During assembly this week, I shared a reminder about the rights and responsibilities we all have as members of our school community to create an environment that allows all students to learn. Whether this be in the classroom, science lab, art studio, or on an excursion.
I emphasised the three rights that all of us have:
The right to feel both physically and psychologically safe.
The right to respect and fair treatment.
The right to learn.
These rights and responsibilities sit in the same way as two sides of a coin; you can’t have one without the other, and we all have both in equal measure. Rules and protocols help us all protect and preserve these rights so that our learning environments are effective places to be.
I have had the pleasure of visiting some classrooms over the past few weeks and congratulating the students for demonstrating and supporting one another by creating positive learning environments for themselves and others. This has been particularly seen with our Senior students setting a positive example for our younger students.
As a celebration of the first few weeks of school, I also asked some Year 7 students to share a little about their first few weeks at College or in the Senior School. We were all blown away by their confidence and willingness to take a risk speaking to our entire Senior School in only their 4th week of Year 7! I am delighted to share with you what they said.
“My name is Erich and so far the experience of high school has been good. The first day was stressful, worrying about where every room is, if you are late or not, but now I have realised it really isn’t that bad. The teachers give you slack about being late and not having your books in the first week or two. And I leant the routine quick enough.
There have been so many fun events even in these first four weeks. The swimming carnival, the high ropes, the House Afternoon and ICESS is coming up. It has been very fun, and I hope it stays that way.”
“Hi! I’m Mae. I’m here to talk about my experience in Year 7 so far. Firstly, I wanted to say that Senior School is definitely a BIG jump from Junior School, but it’s fun. My experience so far has been very positive. One highlight has been meeting our buddies. I am fortunate enough to have two buddies, and they are both AMAZING.
Another highlight has definitely been the Year 7 High Ropes Day.
We had so much fun. There have also been plenty of classroom highlights. I’d like to name every teacher and every experience and talk about how nice all the staff have been, but sadly, I don’t have the time to do that, so I am just going to tell you about four that stood out to me. Firstly, Ms MacLeod’s class with Charles Duckens, the squishy duck and her AMAZING sticker collection. Secondly, Mr Guez’s hilarious jokes. It could be the middle of the class, and we’ll all crack up laughing at one of his many jokes. Thirdly, music class with the long test, listening to the same tune again and again, to see which instruments we liked. And lastly, drama class, where we got to dress up for our group scene. It was so much fun. I wore a pink frilly dress. I have also encountered challenges so far in Year 7, the hardest was swimming the 200-metre medley at the swimming carnival. I remember being so tired. There have been a lot of staff and students who have helped me adjust, and while I’d love to name them all, that would take up the rest of the assembly.”
“Hi, my name's Immy, and I think starting Year 7 has been a truly wonderful experience so far. Making new friends has been so much fun, and I've really enjoyed diving into new subjects, especially English.
One challenge I've already had to face is definitely time management, and, like many, remembering to do my homework.
It's been a little tricky to juggle everything and stay organised, but all the supportive teachers here have definitely helped me get through the past few weeks, making the transition much smoother and more manageable. I’m really looking forward to a great time this year, filled with learning and new experiences. Thank you.”
“Hello everyone, my name is Adelaide, and my initial experience at Senior School has been really great! I've made heaps of new friends, and although it was a bit tricky trying to carry what feels like HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of books around between every class, I have been managing it pretty well.
Some highlights include: Making new friends, exploring both sides of the Senior School, getting to know all the students and teachers, and, although not everyone enjoyed it, the swimming carnival. All these were really encouraging and enjoyable, and it was fun to be part of these positive experiences. Overall, the start of Year 7 has been fantastic, and I feel like it has been a wonderful beginning to the year. Thank you.”
My name is Mitchell, and I have found commencing Year 7 at The Hamilton and Alexandra College quite different from my previous years at school.
While it has been exciting to attend the high ropes day and to get to know lots of new and fun people, it has taken a while to adjust to changing classrooms in sequence with the timetable.
I think it will take a while longer to adjust to the tiring nature of an extra hour of travel and finding time for homework.
Adjusting to these differences has been made easier thanks to the kind and helpful teachers, the interesting subjects including French and Science, as well as the fun had within new friendships.”
“Hi my name is Arya, Year 7 has been amazing so far, all my classmates have been so kind and supportive. Some highlights so far have been French with Mr Guez, because he is so funny, English with Ms MacLeod, she is the best at explaining stuff to Drama, and us with Mrs Price. I love drama so much, I love performing and singing.
Someone who has helped me settle in has definitely been Mr Bell as my mentor. An experience that I have enjoyed and I'm sure many other people have enjoyed this as well I really liked meeting our buddies for the first time it was so cool to get to know some Year 12’s. I'm excited to take part in the school musical Chicago, and one last highlight is meeting a bunch of new people. It has been a great experience so far. Thank you.”
“Hi, my name is Archer , and so far, Year 7 has been quite an adventure. I have enjoyed the challenge of learning French, and Mr Guez's humour is an added bonus. Mrs James is already teaching us techniques to improve our drawing, and I am definitely getting better at Art. Learning which days to bring my blazer was a challenge that I resolved by leaving it in my locker.
Mr Bell is my mentor, and he has done a great job at helping us organise our books and timetable. Mr Bell also took us on the high ropes course last week. It was action-packed, complete with zip lines, obstacles and trees. A great way to start the term. We have great facilities at College, even between the hockey field, sports centre and basketball court, good ol' four square is often the first suggestion at recess and lunch. I already play the drums, and it is exciting to also have the opportunity to play the saxophone in music. In conclusion, my first four weeks at College have been a great start to secondary school. Thank you.”
Thank you to the families that have attended our Information Afternoons and Meet the Mentor sessions over the past few weeks. It has been wonderful for staff to connect with families and get to know students in their care. The home-school partnership is a vital one, and these opportunities set us up positively for a wonderful year ahead.
