Family Educators | Sydney Catholic Schools

Meet our new Family Educators sharing the faith

Family educators have played a key role in creating vibrant faith communities at Sydney Catholic Schools since their role was introduced in 2009.

Meet the initiative’s newest faces, who bring a wealth of life experience to their roles.

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Riverwood’s family educator Claudia Maroun was a family educator in 2018 and “absolutely loved it”.

A parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima Kingsgrove and mother of three, she has spent 20 years in the university education sector and three in the NDIS.

Mrs Maroun looks forward to building strong relationships with St Joseph’s families through initiatives including playgroup and SPaR sessions, and supporting charity One Meal.

“I knew in my heart that I would be back doing this role again one day,” she said. “It allows me to share the beauty and love of the faith.”

St Paul of the Cross Dulwich Hill’s family educator Kristian Tangso put her pharmaceutical science degree to use on a project to develop nanotechnology to treat brain tumours before discovering her calling.

Now an artist, family educator, and a lay Carmelite, she strives to live a simple, prayerful life and to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ little by little every day.

Stop, Pray and Reflect (SPaR) and Toddler Tale sessions are in the works at her school.

St Kevin’s Catholic Primary School Eastwood’s family educator Anne Johnson was a …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauApril 18, 2024|

Family educators share God’s love

Moments of faith, family, loss and transition have shaped the newest recruits to Sydney Catholic Schools’ unique family educator role.

Here they share the events that prepared them to nurture meaningful relationships between parents and carers, school, and parish.

When Anne-Marie Julian’s daughter died of an unexpected and fatal heart arrhythmia three years ago at age 10, her school put together a ‘beautiful liturgy’ in her honour.

The children wrote personal letters to the family and the principal set up the Lauren Julian Kindness Award in her memory.

COVID was in full swing and prevented the Julians’ extended family visiting from Ireland in the wake of their loss. But the day after Lauren died, their local church was full with friends and community.

“That was organised by the family educators who have been so kind and caring and brought the whole community together to support our family,” Mrs Julian said.

“We were also visited and accompanied on our grief journey by the Catholic Grief Care team and Sydney Catholic Schools’ Director of Mission and Identity and Executive Director.”

“Becoming a family educator is a chance to give back.” – Anne-Marie Julian

This year, Mrs Julian has become the family educator at McAuley Catholic Primary School Rose Bay.

She brings experience including twenty years of corporate work, a strong faith instilled by her Irish-Catholic upbringing, and a keen interest in diversity, equity and inclusion to the role.

Mrs Julian said she was most looking forward to connecting with parents, and providing opportunities for parents to connect with each other, their school and their church.

“Our Family and Faith program … enables families to flourish in faith and life.” – Barbara Perry

“For me, becoming a family educator is a chance …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauApril 18, 2024|

How you can help Sydney’s homeless

It warms our hearts to know the Sydney Catholic Schools family is once again pulling together to raise funds to help break the cycle of homelessness.

And this year, for the first time, dioceses from across all of NSW will be joining us in our quest to raise awareness and desperately needed funds for people sleeping rough in our midst.

On Friday 27 August our staff, students and their families from Sydney Catholic Schools and Catholic schools across the state will be holding a simultaneous family backyard sleepout and sit-out.

They will be sleeping – or spending time – outside as a family with nothing but a cardboard base, sleeping bag and a single small blanket to raise money for the lay Catholic organisation St Vincent de Paul Society, affectionately known as Vinnies.

Called FamilyWinterSleepout@Home, the Sydney Catholic Schools initiative is being led by our inspirational Family Educators and is bringing all our families together to gain a deeper understanding of the realities of homelessness, while encouraging greater empathy and kindness among our students.

It is a perfect time to pray together as a family for those sleeping under bridges, on park benches, in doorways, bus stations and on friend’s and family’s couches during these winter months, including those who have lost their jobs and some their homes during this harsh coronavirus pandemic.

During your sleepout or sit-out, families may also wish to direct their prayers to Saint Benedict Joseph Labre – the patron saint of the homeless and downtrodden, who wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor.

Please get behind this wonderful cause and donate.

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To donate, visit my.fundraise.vinniesnsw.org.au/fundraise-your-way/family-winter-sleepout-home-1. All …

Isabell PetrinicAugust 26, 2021|

Book club for parents: An excuse to connect and reflect

St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School Malabar’s book club for parents is made of the write stuff.

The book club was started in 2016 by the school’s then-Family Educator, Brenda Smith, to give parents a relaxed environment to connect with others.

It quickly became a social gathering where people who would normally not connect in the school yard could connect over a book.

“It is always great to have commonality with others” – Frances Addabbo

What happens in book club

St Andrew’s book club meets every six weeks to discuss a book chosen after mutual discussion.

