Principal

Time To Study!

At the end of Week 2, we held our first College Assembly for the term with our new Year 12 (2024) resplendent in their Black Ties as they commence their HSC journey.

Our current Year 12s have already begun their HSC exams and some students have actually completed all of their exams in the first fortnight. All is going well and the Presiding Officer reports that they are a wonderful, cooperative cohort who have been busily writing right up to the last second. 

At the Assembly, I reminded the boys that this term is a short, eight-week term with assessments that will inform their final school report.

There are some of them who are tracking to get a fabulous, much improved report, but others who are struggling to even get started. 

For many people, myself included, procrastination hinders our ability to get the job done, achieve our dreams. Procrastination means the irrational delay of essential tasks. We then leave things too late and we either produce something that is sub-standard, or we don’t produce anything at all. 

Procrastination leaves us with bad feelings. We feel frustrated, angry, anxious, guilty, and inadequate.

Procrastinators come in all shapes and sizes. If you procrastinate, which one are you?

Worrier. Those who put things off because they worry about the challenge or about leaving their comfort zone. 

Overdoer. Those who take on too much and then struggle to find the time to complete everything. 

Perfectionist. Those who avoid tasks because they doubt their ability to complete them perfectly. 

Dreamer. Those who put off tasks because they’re not good at focusing on the details. 

Defier. Those who dislike someone dictating their schedule. 

Crisis-maker. Those who put off tasks because they prefer working under the pressure of tight deadlines.

The good news is that you can work on avoiding procrastination. And being aware that this is an issue for you is the first step to address the issue. 

1. Set small goals 

Oftentimes, the thought of completing one large task can seem overwhelming. Getting from the beginning to end can seem an impossible task. However, breaking such tasks down into much smaller steps can be useful. Having a list of small and achievable goals can help you tackle each one in turn, meaning that you make gradual progress towards completion. Your goal this term may just be focusing more in class and doing all your homework.

2. Organise your tasks 

This point feeds into the one above. Having a detailed timeline and deadlines for when you will complete each of your small goals can also keep you motivated to reach your main goals. As well as setting daily goals, you can also have weekly and monthly aims that all tie into them. This gives you the urgency to act and make progress in your schoolwork. 

3. Focus your attention 

Another way to overcome procrastination is to focus on some of the easier tasks you have to finish. Hopefully, by setting small goals and organising your tasks, you’ll be able to identify those that are easy to finish. By doing this, you’ll start to build your confidence and gain some momentum. Giving yourself a purposeful focus can help you tackle one small task at a time. 

4. Remove distractions

Your work or study environment may not be helping with your procrastination. Distractions can easily derail your progress, whether it’s having your phone next to you on your desk or having the TV on in the background. These distractions can add to your stress levels and increase procrastination.  In class, consider where you sit so that you can focus more clearly and engage in the learning.

5. Forgive yourself 

It can be easy to punish yourself for procrastinating. You may tell yourself that you’re being lazy or unproductive. In reality, attacking yourself in this way only serves to make you feel more frustrated and anxious and doesn’t add to productivity. Just start again with new goals and a plan.

Remember this quote that I often use:

“When there is a hill to climb, don’t think that waiting will make it smaller.” 

Best of luck as the boys traverse this last term of 2023.

WEBINAR: Helping our children overcome anxiety, perfectionism & self-loathing

Since 2010 mood disorders in children and teens, like anxiety and depression, have been steadily rising.

The rise of online gaming, Discord, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, has changed the way kids relate to one another. But it’s also changed their expectations for one another – and themselves – and is associated with anxiety, perfectionism, bullying, and self-loathing. In short, our children are worried that they are not enough and their daily interactions with one another, their screens, and even with us, are reinforcing that fear.

In this webinar you’ll discover:

• why so many of our kids don’t feel enough
• how our best-intentioned efforts to help them feel enough backfire
• solutions that shift your child’s focus from worrying if they’ll ever be enough to no longer even thinking about it, and
• how to establish a relationship that leaves no doubt that they really are enough.

Staff News

• Ms Di Giovanni (Languages Junior School) and Ms Eden Boundy (Visual Arts) have concluded their time at the College. I thank the staff who have stepped in at short notice to cover their classes.
   
• I previously notified the community that Mr Steven Fochesato had made the decision to step down from the Leadership Team at the end of the year and focus on teaching. I am delighted to announce that after an extensive recruitment process, we found our new Director of Co-curricular right here! Mr Anthony Calavassy, our current Head of Sport and senior TAS teacher, has accepted the challenge of stepping into this role from the start of 2024. An excellent classroom practitioner, strong sports coaching record and pride in leading at the College as an Old Boy, Mr Calavassy will make a wonderful contribution to the College and assist me in achieving the goals in our Strategic Plan, A Beacon for Boys’ Education.  I thank Mr Fochesato for his enormous contribution to the College over the years and leaving our Co-curricular program in such a strong position.

Dr Vittoria Lavorato

Principal

SPC boys can do anything! 

**except divide by zero