Pastoral Academic Care

Pastoral Academic Care (PAC) Focus

This week’s Pastoral Academic Care focus is: GOLDEN AND PLATINUM

Wellbeing Element:   RELATIONSHIPS + EMPATHY

Character Strength:      JUDGEMENT

Strengths Booster:    STRENGTHS COLLAGE

Wellbeing Reality Activities:   GOLDEN + PLATINUM

Parent Wellbeing:

A skill of social-emotional resilience is being able to regulate your emotions. Describe a time you have done this and how you could do it more often. Acknowledgement: Rievich & Shatte

The Golden Rule has been the shared by generations of parents with their children, namely, treat other people the way that you like to be treated. But what if others want to be treated in a different way to the way that you like to be treated? A key resilience skill is having and showing empathy for others needs and feelings, but the Golden Rule seems to be about your needs and feelings. The Platinum Rule on the other hand is, treat other people the way that they like to be treated. It embraces the true meaning of showing empathy. Making the effort to discover and understand others’ needs and feelings means that your levels of social connectedness are flourishing. As Stephen Covey once said, seek first to understand, before seeking to be understood. With students, a great respectful relationships building activity, is to set them the task of discovering how each of the people in their family likes to be treated. Doing this will build their social-emotional resilience capabilities. Showing empathy is about students focusing on other people, not themselves. And it’s funny how the more they focus of understanding others, the more they begin to understand themselves. 

Acknowledgement: Alessandra, Rath & Clifton

Wellbeing Measurement Tool:

Students, staff and parents can measure the state of their wellbeing by taking the free PERMAH survey at https://permahsurvey.com

Acknowledgement and thanks: Dr Peggy Kern & Michelle McQuaid

Year 7   

Mrs Kath Czinner

The end of Week 8 already! Time has flown by so quickly. This week we have explored the themes of ‘RUOK’ in our morning PAC sessions. Various videos have been shared to highlight the message to reach out and look after a friend. This indeed has been followed as I have had several concerned students reaching out to their peers when that have appeared down. It is tremendous to be involved in such a caring community.

The ASTI students were involved in the PRIDE program. Thank you to the organisers for providing the special opportunities for the students.

Congratulations to the Jackson Riggall, Jade Minter and Matthew Fowler who received a Year Leader's award this week. Laura Billings and Sam Cross received a teacher commendation and Mya received her second Year Leaders award.

Year 8 

Mrs Katie Biddle

As we draw towards the end of a busy term, it is a nice opportunity to reflect on all the wonderful things that have happened in our school community over the term. It has been great to see students participating in community sport and engaging so positively with their school work. Our ATSI students have also been enjoying the new school PRIDE program. 

Congratulations to all students who participated in the athletics carnival. Your participation is to be commended. I was so proud of the sportsmanship and commitment to ‘having a go’ that you showed.

This week is RUOK week. Students are focusing on how to support others and themselves. We have also been identifying who we can go to in times of stress. We suggest PAC teachers, Year Oeader, teachers, parents, friends, Wellbeing officer and our School Counsellor. There are, of course, other trusted people who can support in times of need. I encourage you to identify some of these people with your child.  

Emily Hallman received a commendation and a Principal’s Award last week. Lara, Max and Tom received one today!

The following students received a commendation at today’s combined year assembly - Jess Ferris, Josephine Ryan, Reba Ramage, Alanah Keene, Keanan Brown, Josh McRae, Manon Perrin, Lara McDonnell, Aveline Dawes and Luke Rogers.

Today Gabby and John spoke to the whole grade about spreading the message of kindness around the school and provided each PAC class with a set of posters to display in their room. These posters have messages of kindness on them. Thank you year 8 for being kind and sharing kindness!

Sincerely

Katie Biddle and the Year 8 team

Year 10

Mr Peter McLeish

It’s R U OK? week. We will be taking this opportunity to check in with each other to ensure we are all coping with the pandemic pandemonium. It’s been a tough year. Some of us, students and teachers alike, need an extra bit of TLC and just to hear some ask ‘R U OK?’ can make a real difference. Students will be completing a brief survey to let us know how they are feeling and watching a short ‘R U OK?’ clip this Friday during PAC period. 

Of course, the real conversation begins when the answer to the R U OK? question is ‘No’ or ‘Not really’. It is worth taking the time to develop a strategy should this occasion arise.