Restaurant gatherings have turned into 40-minute Zoom sessions online while COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are in place.

What are they reading?

The group will discuss Mexican author Sofia Segovia’s novel The Murmur of Bees at their next online meeting in September.

The novel is about the impact of an adopted boy, protected by bees and with the gift of foresight, on those around him. It is set during the Mexican revolution and influenza pandemic of 1918.

St Andrews’ current Family Educator, Frances Addabbo, who now facilitates the book club, chose the book based on the recommendation of a friend.

Why join

Ms Addabbo said the main highlight of the book club was a sense of connection between parents at the school.

“Parents have appreciated taking time off their schedule, family and work responsibilities to read a book,” she said.

This year St Andrew’s book club has also read WWII love story The Lace Weaver by Lauren Chater and Geraldine Brooks’ The Secret Chord, an exploration of the life of King David in the Bible’s Old …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauAugust 20, 2021|

Help stamp out chronic homelessness

Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) campaign to help stamp out chronic homelessness has been expanded across NSW.

SCS’ inaugural FamilyWinterSleepout@Home helped raise a staggering $71,531 for the lay Catholic organisation, St Vincent de Paul Society, during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.

Now, dioceses across the state are inviting their students and families to take part in SCS’ Family Educators-led campaign.

The 2021 FamilyWinterSleepout@Home campaign will see people sleeping – or spending time – outside as a family on Friday 27 August with nothing but a cardboard base, sleeping bag and a single small blanket to raise money for Vinnies.

St John Bosco College Egadine students held their FamilyWinterSleepout@Home at school.

“Our second FamilyWinterSleepout@Home aims to bring families together to gain a deeper understanding of the realities of homelessness,” SCS’ Education Officer: Church Engagement, Elsa Manu, said.

Every night, more than 116,000 Australians experience homelessness. A quarter are young people aged under 18.

“Rural and urban families will participate in a lived experience, reflection and prayer for those who are experiencing homelessness at this time,” SCS Education Officer: Church Engagement, Mouna Roche, said.

Mrs Roche is quietly optimistic that together we can match last year’s dollar figure and help Vinnies break the cycle of homelessness.

By: JUDE THOMAS

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

The FamilyWinterSleepout@Home event has four parts:

1. Make a card and attach it to a muesli bar or other snack to be donated to Vinnies’ Night Patrol Vans.

The vans provide a meal, blankets, toiletries, snacks, hot beverages and companionship to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness seven nights a week, including in the Greater Sydney area. Last year, the vans provided 84,000 meals.

Isabell PetrinicAugust 4, 2021|

‘Be a light in lockdown’: Tips for staying connected

From Lego projects to recipe sharing, Sydney Catholic Schools’ Family Educators are leading the charge to help families stay connected to their school, parish and neighbourhood communities this lockdown.

“Now, more than ever, while we are physically separated, we need to feel connected,” says Sydney Catholic Schools’ Education Officer: Church Engagement, Mouna Roche, a sentiment that’s echoed by her colleagues, Elsa Manu and Bernadette Bridle.

Mrs Roche said the Family Educators’ ‘Be a light in lockdown’ initiative encourages Sydney Catholic Schools’ students, along with their families, to complete a series of activities that aim to create a sense of social connection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative is based on the gospel verse Mathew 15:6: “Let your light shine.”

“This is an opportunity to be a light for others in simple ways” – Elsa Manu

OUR FAMILY EDUCATORS

Family Educators act as liaisons between their appointed Sydney Catholic school and Parish communities, working on and creating invitational events, information sessions and activities that aim to:

connect families with the religious life of the school and the parish;
provide further support to families in the development of their child – spiritually, socially and educationally;
promote Catholic mission and identity;
promote a welcoming, vibrant faith community.

FINDING THE LIGHT IN DARK TIMES

Mrs Roche said the pastoral care aspect of the Family Educator’s role was more important now than ever, as people felt the physical, mental and financial effects of isolation.

“We’re so conscious of the fact that so many of our school communities are hurting, either being unwell with COVID-19, or are struggling financially or with the pressure of working and learning from home,” Mrs Roche said.

“Then there are those families who’ve never had to worry about money and now do because both parents have been …

Isabell PetrinicJuly 29, 2021|

Meet our new Family Educators sharing the faith

Family educators share God’s love

How you can help Sydney’s homeless

Book club for parents: An excuse to connect and reflect

Help stamp out chronic homelessness

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

‘Be a light in lockdown’: Tips for staying connected

OUR FAMILY EDUCATORS

FINDING THE LIGHT IN DARK TIMES

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our schools and offices now stand. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

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