Dear St Thomas Aquinas community,

It's Harmony Week! The theme of Harmony Week is 'Everyone Belongs'.

Last year my wife and I were fortunate enough to travel (My children are adults now and I can do that). I visited a friend who has always been very inclusive. She introduced me to the phrase 'global majority' as a more positive and affirming way of recognising those that 'appear' to be in a minority, when in actual fact, identify with cultures that form a majority of the world's population. It's also an excellent phrase that helps see oneself in a more accurate global context.

While Harmony Week is often focused on cultural diversity I have also loved the idea of creating school communities of belonging. I have been fortunate to experience that here at STA. I wonder, if we think about others that often stand out on the fringes, whether they would feel a sense of belonging?

Belonging means being seen, known, and wanted in community. The refrain of belonging could be, ”I'm glad you are here, and you are missed when you're gone.” 

People who feel they stand on the fringes in any community because of cultural heritage, family design, work commitments, ability, gender, orientation, etc often don't feel seen, known (or even wanted). It's up to members of that community to look for them, invite them in and adapt any structures and processes to ensure they can access and participate in every aspect of community life. It is the responsibility of members of the community to make a space for them so that they can take a step into community life and, in the end, belong there.

I've already seen how our School Community Council (SCC) have worked hard for years to help create that space of welcome and belonging for members of our community. Thank you to all of the SCC for their commitment to the families and students of our school.

This week, in Harmony Week, I encourage everyone to spot one person that they might not ordinarily speak with, and make a simple connection with them. Introduce yourself, ask about who they have at the school, share an experience you have had at the school, tell them it was nice to meet them and wish them a good day. It's as simple as that. These connections are the beginnings of helping everyone belong.

Belonging at school - positive social relationships

Children learn social skills and values through experiences with those they love and spend time with. Every human being is hard-wired to connect with other human beings from the moment they are born. It is a mechanism built into helpless babies that need to immediately connect with mothers, fathers, family and community to survive. Belonging is not just nice, it is necessary to who we are.

Children who learn positive, helpful social skills and values early have a head start in life. They build the connections and relationships that help them on their way to having a positive self-identity, feeling safe to take risks, gaining emotional literacy and developing the capacity to be resilient in challenging times. They learn that relationships sometimes experience loss, disagreement and hurt alongside celebration, joy and laughter. They learn that relationships require effort and compromise. 

Sometimes some children have this learning interrupted by trauma or because of a form of neurodiversity that makes reading social cues very difficult or a myriad of other reasons. Whatever the reason, they need a little assistance and support to build the positive social relationships that might come more easily to others.

In a primary school, we know that supporting children in building positive social skills and values is fundamental to them building positive relationships. When they have these relationships, they feel a sense of belonging and when they belong they engage in learning more easily.

It requires a strong partnership between home and school. Children have had five years of social development before even entering the school grounds. They come with social skills and values they have initially learnt from home and then applied in various child care/preschool spaces. As their world of relationships expands their social skills and values become more uniquely their own.

At St Thomas Aquinas we make a commitment to working alongside parents to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn positive social skills and values, and in the end develop the positive relationships required to grow and learn so that they can 'have life to the full' (John 10:10).

Thank you for your trust and your collaboration in supporting your child.

Next week, I will share about 'relational aggression' and common and often hidden negative social experience of both adults and children.

I will be away from professional learning on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Please direct any urgent matters to Carmen Myles, Assistant Principal.

Matthew Garton

Principal