with parents easy and even enjoyable for a school of any size. Schoolzine addresses the need for media-rich, interactive content that engages parents.