Wellbeing - Middle School
Accept One Another, Just as Christ Accepted You – Romans 15:7
Last Friday 16 August, as written in last week’s edition of the Especean, the focus was on the National Week of Action Against Bullying. During PCL lessons students explored types of bullying, ways to prevent it, support networks that are available and how to foster appropriate friendships. Here are some reflections from our Middle School students below.
Alexander Bogoeski (5 Green)
During the Pastoral Care Lesson, I have learned a lot about the backstory of how bullying is caused. Also, the effects and how bullying is a chain reaction of events that happens to you, But, as a student at St Patrick's College I feel confident that my fellow peers have a respect for one another that would extinguish any sort of bullying behaviour. It is all of our responsibility to call out bullying behaviour, It’s not part of our DNA at St. Patrick’s College.
Oscar Celegon (6 White)
During our PCL last week, we learnt a very valuable lesson. The significance of bullying and the impact it has on one’s life. If you googled the definition of bullying, you’d find it says to ‘seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable)’. But you can’t just define bullying. For it to be considered bullying it must be determined by the person or group who’s being bullied. Bullying can have a short or long-lasting negative effect on somebody, whether it be small name calling every now and then or full-on physical injuries, it’s still bullying. It is important to care for the people who are being bullied because ‘hurt people, hurt people’. We learn the value, that as a school community we must stand up to bullying and take action against it.
Thomas Kevala (7 Crichton 1)
Belonging plays a huge role in creating a sense of community and preventing bullying, which is why it was very important and prominent in our recent PCL lesson on Friday. During this lesson we were able to discuss and learn about how belonging is an essential part of community. Also, working in partners, we were able to create our own hypothetical initiative for people such as the less fortunate, allowing us to really grasp what belonging is all about, bringing everyone together. Also, we learnt about how creating a sense of belonging for all prevents bullying and that; “Belonging is like a shield against bullying”.
Darius Latham (8 Hickey 2)
For the Week 4 PCL, it was an enjoyable PCL with many classroom activities such as the posters containing how you feel welcomed, and how you feel related to your community. There were also many questions on bullying and cyber-bullying that brought those issues up and were much more significant than I would ever think.
In my address at the Middle School assembly, I focused on the importance of belonging. Below is the important message that I addressed with students:
This week is National Week of Action Against Bullying and the theme is “Everybody belongs”.
Being human is complicated. Even if we came with a set of instructions, who would read them. This is a good thing. We are not robots. The only way to do ‘human’ is in our very own way. All of us, everyone on the entire globe, we are not perfect as people, and our lives are not perfect. That is the shared human experience. Our faith, however, teaches us that God created humanity to work together and be in harmony.
Take a moment to think about this - by the time you are 18 years old, you’ve spent over 15,000 hours of your life at school, which means you have probably spent more time with your peers than family. Belonging is our inside human desire to be part of something larger than us. Because true belonging only happens when we show our real, imperfect selves to the world. Belonging means we acknowledge that we are all different, but we always strive to find that one small thing that brings us together. So that’s my challenge, look around you and find that one small thing that brings you together. It could make all the difference.
Our brain operates through connections. Failure is not missing that penalty kick in the grand final or dropping the ball over the try line, or not doing as best as you can in your exam, failure is where we don’t find care, compassion and love in everyday life. You’re fortunate to have that all around you - your family, peers, teachers.
There is no stronger message than in our faith. Let’s hold the passage in the Bible strong and at the forefront as we move forward today. Romans Chapter 15: Verse 7- Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you.
As always, we look to foster positive, life-giving relationships here at the College centred on trust, care and compassion. We have unashamedly high expectations in this regard. Please reiterate this in your conversations with your sons.
Alexandros Sinadinos
Director of Middle School