More than 40 fathers attended the first Father’s Day breakfast held at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Bunbury recently and were encouraged to take an active role in their children’s lives and education.
The breakfast was organised by the Men of St Joseph’s, a dads’ group that was formed earlier this year and is registered with the Fathering Project.
The aim of the Fathering Project is to help father figures realise the positive impact they have on their child’s life and provide advice to fathers on how to encourage through research based evidence.
Organisers were pleasantly surprised by the number of dads who attended the breakfast and spent the remainder of the morning with their children.
Father of five children and Men of St Joseph’s Chairman Andrew Blee said the breakfast will definitely become a regular event on the calendar.
“Since we started the Fathering Project at St Joseph’s we have had some really great feedback from the Dads who want to be involved in more school based activities and take the opportunity to build better relationships with their kids,” he said.
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Principal Mr Riley Horrocks said he was delighted with the progress of the Fathering Project at the school and the growing involvement in the Men of St Joseph’s.
“Recent research indicates that positive parental engagement significantly influences student success,” he said.
“To see the dads being more engaged in the lives of their children and their education is wonderful and we really notice the difference to the children when more than one parent is engaged with the school.
“I think it has also helped boost the sense of community at the school because the Dads are getting more involved in the school and finding out how they can be great role models for their children, both at school and at home.”
