Year 7 Pastoral Guardian
Colleen Goodin
Term 3 is proving to be very busy for the students. Camp was a great way to start the term and has led to the students making new connections across the cohort. New friendships have been forged and a real camaraderie established within the group. Despite the wet and cold, the students joined in all the activities with great enthusiasm and showed wonderful resilience. I asked the group leaders to nominate students who excelled in the areas of resilience, stepping up to the challenge, and displaying leadership and they received certificates at our last cohort meeting.
Leadership
Stepping Up
Stepping Up
Resilience
Here are some of the students' recounts of their camp experience.
Chloe Edwards
The nights were cold, but never empty. The team provided warmth with their welcoming spirits and their urge to have a good time even without a fire. I do regret not bringing more layers though – it changed my opinion about loving the cold. The food was healthy, immaculate meals 3 times per day. It was so easy to make new friends, some who I still wave at in the Mount Alvernia halls. Sleeps were cold and fitful yet made me appreciate my warm bed once at the comfort of my home.
Riddles packed with fun and glee,
This was probably the best camp to be.
Despite the cold biting at my fingers,
The warmth within the team’s spirit lingers.
Overall, this camp was wonderful,
Despite the nights being cold and fitful.
Metben Bwogo
When we were waiting to go on the buses, I didn’t know most of the girls in my group, and I was worried that I wouldn’t get along with them. On the first night, we were in cabins, and it was then that we all opened up and it felt like we knew each other for 10 years! We were laughing and joking, feeling the cold breeze rush through our broken cabin door. It was fun knowing that I had connected with people who I didn’t previously know. On the second night, we were in tents, and we got to pick our groups. One of the girls in my tent, I’d only known for 15 hours, and we laughed so much that we both lost our voices for a bit of the next morning. When I look back at camp, I found a different side of me and made many more friends. To this day, when passing the Laverna balconies, there are so many girls that I now know and connect with, joking and laughing about the funny memories of camp. Some might say the camp was wet and terrible but for me, it’s a memory to keep forever.
Charli McDonald
Our 2022 camp trip to Kenilworth was a trip to remember. On the 20th of July, we arrived at school and headed off to camp. After arriving at camp, we had lunch and got into our camp groups. We then participated in activities with our whole cohort which needed teamwork and listening skills. Later we got introduced to our camp leaders and first activity, over the 3 days we partook in a wide range of activities. Personally, my favourite activity was the milk crate climb, you were attached to a rope and had to trust your team to lift you up as one person placed milk crates for you to climb on. The first night I stayed in the cabins and after dinner we had a dance competition with prizes involved. On the second night I got to experience the tents, although the weather was worst it was still an experience to remember. By the end of the trip, I think we were all ready to go home.
Darci Johnstone
During the beginning of term 3, almost all year 7 students went to Kenilworth for our year 7 camp. It was a great opportunity to make new friends and communicate with others. The food was amazing, and we even got to show off some cool dance moves on one of our nights. We did milk crate climbing, archery, rafting scavenger hunt and camping. Camping was a great way to learn how hard it can be for other people that don’t have homes, and it made me feel very grateful about what I have at home. We found out many ways to help us stay healthy in the wild and not catch serious diseases. I am so grateful I was able to go and I am sure the rest of year 7 is too!
Camp Photos
The class leaders have been elected for this term. They will stay in the role for the remainder of the year. The successful candidates are:
LG 1 Phoebe Wade, Josephine Nipperess
LG 2 Girisha Baliyan, Izzy Robertson
LG 3 Mia Reise, Mia Gayler
LG 4 Macey Smith, Evie Paroz
LG 5 Annie Kelly, Maddy Jeffs
LG 6 Sophie Eales, Chloe Edwards
LG 7 Georgette Power, Mia Rodrigo
Our Personal Development program this term is based on respectful relationships and social media, helping to build the students skills to navigate relationships and emerging social media. The core sessions are based around the following criteria:
Social media is featured on School TV this week and has a wealth of information around the use and pitfalls of social media that you may find interesting. Here is the link:
SPECIAL REPORT: Sextortion | Mount Alvernia College (schooltv.me)
For those new to the College, the last day of term is Cultural Festival, our feast day when we celebrate what it means to be part of Mt Alvernia. It is an opportunity for the students to showcase their talents in a supportive setting. Over the next week or so there will be heats to see who progresses to the finals on the day. If your child has a special talent, then encourage them to sign up. There is a category for everyone!
Please contact me if you have any worries or concerns.
Colleen Goodin
Year 7 Pastoral Guardian