Wellbeing 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Year 12 Graduation Mass and Farewell Assembly

As a College, we formally farewelled our Year 12 students with Graduation Mass on the evening of Thursday, 17 October and a Farewell Assembly the following morning.  It was fantastic to also be able to welcome approximately 180 parents to the Assembly.  Both events are a fitting tribute to the wonderful students the Year 12s have been throughout not only this year, but undoubtedly the hardest few years of their secondary school lives. They had to endure remote learning through Year 8 and Year 9, as well as limitations with events and activities that they would normally partake in, and in some instances be seen as a rite of passage during those years.  But to their credit, the students rose to the occasion, were rarely despondent or wallowed in self-pity.  Instead, they demonstrated maturity, resilience, independence, adaptability, an unwavering support of each other and a level of leadership this year that is going to be very hard to rival.  I have no doubt that the experience of their middle years will hold the students in good stead and allow them to handle any hurdles that come their way once beyond the Academy grounds.  They should be very proud of their approach.  Very best wishes to the Graduating Class of 2024 with their examinations and with whatever direction they decide to embark on in their adult life. As I reminded them in the Assembly, the Academy is ‘their’ school, they will forever be a part of this community, each of their names are in the College Register that is now 167 years old and they are always most welcome to walk back in through the Nicholson Street gates to see how ‘their’ school is travelling.

Calendar 2025

Next year we have the situation where Easter occurs on the last weekend of the Term 1 holidays.  This means the Easter Monday public holiday is on Monday, 21 April and then later that same week is ANZAC Day on Friday, 25 April - both falling in the first week of Term 2.  This means that the first week back in Term 2 is only 3 days.  As a result, a number of schools have flagged the idea of giving students (not staff) three weeks of holiday.  We have considered this idea as well and after input from members of the Parents' Association and staff, we will be proceeding with this model.  So, for your diary and planning please note the following:

Friday, 4 April – End of Term 1

Monday, 7 April – Friday, 18 April – Term 1 Holidays (for staff and students)

Monday, 21 April – Friday, 25 April – Term 1 Holidays (for students only)

Monday, 28 April – Term 2 commences

Please note that we are not increasing the number of days of holiday for staff as they will be working on Tuesday, 22 April – Thursday, 24 April.   We are planning to conduct our Staff Spirituality Day, as well as two days of Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences during this time which will result in fewer disruptions to the Learning and Teaching Program in Terms 1 & 2.

Managing Distractions

‘Reach Out’ is an excellent publication that provides many articles on the different issues that young people face in their journey through adolescence.  This month’s article provides a number of very useful tips on how young people can manage distractions, especially during a time when exams and final assessments are looming large.  I invite all parents to spend a few minutes reading the article and discussing some of the strategies with their daughters.  The article can be found here. 

Summer Uniform Changeover 

A reminder to all families that the changeover to Summer uniform was Monday 21 October. A number of students have been asked to extend the hem of their dresses or purchase new ones as they are too short. Parental assistance with this would be very much appreciated. Please note that scarves are not part of the Summer uniform.

Tuning in to Teens Program

The Tuning in to Teens™ program is a free six-session interactive online parenting program aimed at assisting parents and carers to understand and help their child as they navigate high school and adolescence.  

Tuning into Teens shows you how to help your teen develop emotional intelligence.  Adolescents with higher emotional intelligence: 

• are more resilient - this means change and stress are easier to deal with 

• are more aware, assertive and strong in situations of peer pressure 

• have greater success with making friends and are more able to manage conflict with peers 

• are more able to cope when upset or angry 

• have fewer mental health and substance abuse difficulties

• have more stable and satisfying relationships as adults 

• have greater career success - Emotional Intelligence may be a better predictor of academic and career success than IQ!

Where:     Online via video call (Zoom) 

When:      Tuesdays 11.00am – 1.00pm, from 29 October – 10 December (skipping                

                  Tuesday,  5 November – Melbourne Cup Day) 

Contact:  To express interest, email Candice and Maddy from Integrated Family Services 

                   on fsparentinggroups@berrystreet.org.au

Wellbeing Cycle 

Our Year 10 Wellbeing Leader, Ms Amelia Bongetti has put forward this article in regard to the Wellbeing Cycle.

In recent years, the conversation surrounding school attendance has gained significant traction among educators, parents and policymakers.  With the advent of remote learning and flexible schooling options, consistent attendance has never been more critical. 

Research consistently shows a strong correlation between school attendance and academic performance.  Students who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve higher grades and perform better on standardised tests.  According to a study conducted by the National Centre for Education Statistics, students with a 95% attendance rate are significantly more likely to graduate high school compared to their peers with lower attendance rates.

School is not just a place for academic learning.  Regular attendance allows students to build relationships with peers and teachers, fostering a sense of community and belonging.  These social skills are essential for personal development and future workplace success.  Consistent school attendance is closely tied to mental health and wellbeing.  Students who miss school frequently may experience feelings of isolation and anxiety, which can exacerbate existing mental health issues. 

As a way of combating student absence, the Wellbeing Leaders at the Academy have begun to employ the Attendance and Wellbeing Cycle. 

This model illustrates the emotional and behavioural notions children and young adults exhibit in the face of school-related stressors.  It is a cycle that teachers, parents and family members may be all too familiar with.  You may notice the connection between anxious thoughts and avoidant behaviour.  When a student is feeling stressed due to homework demands, friendship issues, generalised anxiety, or exam-related stress, it is common to see an increase in avoidant behaviours such as not wanting to come to school, avoiding a particular subject, or wanting to take a ‘mental health day’.  Whilst this avoidant behaviour may make the student feel better in the short term, it does not address the cause of their stress and can unfortunately perpetuate this cyclical response. 

If you are noticing some of these signs with your daughter, please encourage her to reach out to her Mentor Teacher, Wellbeing Leader, classroom teacher or school counsellor.  The community at the Academy is always dedicated to supporting the learning and wellbeing of our students. 

As always, please never hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns.

Mr Sam Di Camillo

Deputy Principal - Wellbeing

Facebook Buy Swap and Sell 

FromMs Camilla Dighton – Academy Parents’ Association

Dear Academy Families  

We would like to share with you a Facebook Group for families to post and sell second hand uniforms and books. 

This page has been running organically for some time but we have decided to formally share it for the benefit of everyone in the Academy community. 

It's a great platform to be utilised and it's been overseen by admin to ensure it's a safe space. 

Feel free to join the group https://www.facebook.com/groups/academybss

 and if you have any questions, the admin of the group can help you answer them.