Celebrating success
In a world in which we are constantly bombarded by negative news and live daily life at a frantic pace it is sometimes easy to gloss over the joys of life and the wins we have.
For me, as CEO of Telethon Speech & Hearing, one of the joys I have is the daily interaction with children and families we serve, often getting a “hello”, a smile or a high-five from the children.
And while I treasure these moments, one of the greatest joys I receive is seeing the longer development of the children we help and the smiles on the faces of their parents.
This is always the case at our Power of Speech Awards. The Power of Speech Awards are held in September of each year and are the brainchild of Geoff Reader and former principal, Karen Vennard. The Power of Speech is a moment in time where our team highlights the outcomes they help to achieve. For our families and supporters who have not attended, the Power of Speech Awards (as covered in this edition of Parentlink) sees primary school children stand in front of 200+ people and engage in public speaking (an activity that many people dread).
It is an event filled with wonderful stories and backstories, full of emotion and joy, laughter and tears. It is a wonderful illustration of the magic that can happen when skilled and passionate staff work with children in nurturing environments, with the support of families dedicated to the success of their children. Having watched them for six years, I get the privilege of watching the children develop each year, the smiles on the faces of families, and the satisfaction our staff get from seeing their hard work come together to support a child in doing something that makes most of us cringe.
And the Power of Speech is only one way in which we celebrate the growth and development of children at Telethon Speech & Hearing. We celebrate that in each day, in each session, formally (through our outcome measures as an example) and informally in team meetings and discussions with parents. We celebrate the success of a child against their own particular goals, not what they “should be doing” at that age. This personalised approach builds long term success.
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Telethon Speech & Hearing CEO Mark Fitzpatrick
But we know that we don’t need to wait until events such as the Power of Speech to highlight children’s successes. Research tells us that by constructively engaging with children in this way and celebrating the little wins we help build the positive self-esteem children need and establish the building blocks for future success. By forming the habit of celebrating wins every day builds a better future for everyone.
Ensuring we celebrate the wins is easier when we focus on positive outcomes. It is something our organisation was founded on, and it drives us in all of the work we do. Throughout this year with the TSH team, we constructively challenged ourselves to make sure that we also have a strong evidence base behind what we do in our service delivery. By ensuring we have the evidence behind our approach we can maximise the chances of creating the outcomes you seek for your child.
But having an evidence base is only part of our story. Telethon Speech & Hearing has always broken new ground and done things differently – that has been what makes us successful. It is also the reason why we are involved in research. With research we can create the new evidence base and remain at the forefront of the techniques and approaches that will add value to each child’s life. This is the reason why our families are, on occasion, asked if they will participate in some of the research we do – we want to make sure we can provide the best possible support to future generations of children as well as the ones we help today. You help us do that and we are extremely grateful that you do.
It is hard to believe that we are already in September and only one term left until the end of the year. The fourth term is one that we cherish – the fun of celebrating the festive season, and the joy we get in formally confirming the growth achieved by each child we support.
After what I hope is a restful and joyful break for our families and staff, I look forward to being part of the celebrations at the end of the year. Until then, I look forward to filling my cup with a “hello”, a smile, or high five and celebrate the wins we have had so far this year.
Important Reminder: Update Your Details
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The information that parents/guardians provide at enrolment is important in helping us to look after your child, and should be kept up to date. If not current, your family may miss important information from TSH.
Please Contact Us immediately if your family details have changed.
It is essential that you inform us in writing of any change to student details. In particular, we need to know:
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change of address
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change of telephone numbers (particularly mobile phone numbers)
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change of email address
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any new medical condition or allergies that your child may have.