StudentVoice

As we all know, these are stressful times. Lockdown has been haunting us for quite some time now and there is every chance that it could continue to be extended. With everyone being forced to isolate and social distance, it’s no wonder there are high levels of stress, depression and anxiety. It is therefore very important to look for ways that you can keep occupied, connected and mentally healthy. 

The students of MLC and I have put together some ideas for families to take a break, reconnect, recover and have some fun.

Kind regards

Mr Tom Brophy

MLC Classroom & Student Wellbeing Leader

Exercise videos on YouTube: There are plenty of videos on YouTube, some of them will make you laugh or teach you something new. The ones we suggest are exercise videos. The channel ‘Cosmic Kids Yoga’ has a range of yoga videos for kids of all ages. The host is fun and she makes the moves easy to follow.

Have a dance party or use the Just Dance videos on YouTube: The students in my class love to have a dance. We use the Just Dance videos on YouTube. The characters on the screen will dance to a song and your job is to mimic their actions. You could also just put some of your favourite songs on and dance around the house.

Cooking together: Find a recipe online for something you wouldn’t normally have the time to make. It could be a meal or a dessert. Whatever it is, try and get everyone involved. It doesn’t have to be food either, you could make something fun like slime or playdough.

Here are some things the students of MLC do to make themselves feel better when they are sad, stressed or need to recharge.

When I am feeling sad, I like to meditate. It makes me feel calm when I sit and think of my favourite colour. I also like to play on my iPad because I can escape in a game to take my mind off things for a while. 

Ava

I like to hang out with my family and play Just Dance because it is a lot of fun to do it together. I also enjoy spending time with my brothers playing video games. I never feel alone when my family is with me.

Jason

My natural habitat is my bedroom so I like to spend time in there playing Roblox. My bedroom makes me feel safe because it is comfortable. When I am angry or sad, I tell myself it will be okay. It can’t last forever.

Chizara

I like to laugh, so when I am sad I will look for memes on the internet to cheer me up. Sometimes when I am angry, I will throw my soft toys across the room because it makes me feel better and I can let out some of my anger.

Carter

Reading helps me to forget why I am sad or worried. I can lose myself in a book. I can also go and talk to my mum and she makes me feel better. She keeps me calm and makes me feel safe. Sometimes I will ride my bike, the exercise makes me feel better.

Celeste

When I am feeling sad I will ask my family to play Hide and Seek with me. I like to play games with my family because we always have a good time and it makes me laugh. Sometimes I will put my favourite song on and that will cheer me up. 

James

As SLC continue their informative writing, the students were asked to write about a famous sports personality. Michaela chose to write about Cathy Freeman. Please enjoy her piece below.

Cathy Freeman, an Indigenous Australian Olympian that Aussies love for some reason. That’s probably what you would be thinking if I asked you who Cathy Freeman was and you didn’t know her full backstory. Well, have you ever wondered what that “some reason” is? That “some reason” is not only because she made Australia proud by winning so many medals for us, but also because she has an amazing and truly inspiring backstory to her success. Cathy Freeman is an Indigenous Australian Olympian, I know you know that, but have you ever felt that there was more to her than what people have told you? Why is Cathy Freeman extremely well-known or is there more to her success? How many medals has she won? When did Cathy Freeman retire? All of that will be covered in this text, and maybe even more!

Cathy Freeman is hugely recognised by a number of Australians for her Olympic career, but are there any other reasons why she’s famous, especially  amongst Australians? Well, no, not really, unless you include her amazing decision after retiring to go on and help with charity. The article, ‘Famous Indigenous Australian Cathy Freeman’, by Twinkl, has said, “In 2003, she announced her retirement and she continues to be an inspiration for all Australians, now giving up her time for a range of community services and charities." Cathy Freeman is, was, and always will be an inspiration for all Australians because of her amazing and truly successful career and even what she did after retiring from being an Olympian. The article even continued saying that, “In 2007, Cathy founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation, helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families realise their potential through education. She has also appeared in a couple of documentary series on Australian television.” She has truly worked hard through her career and even after it!

After putting aside the fact that Cathy Freeman was a superb Olympian, the next question  you might be asking yourself is Since Cathy Freeman was an Olympian, how many medals did she earn? Cathy Freeman is such a well-known Olympian, especially in Australia, so she must have won a ton of medals!’. Well, the answer to that is yes, I guess.. The truth is that Cathy Freeman has won a ton of medals. She’s won some at the Commonwealth Games, a few medals at the Olympics, and she’s even lit the Cauldron at the 2000 Olympics! I shouldn’t tell you too much because Athletics Australia also has something to say! Quoting Athletics Australia, Cathy Freeman (Palm island) , "Cathy went on to win the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in an Australian record time of 48.63 seconds, before going onto win two world championship gold medals in 1997 and 1999. A two-time Commonwealth champion , Cathy has also won 14 national titles across the 100m, 200m and 400m.." Cathy Freeman has won a great deal of medals, and just as many national titles. She won those medals after working hard for years, just like you can do if you start training early! 

There’s definitely a lot more to Cathy Freeman’s Olympic life, so what about her personal life? There are many superstars and famous athletes that have sad, but true backstories to their success, just like Cathy Freeman. Restating the words by sports.jrank.org, although Cathy Freeman was not taken from her family, she had a difficult childhood. Both her younger sister and father died. As said by sports.jrank.org, "Cathy Freeman had a difficult life but that didn’t stop her from following her dreams.!" Sports.jrank.org keeps going by saying, "When Freeman was a little girl, her running was obvious. Her mother, Cecilia, encouraged her to pursue her interest in athletics, and when she was ten, her stepfather, Bruce Barber, told her she could win a gold medal if she trained properly. However, although she had the talent, she was also a member of a minority group that historically had not had the same access to the same resources that other athletes had. Freeman was one of only a few Aborigines who won a scholarship to a boarding school where she could learn and train." sports.jrank.org finishes by saying "Cathy Freeman faced difficult times, but she pushed through them and now is extremely well-known for that. She is a great example for all of us and always will be."

You may have noticed that I used the word ‘well-known’ quite a number of times, but what other words can I use to describe Cathy Freeman? Hero? Doesn’t really suit the definition of a hero..  Famous? I don’t feel like she’s very famous, except amongst Australians.. The word well-known describes nearly her whole life. She was ‘well-known’ for her career, she was well-known for her inspirational backstory and even ‘well-known’ for her retirement! I think it’s a very good phrase to describe her. As mentioned at the start of this text, the things that were covered were, all about her career, her retirement, her medals and even her personal life..  Just remember, Cathy Freeman isn’t just some Indigenous Australian Olympian that Aussies love for some reason, it’s because of her backstory, her career, her medals and her retirement.