Middle Years 

It is good to have clarity around students returning to class in Term 4. We are looking forward to students resuming normal schooling, with COVID protocols in place.

Wellbeing themes for the last week of term.

“It’s not Holidays yet”

Students still need to focus for the next week, and I encourage everyone to finish the term off strongly. I hope you can look back with pride in your persistence and achievement. In talking to many parents, I have heard wonderful stories of students working independently and making the most of this situation. 

Accepting Changes

Teenagers are very adaptable; I have seen this during my trips to China with Year 9 students. “Change never seems natural, and we naturally repel it, and have the urge to retreat to the familiar things in our lives. If we embrace change, it is easier to accept. Your attitude toward life is affected by your ability to embrace change. Embrace change with a calm and relaxed mind. Know where you are going and what you are setting out to accomplish. The clearer you picture these changes, the more motivated you will be. Frequent changes make you flexible and allows you to easily adapt to new situations, new environments, and new people. As a result, you do not freak out when something unexpectedly shifts. You grow and learn new things every time something changes”. 

Choose Your Mindset

Being at home and being at school establish quite separate mindsets as the location and setting very much impact our mood and readiness to learn. A positive and constructive mindset is important. For the last week of term, consider your mindset and choose a ‘can-do’ approach to your studies. 

Stepping Up

The definition of stepping up is to improve one’s performance and take responsibility especially at critical times. Parents have indicated that students have stepped up in many ways, including taking responsibility for their learning from home. Stepping up shows character and resilience. My message to students is you need to act and step outside your comfort zone. Some stress, pressure and anxiety are okay, and you need to develop tools and strategies to deal with them. 

Let us finish the term well, let us engage enthusiastically. 

Mrs Julia Winter Cook

Head of Middle Years