Wellbeing - Middle School

What’s challenging your son’s?

Being a young person in this age isn’t really easy. It is hard, harder than we all can imagine. It can be confusing and frustrating. It’s a period of life in which your sons have to deal and cope with the most changes in their lives. Boys’ behaviour is often a form of communication – seeking connection or in response to stress.  

So, I encourage you to sit down with your sons and ask them:

What ARE your most challenging experiences CURRENTLY? 

Are you:

• Uninspired and feeling a lack of motivation at the moment with school?
• Having difficulty processing some information/work in class?
• Getting nervous and anxious when preparing for assignments/ assessments/exams?
• Struggling with confidence and self-esteem?
• Not knowing how to ask for help when they need it?
• Not being able to deal with the stress when it pops up?

All these feelings and experiences are OKAY. What isn’t OKAY is if they let them continue to spiral out of control.

If I can take a moment to reflect on one of the greatest ever sports athletes in the recent generation - Michael Phelps. He’s one of the most decorated Olympians in history with 28 medals, 23 of them gold. But what many people may not know is that he has struggled with anxiety throughout his life. He frequently used his experiences as an opportunity to open up about how he coped with his anxiety during his competitive swimming career. He would visualise himself conquering his fears and would set achievable goals for himself. This not only helped him manage his emotions but also helped him maintain focus on achieving victory in the pool.

Phelps’s journey shows us that it’s possible to turn our struggles into something positive and inspiring. It also highlights the importance of seeking help when facing our health issues, regardless of our background or achievements.

We have strong support networks in place here at the College. It begins with your son’s homeroom teacher, and then the Year Coordinator, and of course, their class teachers. All these people play a pivotal role in fostering wellbeing and with every opportunity I get to speak to students, I reiterate this notion.

My message to the Middle School students is clear: they will succeed here at school if their wellbeing is strong. So I encourage you, with them, to reflect on these above challenges. That way, we can work in partnership and set goals to see improved outcomes in all aspects of school life.

Alexandros Sinadinos

Director of Middle School