In other news, 95% of our Year 10 students are the most amazing, friendly, switched on, hard working young people I have ever been involved with. They are a credit to you, their parents and carers, but above all, they are a credit to themselves.

As we approach the end of term, the pace does not slacken. The learning continues and there will be at least a couple of small assessment tasks for the students to complete.

Please have the conversation with your child about when they should be wearing which uniform. It is important that they are observing the rules related to this. It is a sign of respect!

Congratulations to Alec Showell, Juliette Hamilton and Emily Lockyer who qualified for Year Leader’s Awards, Millie Edwards and Aaron Coop who qualified for Principal’s Awards and Abbee Killen, Lauren Fenton, Oluoma Malu, Tahlia Little and Abby Jackson who all qualified for their second Year Leader’s Award for the year. Keep up the great work Year 10.

I will leave you with this piece of advice from Theodore Roosevelt:

‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again…. who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.’

Stay safe!

Peter McLeish (on behalf of the entire Year 10 PAC team)

Year 12

Mrs Vicki Channon

Students have completed their Trial HSC Examinations and are now receiving important feedback to assist them in preparing for the HSC Examinations. There is strong evidence that students are able to improve their marks considerably during this important time of study, revision, completing past papers, gaining feedback; all leading up to the HSC Examinations in Week 2, Term 4, Tuesday 20th October. 

If you have any questions regarding this please contact us at school.

Year 12 attended a zoom meeting with Mrs Kerry Steller in regards to the rules and procedures for the HSC Examinations. All of this information is contained in a booklet that each student should have received by NESA. I have attached a link to the page that has an abundance of information and answers to questions that you may have in regards to the HSC. 

This is a link to the recording of Mrs Steller’s presentation:

Some exciting and positive news for our Year 12 students is in the announcement of formals being allowed to go ahead as of 12th November which happens to be the date of ours. More details to come about this special event for our young people (not sure of the exact format at this stage).

Some other important events that we are now holding in order to celebrate the success of our Year 12 - 2020 are listed below. A letter has been sent to all interested parties in regards to what the last week looks like for Year 12. This is a link to a slideshow with important dates and events for Year 12:

Please make sure you have organised your tickets for the Year 12 Parish Mass. The link is on COMPASS and it was also placed on Google Classroom. We would love to see ALL students attending this special occasion. 

Year 12 Parish Mass

Fr Roel would like to invite Year 12 Students and their Parents to a Parish Mass on Tuesday 22 September to be held at St Mary’s and Joseph’s Cathedral, Armidale. This Mass will recognise and celebrate their graduation from O’Connor Catholic College. Due to COVID restrictions a school mass is not possible.

We will have two Masses one at 5pm and one at 7pm of approx. 35 students each with students able to bring 2 guests. This will satisfy the 100 people maximum at places of worship.

Book through Compass.

Year 12 Final Assembly

The College has lobbied hard to be able to recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of our Year 12 students and we have been informed that a final assembly is now permitted (sadly parents are unable to attend, however, the assembly will be live streamed). This assembly will take place in the College Chapel on Friday 25th September at 12 noon, with Year 12 students only and teachers.

Lasallian Youth Ministers 2021 

 To Apply, Please Submit:

 ○ Your resume, including three referees (one of whom must attest to your understanding of and commitment to the evangelising mission of the Catholic Church), 

and 

○ A cover letter which addresses the core capabilities of the position,

 to Philippe Dulawan Director of Young Lasallians philippedulawan@delasalle.org.au

APPLICATIONS DUE BY FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2020.

Hang in there Year 12. Take care of each other. Collaborate wherever possible. Enjoy these last couple of weeks, safely and responsibly. Look back on your school days here at O’Connor with fondness and hopefully many happy memories. We look forward to  celebrating your success in making it through what has been such a challenging year for all of us. You are all amazing.

This is a photo of 12PAC 1 on Thursday, reflecting on the amazing banner that they contributed to when they were in year 10. I organised a well-being day with guest speakers, counsellors, teachers running sessions. One of the workshops was led by Mr Hawthorne and it included the background information on RUOK Day. The students were then given a piece of yellow fabric and a black fabric marker to create their own artwork. Mrs Channon then stitched each piece together to create a unique and very special banner that hangs proudly in the Benilde Indoor Street. What a lovely legacy:)

Vicki Channon (on behalf of the entire Year 12 PAC team)