Wellbeing

Remembrance Day Ceremony

November the 11th marked the 104th anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War. Each year on this day Australians observe one minute’s silence at 11 am, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.

In order to pay our respect to all those who fought and/or died at war, our staff and students held a Remembrance Day Ceremony.

The flags in front of our school were adjusted to the half-mast position as a sign of respect and to honour the people who sacrificed their lives for Australia.

The ceremony was full of reverence with our Student Leaders Kezia, Colbie and Marissa leading the tribute and sharing their own thoughts about the tragedy of war and how we can create a better future to uphold our strong Australian values of peace, harmony and inclusivity for our future.

Thank you to our special guest Mr Justin Byers, RAFF Squadron Leader who shared a moving historical overview of Australia’s involvement and sacrifice in war time both past and in recent times.

Each student made their own poppy that they pinned to their shirt or put in the ground near the flag pole. It was a special ceremony that allowed staff and students to take the time to reflect on the sacrifices that were made by so many Australians in order for us to live in such a peaceful country.

Transition to High School Workshops

The Transition from primary school to high school is one that fills students with excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and for some, fear. The fears and worries students have about this change range from, increased workload, new teachers, making friends, meeting new people, and getting lost.

This term, Cathy Turner and I are running two interactive workshops from the SMG Life Matters program, to support all our year 6/7 students transitioning to high school. These workshops aim to build resilience in the face of new challenges. The three major themes are: Change, Challenge, Choice.

The group challenges in the program are fun and require the students to make positive choices, have a Growth Mind Set, work collaboratively and highlight that adjusting to high school life requires us to find ways to understand and cope with new challenges.

Balloon Challenging:

The balloons represented some of the students’ fears/worries/ new challenges about going to high school. Juggling the balloons was really hard to do alone, but it became easier and less stressful when we asked for help from friends, families and teachers. It’s okay to ask for help and to share the load.

Magic Carpet Challenge:

Everyone stood on the tarp and worked together to flip it over, ensuring that nobody fell off! Amazing persistence, problem solving and encouragement! GO TEAM!

We look forward to the next session, especially the challenge tasks!