Middle Years 

You don’t get things you want by being half committed.

There has been plenty of change and challenges over the last 18 months, that has called on our innate resiliency skills. 

We can learn a great deal from our young Olympians, including Emma McKeon, Airiana Titmus, Zac Stubblety Cook, Kaylee McKeown and Logan Martin. We can also learn about generosity and humility from Cate Campbell. 

One story I would like to reflect on is Jessica Fox’s gold medal. As you are no doubt aware, Jess Fox won gold medal in the C1 event last week. Miriam, Jess’s mother is her coach and this quote from The Age newspaper summarises the role of a parent beautifully , Jess said: “she gets the best out of me because she knows how to push my buttons, how to frustrate me, how to upset me, but at the same time she knows how to bring the best out of me and push me hard when I might me slacking off”.  

In the Australian newspaper this quote stood out to me: “Courage. Confidence. Control. Those were the words Jess Fox repeatedly told herself in the nerve-wracking final moments before the cannonball run that ended her nine-year search for an Olympic gold medal”. Fox said: “I was just focusing on my breathing. I actually remember telling myself – my dad sent me a message, he’s in Australia, he said it takes courage and confidence and control”. 

How we deal with difficult situations, handle pressure, and perform under stress are important aspects of growing up.

Each student is encouraged to be the best they can be, each day, in each situation, we focus on teaching students’ skills and using their strengths when they are under stress

Students are supported to steadily develop the 4 C's skills: 

CONTROL – get on with it through a calm and positive approach.

COMMITMENT - stick ability, work hard to deliver on goals, high commitment.

CHALLENGE - embrace change and accept risk, see each challenge as an opportunity.

CONFIDENCE - self belief, belief in your ability to deal with the situation.

If you are interested in this idea, it is worth listening to this podcast - Talking about Mental Toughness (Dan Hausler). The ideas may surprise you.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/habits-of-leadership/id1456667309?i=1000451306818

Mrs Julia Winter Cooke

Head of Middle Years