Junior School

Time for Pause 

Life in the Junior School at St Patrick’s College can be busy at the best of times, as our boys learn to balance their commitments on a daily basis. This week, Year 5 have been taking part in the initial stages of the 2023 student leadership voting process, while our Year 6 boys are happily engaging in their camp experience at Somerset. Given the busyness of each school week, which is especially the case in Term 4, it is important that we consciously slow down and take stock of all that happens around us. Otherwise, we run the risk of letting each day simply roll into the next one without truly appreciating what we have. Ironically, in a world that increasingly asks us to move faster, the idea that what we actually need to do every now and then is ‘stop’ seems counterproductive.

Constantly on our smartphones, checking emails, replying to messages, or viewing social media, we find ourselves good at being preoccupied. We live in a society that is so fast-paced and in a culture where our ‘work’ follows us constantly as we can access emails and messages 24/7 on our handheld devices. As a result, we find ourselves in a state of ‘continuous partial attention’ - rarely stopping, never fully present. For many of us, it is so easy to lose the art of being aware of what is around us as we are constantly lost in what is ahead of us.

This fast-paced world and its ever-changing technology also raises the concern that our students are growing up with too many conveniences and instant gratification.

Our boys today are navigating life and relationships in a world primarily composed of red and green - stop and go - with no time for yellow, the ‘pause.’ In an ever-evolving society that expects immediate feedback and satisfaction, the challenge for our young people to pause and think before acting becomes understandably difficult.

Fifteen years ago, before the advent of social media, the ‘pause’ allowed students to rethink their actions and tear up a hate-filled note they wrote to a peer the night before. The ‘pause’ often prevented the negative consequences that accompany intense emotions. Now, without the ‘pause’, students type a hate-filled text and press send. A text cannot be torn up, and the ramifications are often immediate. The ‘pause’ has been hijacked by social media and texting.

As such, knowing when to engage is just as important as knowing when to disengage. Every now and then it pays to pause and reflect. Unfortunately, many young people have not been taught how to do this.

One of the first steps to making a good decision is to ‘pause’ and think calmly about our options. Unfortunately, when we are upset, worried, frustrated, or angry, our brains are responding emotionally, not rationally…and this means our young people will also respond in this same way.

Therefore, the first way to teach children self-control is to model it. Children of any age are watching and learning from adults all the time; so, thinking calmly, demonstrating self-awareness, and regulating our own emotions and behaviours is important. We can only encourage and develop effective self-control skills in our children if we are demonstrating the same skills. Teaching our children to express their feelings, listen to them and be non-judgmental also increases their skills in self-control. In fact, the word ‘pause’ can even be a verbal reminder that they need to calm their body so that they can make a better choice.

Regardless of how old we are, learning effective ways to manage anger and other moods is beneficial to everyone. We must always remember that it’s important to model the behaviour we want to see from our young men in the Junior School.

As always, if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (glenn.stephenson@spc.nsw.edu.au) or phone (8705 9247) and I will endeavour to assist you in any way that I can.

May God bless you,

Glenn Stephenson 

Director of Junior School

Mission Mass and Selfless Silence Success

What a beautiful celebration and amazing fundraising effort!!

Last Friday we were joined by nine students from St Edmund’s College, Wahroonga who also participated in readings and candle ceremony for our Mission Mass. The pen pal partners from respective schools got to meet, and morning tea was shared in the Junior School ibrary. It was a privilege to host and welcome our guests. We also heard from Catholic Mission and the work that they do.

“It was tough!” “I really struggled!” These were common responses after our two hours of selfless silence following the Mass. In this simple action we got to experience some discomfort, just a tiny snapshot of what people around the world, and here in Sydney, experience every day.

Through your efforts and generous donations (acknowledging this was a large amount of parent/carer effort) the Junior School raised an incredible $21,000+.

Thank you!

Stephen Cooper

Junior School Religious Education Coordinator