Pastoral Academic Care
PAC
Wellbeing Builder: PATHWAYS TO COPE
Wellbeing Element: POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT
Character Strength: TEAMWORK
Parent Wellbeing: When you are not paying attention when listening to others, there
can be little wonder and enjoyment in learning new things. Describe
what you could do to pay more attention when listening.
There are many stressors which trigger negative emotions in students which cause anxiety in them about their capabilities to cope with peer issues and study demands. Unfortunately, often they only speak up about not coping when they are about to implode and give up. Having a number of positive coping strategies to reduce these anxious feelings is essential for their wellbeing.
Introducing students to new copies pathways provides them with opportunities to adopt growth mindsets to create their own strategies. The TED talk by Rita Pierson, ‘Every kid needs a champion’, provides great stimulation to do the above.
Adolescents on the whole are not comfortable in immediately asking for help from adults, therefore, it is important for us to take the initiative and raise the issue, by explaining that positive coping strategies are little positive actions which relieve pressure and they vary from student to student.
Positive coping strategies fall into four main categories:
• Exercise – anything that lifts the heart rate
• Positive self-talk – personal assertive I can and I will statements, which work for the individual
• Personal support – a trusted adult; their champion who will stick with them
• Meditation – mindfully focusing on their breathing and their thoughts
“Wisdom is not knowing what to do now, but what to do next.” Proverb
Year 7
Katie Biddle on behalf of Yolanda Kreuzen and the Yr 7 PAC team
Hi! I will be acting on behalf of Ms Kreuzen until the end of this term.
I have been so excited to see the way that year 7 students have embraced the learning community we have here at O'Connor. We have enthusiastic students participating in a range of exciting opportunities at the moment. Congratulations to the year 7 students who have been involved in the extra curricular opportunities of chess, debating, cross country, and the eisteddfod. It has been exciting to watch your talents shine!
Our current PAC focus is growth mindset. This has been useful for identifying students strengths and areas for development. We will be using this information in preparation for our Student Led Conferencing.
The literacy block is an exciting initiative that is new to year 7 this year. All students in year 7 participate in at least 3 designated literacy lessons each cycle. The focus is on improving functional literacy and especially writing using VCOP (Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation). We have already seen significant improvement in student writing and we look forward to working with students to achieve their own personal writing goals over the coming terms.
Year 8
Can you believe we are already in the middle of Term 2? With an extended long weekend coming up for O'Connor it is a good time to rest up and gather our thoughts for the second half of the term.
Keep in mind that for the rest of the term, students will be preparing work samples and practising skills to participate in their first SLC (Student Led Conferences) on Parent-Teacher night next term.
It has been a big 2 weeks for all of the creative students in Year 8. The Year 8 Band performed at the Eisteddfod in the year 7-12 ensemble section. Congratulations to Carmela Brown, Harley Best, Seb Stoessel, Eliza Hine, Neve Crotty from 8.2. For many of these students, this was their first live performance on these instruments and it takes a great deal of courage to get up in front of an audience and perform.
Carmela Brown and Claude Toakley also performed a guitar duet taking 1st place, and solos bringing home Carmela 1st and Claude 2nd. Well done!
While everyone was out running and throwing at the athletics carnival, some Year 8 students were off exercising the brain. Congratulations to Roie, Madeleine, William, Eliza, India, Caleb and Bradley for impressing us with your amazing mathematics skills.
To round off the news this week, we have some pictures of 8.3 and 8.4 in PDHPE using both their legs and brains to gather and construct a freestanding tower of cones.
Lloyd Honnery.
8 PAC
Year 9
Many students are telling me how much they are looking forward to the upcoming five day weekend. Whilst I feel certain it is so that they can take the opportunity to complete assignments and undertake some additional home learning, I also hope they use the time to reflect on their achievements so far this year and match those achievements with the goals they have set for themselves. Maybe some slight adjustments are required.
Last Wednesday we travelled as a Year group to the Cathedral for the Catholic Schools Week Mass. The students represented their school with honour and dignity and the Mass was a fitting celebration of Catholic School education with representatives of almost every Catholic school in the Diocese present.
