Year 8 Pastoral Guardian

It has been a busy start to the year and we are slowly getting back into the routine of school life.  In our Personal Development sessions, we have been encouraging the students to be proactive in their thinking rather than reactive.  We looked at the Circle of Control, made popular by Stephen Covey in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  In these tasks the students identified the things in their life over which they had no control, and we encouraged them to explore how reacting to these situations proactively, rather than reactively, enables them to have control of the situation and reduce their stress.  This is not a new way of thinking but one that we need to work on continually to perfect.

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.   

Viktor Frankl

(Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor - 1905–1997)

Some of the Years 8 and 10 students attended a GRIP Leadership day last week, where they received training to develop their leadership skills.  The Year 8 students were Jade, Maeve, Scarlett, Liliana, Imogen, Martina, Rachel, Sienna, and Katie.  The core values of the program are Generosity, Responsibility, Integrity, and People.  The girls interacted with students from other schools and are keen to utilise their new skills at Mt A.

Last week, on Monday 22 February, eighteen students from Years 8 and 10 went to a leadership day named GRIP Leadership.  It was held in the Sleeman Sports Complex.  It was a really fun and informative day, and a good learning experience.  The students had to talk to people from all different schools and learned about all different topics, including time management for students, involving more students in your school events, keeping your team motivated.  We learned about leadership and how to succeed as a leader.  This conference was a great day and I hope many more are held for Mt A students to attend.

Jade J   

On 22 February, eighteen students from Years 8 and 10 attended a leadership conference, held by the GRIP leadership team.  Throughout the day we were exposed to various techniques, focusing on how we can become better leaders/role models in our school community.  The GRIP leadership team was able to make the information session informative, yet also enjoyable, for the students.  There was a range of sessions from which you could choose, meaning the information you learnt was something you were interested in.  Many other schools attended the conference, so we spoke to other student leaders and gained new knowledge which we can now implement into our school community.  The GRIP Leadership Conference was a great way to enhance our leadership skills and was great fun as well!  Hopefully, many other students will experience the GRIP Leadership Conference.

Liliana

I am looking forward to my first Mt A swimming carnival on Friday and seeing the students joining in the fun.  It will be a timely break from the classroom and allow the students to bond with their fellow house members.  If your child is unable to swim, there is an expectation that they will still attend the carnival, supporting the other members of their house who are swimming.  

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any worries or concerns.

Colleen Goodin