EDFD221 Assignment 1

Alyssa Privitelli
S00163704
Dear Dr. Carol Brown,

My name is Giuseppe Scatola and I am writing to you on behalf of my

daughter Francesca to express her interest in your school. Francesca, at
11 years old, is a first generation Australian as both me and my wife were
born in Italy. We have a stable home life, living in a surrounding suburb of
the school. Francesca is a talented sportswoman; she plays soccer
competitively for both Melbourne and Victoria training 3-4 times a week.
Her commitment to soccer has meant that, at times, her education has
suffered. Although English is Francescas first language, at home she is
predominantly exposed to Italian and as such her English has suffered.
Because of this combined with her intense extra-curricular commitments,
in the past Francesca has struggled with social inclusion. Nonetheless,
Francesca does have above average attention, memory, temporal
sequential ordering, spatial ordering, motor functions and higher order
cognition. We believe that your school can provide Francesca with the
means to maintain her soccer commitments, whilst also improving her
English, social cognition and overall education.

Francesca felt that at her previous school she had not been part of an
inclusive environment as she faced discrimination on account of her
background and talents, which led to her feeling isolated at school by both
her peers and teachers. Social justice and inclusion should be embedded
into a school community as they encompass the basic human rights of
each individual and acknowledge that each person is different in their own
way. They address the fact that no individual should be discriminated
against solely due to their gender, religion, race, ethnicity, sexuality or
disability and should be treated equally as a person (Foreman & Arthur-
Kelly, 2014). Furthermore, inclusive education entails providing for all
students no matter their ability or background; diversity should be
celebrated to foster an inclusive and accepting community that focuses on
learning and understanding rather than academic competition (Foreman &
Arthur-Kelly; 2014, McDougall, DeWit, King, Miller & Killip, 2004). Schools
have a responsibility to acknowledge and understand their gifted and
talented students because student achievement is not determined by
independent variables such as student demographic, but high level
pedagogical knowledge (Lovat, 2007; New South Wales Department of
Education and Training, 2004; Victorian Institute of Teaching, 2008). It is
essential that if Francesca were to attend your school she would be
entering an inclusive school environment without discrimination. Indeed,
we are aware your teaching staff are highly knowledgeable and will be
able to provide for Francesca.
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Alyssa Privitelli
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In addition to Francesca feeling isolated at her previous school, she was
also the victim of bullying on the part of her peers which meant that she
inevitably associated her schooling with an unsafe environment. All
schools should be considered to be safe environments where children can
freely express themselves without judgement. The National Safe Schools
Framework provides schools with a set of guidelines to ensure a safe,
supportive, respectful learning and working environment can be
established (Education Services Australia, 2013). The Framework specifies
nine elements that can be implemented within a school which encompass
access to resources, knowledge of the school community, rights and
responsibilities, respect and support for student diversity, wellbeing and
safety for teachers and students and early intervention, which coincides
with the values of the National Framework for Protecting Australias
Children (Education Services Australia, 2013; Council of Australian
Governments, 2012). Bullying has been found to affect a childs wellbeing
and feeling of safety at school, therefore it is imperative that schools have
established appropriate intervention programs specifically catered for the
school to ensure students are provided an education without fear of
bullying (Rigby, 2004; Farrell, 2003). We have investigated your school
policy on bullying and believe that it will provide sufficient support for
Francesca and allow her to enter a safe school environment.

Furthermore, we believe that Francesca will benefit from the values

education intertwined with the curriculum that your school provides
students. It is important for Francesca to be given the opportunity to build
character as well as gain an understanding of values, to allow her to
become confident in herself and her abilities. The National Framework for
Values in Education states that values based education can strengthen
students' self-esteem, optimism and commitment to personal fulfilment
and help students exercise ethical judgement and social responsibility
(Australian Government Department Education, Science and Training,
2005). Values education provides students with a means of supporting
their intellectual, physical, social, moral, spiritual and aesthetic
development (Australian Government Department Education, Science and
Training, 2005). The nine values that underpin the Framework were
established because they reflect Australias way of life and its
commitment to equality. They coincide with the Six Pillars of Character
that are based on six ethical values to build good character, which is
included in your curriculum (Australian Government Department
Education, Science and Training, 2005; Character Counts, 2016). We
believe that the addition of values education to your school reflects the
values in your school mission statement and the values we teach
Francesca at home. The wellbeing of Francesca is paramount to us and if
 EDFD221 Assignment 1
Alyssa Privitelli
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she were to be exposed to proper values education, research shows it
would allow her to feel safe at school and improve upon her wellbeing
(Australian Government Depart of Education, Employment and Workplace
Relations, 2009).

