Middle Years

Building Respectful Relationships

With the Year 7s away this week on their Glenelg River Camp, MYPEC has been noticeably quiet. With the excellent weather and the beauty of the Glenelg River, I’m sure they will have a great time and embrace the opportunity to explore new friends in a new environment.   

Building and maintaining healthy relationships is an integral part of our Camps Programme and essential for personal growth and well-being. A key first step is for students to get to know themselves, appreciate who they are, and try to connect with their emotions. 

Building meaningful relationships requires effort and commitment from each student. Unlike in fairy tales, healthy relationships aren’t simply discovered but nurtured over time. Hopefully, the Glenelg River Camp will start this nurturing process. For this growth to occur, students must commit to being open and responsive to other students' needs. 

Respecting boundaries is an important aspect of building positive relationships. Taking the time to communicate where your boundaries lie—such as needing personal time—relieves the pressure to conform to unrealistic peer expectations. This can also promote trust and understanding between students.

Healthy relationships rely heavily on effective communication. Disagreements between students are inevitable, but what truly matters is how they talk and listen to each other during these moments. 

Lastly, students need to reflect and learn from their experiences. This is a key component of our Outdoor Education and Experiential activities. When students can respond constructively to feedback, great self-reflective learning can occur. Communicating effectively paves the way for students to develop an understanding and connection with others. 

Our Camps Programme allows our Middle School students to build and maintain healthy relationships with each other. This can be an enriching experience for their lives, both now and in the future. I hope the Year 7s are able to embrace new relationships and see the positive difference they can make upon their return to school.

Ben Hawthorne 

Head of Middle Years