STRONG MINDS, 

GENTLE HEARTS

It’s been wonderful to see our students return from the holidays focused, refreshed and ready to learn. As the term begins, we continue to remind our young men of the importance of respect – for themselves, for others and for the College. Simple acts of courtesy, such as greeting others politely and saying thank you, help build a positive and caring school community. 

Students are also reminded to wear their uniform correctly and with pride. This includes shirts tucked in, long socks worn approximately five centimetres below the knee, a plain black belt and black lace-up shoes. Hairstyles should be neat and tidy – no shorter than a blade three, with fringes above the eyebrows. Artificial colouring, fades, mullets, cut-in designs, tracking or other abrupt changes in length are unacceptable under college guidelines. 

Last week was National Mental Health Week and we must continue to have conversations with our young men to raise awareness about the importance of looking after our mental wellbeing. Everyone experiences challenges at times, and it’s both normal and healthy to reach out and talk to someone when life feels difficult. We encourage parents and carers to contact with your son’s homeroom teacher, year-level coordinator or a college counsellor if you ever have concerns about his mental or emotional wellbeing. Working together, we can continue to support each boy to build resilience, self-awareness and a strong sense of care for himself and others. 

Setting and reviewing goals is an important part of learning and personal growth for our boys. It helps them stay focused, motivated and responsible for their own progress. Having clear goals gives students direction and helps them manage their time, reflect on their strengths and identify areas where they can improve. This term in pastoral care lessons, students are revisiting the goals they set last term and creating new ones for Term 4. We encourage parents and carers to be part of this process by having a conversation with their sons about their recent reports and goals for the term ahead. You’ll find guidelines for this process in the student diary.