The decision for Francesca to move schools in her last year of primary
school was not taken lightly. This is why Francesca has been involved in
the decision and, in consultation with myself and my wife, has chosen
your school to be the best fit for her. We believe that all children have the
right to be heard and be seen as individuals, which is a value shared by
both your school and UNICEF. The Convention on the Rights of the Child
was established by UNICEF to provide a voice for children that may not
have otherwise been heard, to outline the rights of all children and
promote global social justice (UNICEF, 2014). One of the most pertinent
rights that we feel Francesca was let down by her previous school is
discrimination which Francesca often suffered about her background and
talents. According to UNICEF, the Australian Human Rights Commission
and the UN, no child should be faced with discrimination based on their
race, religion, abilities, gender, culture or socio-economic status (UNICEF,
2014; AHRC, 2011; HREOC, 2007). We believe that your school will provide
an environment free from discrimination and follow the Catholic Social
Teaching that recognises the sacredness of life and the dignity of each
individual human person (Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, 2016).

Moreover, there are legislative requirements that ensure every child has
access to a proper education, taught by knowledgeable teachers in a safe
school environment. The Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for
Young Australians requires all schools to provide for students access to the
highest quality schooling which is without discrimination based on gender,
language, culture, ethnicity, religion, health or disability, socio-economic
status or geographic location (Foreman & Arthur-Kelly, 2014). There are
also national professional standards for teachers that ensure that teachers
are establishing an inclusive safe and supportive classroom environment
for all students (AITSL, 2014). Francesca requires this type of an
environment to allow her to fully engage in her school life without the fear
of discrimination based on her background, English ability, talents or
gender. As Francesca has been identified as being gifted in soccer and
motor functions, she is entitled to opportunities that are aligned with her
personal interests and goals when she is at school, as well as having the
option to further develop her skills as part of a school program (ACT
Government, 2015). We are aware that in the past your school has been
able to cater for students with similar abilities to Francesca and therefore
we believe there should be no reason Francesca cannot attend your
school.
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Alyssa Privitelli
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Francesca is a very capable and respectful young girl; she prides herself
on her work ethic and has yet to reach her potential. We believe that your
school can provide our daughter with an inclusive environment that is
without discrimination, places emphasis on values education, is safe and
supportive, encompasses social justice and childrens rights and adheres
to legislative requirements. My family was incredibly saddened and
disappointed by the way Francesca was treated at her previous school. It
is with hope that I write this letter to you to accept Francescas application
to attend your school which we believe will allow her to flourish into an
even more brilliant young girl.

Yours Sincerely,

Giuseppe Scatola

Word Count: 1314

References

ACT Government. (2015). Gifted and Talented Students. Retrieved from

http://www.det.act.gov.au/teaching_and_learning/curriculum_programs/g-
and-talented-education

Australian Catholic Social Justice Council. (2016). Catholic Social Teaching.

Retrieved from http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/social-teaching

Australian Government Depart of Education, Employment and Workplace

Relations. (2009). Supporting Student Wellbeing Through Values
Education: A Resource Package. Retrieved from
https://leocontent.acu.edu.au/file/74cdee09-b046-4413-0d4c-
8179dc83458d/1/Supporting%20Student%20Wellbeing%20Through
%20Values%20Education%202009%20Excerpt%20.pdf

Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training.

(2005). National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools.
Retrieved from
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or_the_web.pdf
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Australian Human Rights Commission. (2011). Information concerning
Australia and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved from
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/legal/submissio
ns/2011/201108_child_rights.pdf

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2014). Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers

Character Counts. (2016). The Six Pillars of Character. Retrieved from

https://charactercounts.org/program-overview/six-pillars/

Council of Australian Governments. (2012). Protecting Children is

Everyones Business; National Framework for Protecting Australias
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nfpac_action_plan_text.pdf

Education Services Australia. (2013). National Safe Schools Framework.

Retrieved from
http://www.safeschoolshub.edu.au/documents/nationalsafeschoolsframew
ork.pdf

Farrell, M. (2003). Key Issues for Primary Schools. London, UK: Routledge.

Foreman, P. & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2014). Inclusion in Action. South

Melbourne, Victoria: Victoria Cengage Learning.

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. (2007). Australias

commitment to childrens rights and reporting to the UN. Retrieved from
https://leocontent.acu.edu.au/file/17ca8785-80c7-c04c-5d0f-
64f71cd102b2/1/HREOC%20Human%20Rights.pdf

Lovat, T. (2007). Synergies and Balance between Values Education and

Quality Teaching. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 42(4), 489-500.

McDougall, J., DeWit, D. J., King, G., Miller, L. T. & Killip, S. (2004). High
School-Aged Youths Attitudes Toward their Peers with Disabilities: the role
of school and student interpersonal Factors. International Journal of
Disability, Development and Education, 51(3), 287-313.
doi:10.1080/1034912042000259242

New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2004). Policy

and implementation strategies for the education of gifted and talented
students. Retrieved from
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http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/policies/gats/assets/p
df/polimp.pdf

Rigby, K. (2004). Addressing bullying in schools: theory and practice.

School Psychology International, 25(3), 287-300.

UNICEF. (2014). Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved from

http://www.unicef.org/crc/

Victorian Institute of Teaching. (2008). The Victorian Teaching Profession

Code of Conduct. Retrieved from
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2af04d69cb60/1/1543_Code-of-Conduct-June-2008.pdf