Year 10 Pastoral Guardian

End of Term – Time to Reflect, Rest, Rejuvenate, and Celebrate Success

As we reach the end of Term 1, it is important for us all to reflect on the last ten weeks and celebrate success that has been achieved - either big or small. I would recommend that the girls refer to the goals that they set at the start of the term - both academically and personally. Girls could ask themselves the following questions:

Did I achieve my goals?
Why or why not?
Is there anything that I would change for next term?
How am I going to celebrate the success I achieved?
With whom will I share this success?

I would like to acknowledge and congratulate the members of the Year 10 cohort for many successful achievements that each of them fulfilled this term, including:

Achieving their goals;
Participating in the Pay It Forward Project during Personal Development class;
Raising the bar – both academically and personally;
Participating in extra-curricular teams;
Making new friends or getting to know other girls in our cohort;
Nominating for a house leader position;
Enrolling in study groups; and
Being part of the Lord Mayor Student committees

At the end of this page are reflections from two of our Clare School leaders – Rhianna Janas and Sneha Raju, regarding reasons for celebrating success.

With the two-week break so soon, we should all acknowledge that there is definitely an importance for holidays for many reasons. Girls work so hard during the term - balancing school and extra-curricula activities, part-time jobs, and spending time with family and friends. During this busy and stressful time, it is inevitable that tired girls run into brick walls from time to time. An issue that girls may have dealt with a couple of weeks ago may have seemed fairly trivial; however, this week may become the end of the world – and it is important for us to realise this and provide support to deal with these matters.

So, while is it important for girls to review the past term during the upcoming holiday and maybe set themselves some goals for the next term, it is also important for them to have the opportunity to rest, recharge, and rejuvenate. This could include more time with their family and friends, taking up a new hobby, spending more time outdoors, and maybe less screen time.

I would like to congratulate many Year 10 students for their maturity and willingness to stop rumours and stand up for girls who are in the middle of false information being spread around. I congratulate these girls for reporting this non-Franciscan behaviour and their positive act of kindness. Over the next two weeks I would recommend that all Year 10 girls reflect on how they personally treat others, why rumours are spread, and the effects of negative social media and text messages. This might be a good time for girls to also review their friendship lists on social media and evaluate why they use social media in the first place.

I wish you and your family a happy Easter and restful break. I look forward to welcoming the Year 10 girls back in Term 2, rested and raring to go.

Teena Christofis

Student Reflections

When I think about how, as individuals, we measure and celebrate success, many different examples come to mind.

Firstly, we must ask ourselves, what is success? The definition of success differs for everyone but, for me, success is achieving or reaching a goal you have set for yourself. When we measure success, it is extremely important to compare yourself to yourself and not anyone else. The moment when you, as an individual, start comparing and setting goals that are not relevant and achievable to you, success is harder to achieve. Compared to setting relevant goals for only yourself, that success will seem a little closer to reach. However, when we create these goals, it is important to start small. When you start small, you achieve success and your hunger for success will continue into bigger and more challenging goals. It’s important to remember, slow and steady wins the race.

When you achieve a goal - specifically a goal that was challenging - it is important for others to celebrate your achievements and for your success to be acknowledged as a reward for your hard work. However, you should not expect people to congratulate you; you need to remember you are your own greatest critic. Success does not come easy. To achieve success, it takes a positive mindset, grit, and perseverance; with these qualities and values anything is possible.

Rhianna Janas

What is success?

Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

At the beginning of this term, the Year 10 cohort set goals and aimed to achieve them by the end of this term or over a period of time. These goals ranged from sports achievements to academic achievements, but how do we know we have succeeded? Some people measure success through an improvement in their grades or the medals they have won. However, it is important to know that success can be measured through other things, such as the happiness we attain out of doing something or the failures we have to overcome. John Wooden, one of the most successful basketball coaches of all time, wrote in his book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court: “Don’t measure yourself by what you’ve accomplished, but rather by what you have accomplished with your abilities”.

How is success celebrated at MTA?

Success is celebrated at Mount Alvernia through many things, such as awards or recognition at assembly. It is important to celebrate these successes as it motivates and encourages them and other girls to accomplish other goals and ultimately give everything their best.

Sneha Reju