Clyde North Campus News
Never miss an opportunity…
Lockdown has made it difficult for us to run our usual pastoral program Strive & Thrive as it works best face to face so, this week we gave students and teachers a free period, providing space away from screens to relax and or engage in some exercise or fun activities.
The free part of the period refers to, choice – free to choose what you would like to do with this time. I wonder how many of us would choose to do nothing and if so what opportunities or experiences would we miss by doing nothing?
‘Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity’
“Every negative – pressures, challenges – are all an opportunity for me to rise.” (Kobe Bryant)
Kobe Bryant recognises the need to see the opportunity in every situation even the most challenging. So, what would you do with forty-five free minutes? For some it might take forty-five minutes to decide what to do yet others will immediately know what to do. The key is not to miss an opportunity rather aspire to look for opportunities in every aspect of our lives, work, school, friendships and family life. This next quote speaks to this in a light-hearted way.
“I have a device in my pocket capable of accessing the entirety of human knowledge - and I use it to argue with strangers and look at pictures of cats.”
Seeking opportunities does not have to be an arduous task as many of our Year 9 students discovered last week.
Year 9 students embraced the opportunity afforded to them on Try a Vet Day. The day presented a wonderful opportunity for students to gain critical knowledge and practical hands on experience of the variety of courses available through VET (Vocational Education and Training). It was particularly pleasing to witness so many students step outside their comfort zone and try new things as shown in the pictures. Try a Vet Day and Futures Day provide the opportunity for our students to open their eyes and mind to a world of possibilities available at school.
With subject selection for Year 9 and 10 students taking place over the coming weeks it was important that students embraced the opportunities presented in Try a Vet Day and Futures Day to enable them to make informed decisions about their future. Please take the opportunity this week, to discuss with your child what future studies (opportunities) are ahead in 2021 and beyond at St. Peter’s College.
Never miss an opportunity – it could lead you to an engineering camp
Sophia (Year 10), took this literally last year when she applied for the Girl Power Program and even though COVID 2020 challenged this opportunity Sophia persisted. Here is her reflection of what was a remarkable opportunity for her.
"The Girl Power Program is a program for females who have an interest in Engineering and IT. It is a wonderful opportunity to explore Engineering and IT as they do activities that allow students to explore different types of engineering.
I did the program to explore engineering and to see if I truly had an interest in it. I found that I was interested in biomedical engineering and that was thrilling as I had no idea what I wanted to do. The Girl Power Program runs for four years starting in Year 9. I am in Year 10 and unfortunately due to the pandemic it was cancelled last year. Fortunately, it started again this year and I was able to go to the camp.
The camp was fun and I really enjoyed staying at Trinity College. My Trinity College dorm room had a mini fridge and desk. The activities we were involved in helped build my team work and problem-solving skills. The activities involved bridge building, sustainable housing, making a lightbox and so much more. There were also students from the university there that mentored us and gave us insight into what university life was like. We were also able to meet engineers and ask questions about what their work involves now and what courses we should take if we also wanted to explore the opportunity to study engineering. I am so glad I did not let COVID 2020 deny me this wonderful opportunity."
I thank Sophia for sending me her reflection and being a great example to us all that whilst some opportunities are difficult it is a positive attitude that turns the difficulty into a meaningful and purposeful opportunity.
I wish you a safe and productive week, full of opportunities.
Julie Banda
Deputy Principal - Head of Clyde North Campus