As part of your role in the Parent/ Student/ Teacher partnership, it is important for you to ensure your child is properly resourced for learning. As a Maths teacher, I am finding increasing numbers of students are ill-prepared for lessons. They are asking to borrow calculators, pens, rulers and, in some cases, writing paper. Please take the time to check whether your child has the appropriate equipment required for their lessons. Your cooperation and support is always appreciated.
Our PAC focus this week is Pathways to Cope. Social, emotional and academic stressors are normal parts of being a student and it’s how we overcome them that is what matters; they won’t go away on their own. Pathways to cope connect you with your inner self.
Harry, Darcy, Blake, Blake, Dan and Judah are proud recipients of Commendations Certificates this week, with Darcy also bagging a Year Leader’s Award. Congratulations boys!
Year 9 music competed at the
Eisteddfod in the class ensemble, performing their arrangement of Viva La Vida. They received 3rd place. Well done!
Peter McLeish
Year 9 PAC Leader
(on behalf of the Year 9 Pastoral Academic Care team)
Year 10
Year 10 are now entering the last part of term 2 and towards the end of a busy semester 1. Luckily they have an extra long weekend ahead to recharge and get ready for what is usually a busy time for students; completing set learning tasks and projects. I encourage all of year 10 to remain focused on their work and try to complete all work to the best of their ability. Also week 9 is rapidly approaching which is work experience week for students, I hope that all students are prepared for this week, and treat it as a real opportunity to see what work life looks like beyond school. I wish all the best to Year 10 for their work experience and a productive time before the end of semester.
Mark Fulloon
Year 10 PAC Leader
Year 11
We are so grateful for the many Year 11 students who stepped up to take on Lasallian Youth Leader roles this year. There were many that ably assisted on the recent Year 5 STEP Day. There will be more occasions for those students that missed out on the opportunity of helping at later events. Each Friday the LYL’s attend either a Year 7 or Year 8 PAC class and assist with prayer and notices. They also play fun games as a way of connecting with the younger students. It is important to build relationships and connections, someone that the students feel that they can reach out to if in need OR just to say hi in the playground or between classes.
Year 11 student/teacher/parent/carer interviews were conducted in Week 6. The relationships built between all parties is so important in order to build success in the learning and moving forward to the next step.
Students have quite a few assessment tasks coming up from Week 6 this term. It is imperative that they plan and prepare early and use their time wisely in order to get these done. Students are encouraged to seek help from their subject teachers, PAC teachers or myself if they are finding themselves in a bit of a bind, and need help in time and work management of tasks.
Vicki Channon
Year 11 PAC Leader
Year 12
On Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th of June Yr 12 students attended the HSC Booster Days out at UNE. These days provided excellent learning opportunities for our students to consolidate the work they have been doing at school and home. With a strong emphasis on hands on learning and covering aspects of the curriculum that are difficult to complete at school, our students benefited greatly from attending and had a lot of fun.
Over the past few weeks the annual Armidale Eisteddfod has been running and many Yr 12 students have been involved in this. Once again O’Connor has achieved some outstanding results and special mention must be made of the following Yr 12 students
Tarryn Ramage and Grace Heagney - 2nd place for their contemporary dance piece
Elsbeth Rathborne - 1st place musical theatre section 16-18 years
Ollie Ryder - 1st place with his trumpet solo
Lilly Baber - 1st place wind championship
Juaquin Fernandez - 2nd place in the guitar solo
Brooke McElroy - whose composition has made it as a finalist and she will perform it live at the presentation night.
On the sporting field many Yr 12 Boys represented the College at the Diocesan Soccer Gala Day. The Senior Boys team had a big win against McCarthy defeating them 7 - 1. They now progress to play the winners of the Lismore Diocese.
With some very cold weather upon us at the moment it is important that Yr 12 students continue to set a good example for other years in wearing the correct school uniform. I understand it is difficult to stay warm, but we expect all Yr 12 students to be in full Winter uniform every day. This means that students must be wearing blazers to and from school and if they are cold, additional layers of clothing under the school uniform. Also, Senior Jerseys are to only be worn on Fridays. Thanks for your assistance with this.
James Russell
Year 12 PAC