Head of Senior Years

Beginning with the end in mind

Last year I finally managed to read Dr Stephen Covey’s highly praised book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The first three habits in Covey’s book focus on the self – getting ourselves in order so that we can be highly effective in our life pursuits. These habits are:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive. Take responsibility for your life
• Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind. Define your mission and goals in life
• Habit 3: Put first things first. Prioritise and do the most important things first

While all seven of Covey’s habits are important, these first three are pertinent to Senior Years students as they begin their final years of schooling. In essence, these habits are about having a plan in mind, and then laying out the steps to achieving this plan. Covey states: “through imagination, we can visualize the uncreated worlds of potential that lie within us.”

As we’ve started the year, that is exactly what Senior Years students have been doing: setting goals for the year, and then working out plans to manage their time so that they can achieve these goals. All students have been given an overview of VCE requirements, and this week Year 10 and 12s have begun career and future pathway planning, with a focus on identifying life goals and prioritizing those things which are personally important. 

As members of a Christian community, we are reminded of the number one prize we are to pursue in life in Philippians 3:14:  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

To both our parents and our students: I encourage you to talk with each other about personal habits and life goals which you may wish to focus on developing throughout the course of this year.