YEAR 8 CAMPUS NEWS

THE LATEST NEWS AT MERCY CAMPUS...

The end of Term 2 has come around very quickly, however I know that Mercy Campus students and staff alike will enjoy the opportunity to have a quick rest before hitting the second half of the year full of vigour. When you look back at everything that has happened so far this year, you quickly begin to understand the many varied experiences that our students get to participate in and grow from throughout the year. Events ranging from our camp and wellbeing days through to the Closing the Gap on social disadvantage day at Enright Campus next Monday expose students to the diverse Year 8 curriculum in a way that is designed to engage them in learning and help them build confidence.

The theme at the Mercy Campus for this term has been how to develop a ‘Growth Mindset’. Our campus captains spoke fantastically well about this at our recent year 8 assembly by using the camp as an example of when a growth mindset can be an asset. We live in a world where we are often being told ‘we can’t, you won’t, stop trying’. In fact, we really should be thinking about the opportunities that exist if we push past our comfort zones. Hopefully all our students are able to use the lessons learned from this idea not only for the remainder of this year but through the rest of their schooling.

While we try to focus on the positives where possible, invariably students will make some mistakes on their personal journey through early adolescence. Thankfully, these mistakes tend to be few and far between. But when they do occur, how we deal with them is very important. As a school that follows the restorative practices model, we work to a model that doesn’t necessarily dwell on what has taken place but rather how we can make sure that a similar thing doesn’t happen in the future.

Of course there are consequences for actions. But rather than consequences, we focus more on repairing and rebuilding the fractured relationships caused by any inappropriate behaviour. Restorative psychology is based on an ever-growing body of research and when practiced effectively helps to develop a stronger community. If you have any questions about this model of learning, please feel free to contact me or your child’s Pastoral Care Group teacher.

I hope that everyone stays safe over the break and we will see you back at school refreshed and ready to go for the start of Term 3.

Mr Marcus Parker

Head of Mercy Campus