Wellbeing Partnerships and Safety

Featured in this article:

• The character strength of Perspective - A message from our College Captains 
• Wellbeing for Learning - Harmony Day 
• Wellbeing and belonging - A Year 7 Camp Reflection 
• Rite of Passage - Year 12 Jackets
• Student Engagement - Marist Basketball Teams are off to the Gold Coast
• Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support - Winter Uniform
• Resources curated for our College community - Raising Body Kind Teens

The character strength of Perspective - A message from our College Captains 

This week's College Assembly prepared and led by Sion House, amplified the character strength of Perspective - Sometimes a change of perspective  is all it takes to see the light. Our College Captains' Zizi Pozzebon and Bailey Rainford shared their reflections on the theme as well as celebrated student engagement and positive behaviours with the College Captains' Award. See below an excerpt from their Address. 

"Good morning everyone, I hope you are all well and feel a little excited as we near towards the end of the term.

With only a little over a week to go before the Easter holidays, Bailey and myself would like to remind you how amazing you all have been at getting through those long days, hot days and days where you just want to be in bed. The struggles of life can sometimes bring us down but it's important to remain having a positive outlook on life and changing our perspective whenever we start to get in a negative headspace. 

To define perspective, it means a way of thinking about and understanding something. Perspective is what helps us bright light into someone else’s view and  allows us to properly empathise with one another, or in other words put yourself in their shoes. I personally feel as though that to be an understanding person, is to be able to use that skill of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and acting as if you were them. Weirdly enough, this can be used in many scenarios, for example feeling excited for your mates because they are, or perhaps recognising the importance of a situation that your friend might be dealing with. I know Mr Mazzolini has told some funny stories where I think wow that would’ve been strange situation for me to be in. However – the idea is to be able to appropriately recognise and adapt to the situation because of your understanding of the what other people are viewing.

Perspective can also be changed through viewing a certain situation in our life in a different way. For me personally I was very stressed about an upcoming SAC and trying to balance everything else but with a changed thought process and the help from a favourite teacher of mine I was able to create a new perspective, helping me feel a lot more calm. A change of perspective has the power to help us feel better about any situation. 

Last week, a few of the captains, Zizi and I, went and visited Lavalla Catholic College in Traralgon, where we joined a seminar with Marist Brother Tony Leon. This gave us proficient skills in how to be a better student leader, and a better person in regard to perspective. This was a good lesson on communication because it helped us further build the skills to be the right person for those who we encounter that need someone to talk to. We would like to emphasize the idea that we are more than open to talking, to hear your creative ideas or unique conversations as it helps us connect with you more.

We would like to acknowledge those students who have actively been engaging in their studies and participating in school events. It is really nice to see those of you who go about your schooling whilst making it fun for yourself and others. For those of you who are completing or have completed Naplan, well done! And for the VCE students completing their first Sacs for year 11 and 12 we would like to encourage everyone to keep pushing throughout the year and wish everyone good luck!

To conclude our Address today, we will end with our College Captain’s Award who will be presented to Gregory Reidy and Brianna Lawlor. Gregory demonstrated excellence within our college by not only being a generous student, but going the extra step to go out of his way by assisting a teacher through carrying a trolley full of books down several stairs, which definitely doesn’t sound like a one person job. Brianna on the other hand has demonstrated excellence within class and has shown a high-standard of learning which we encourage her peers and students to take up. Can you please make your way up to the stage to receive your awards. 

That concludes us today, thankyou everybody!"

Wellbeing and belonging - A Year 7 Camp Reflection 

At our recent College Assembly, Oliver, Meg, Albert and Maddison shared with the College their reflections on their Year 7 Camp. They spoke in front of the entire student body with confidence and friendliness. An excerpt from their presentation is below…

"We are excited to share our experience at the Coonawarra Farm Resort with you all! This year's camp was an absolute blast, filled with exciting adventures and unforgettable memories.

First off, let's talk about hut building. Picture this: teams of students working together to construct shelters out of natural materials found around the resort. It was amazing to see everyone's creativity come to life as we built our own little hideaways in the great outdoors. We all had to get in the hut at the end and see how waterproof they were!! We learned valuable teamwork skills and felt a real sense of accomplishment when we finished our huts.

Next up, canoeing! We paddled along the serene lake, taking in the breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside. Canoeing was not only a fun activity but also a great way to connect with nature and appreciate the beauty of our environment. Now, let's talk about the flying fox and giant swing. These were definitely the highlights of the camp for many of us! The adrenaline rush as we soared through the air on the flying fox and the exhilaration of swinging high above the ground on the giant swing were absolutely thrilling. We conquered our fears and pushed ourselves to try new things, all while having an absolute blast!

And who can forget about raft building? Working in teams, we had to design and construct our own rafts using barrels, ropes, and planks of wood. It was a true test of our problem-solving skills and cooperation as we worked together to build sturdy rafts that could withstand the currents of the lake. And when it came time to put our rafts to the test, we had a hilarious and exciting time racing against each other on the water.

Overall, our time at Coonawarra Farm Resort was a fantastic experience. We made new friends, tried new things, and learned valuable lessons about teamwork, resilience, and the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone. Thank you to all the staff who helped to organise the Camp for us and to the House Captains, thank you for coming along and having fun with us and teaching us!"

Wellbeing for Learning - Harmony Day 

This Thursday 21 March is Harmony Day. Harmony Day is a day of respect and appreciation for everyone that calls Australia home.

Our next Wellbeing Session will focus on Harmony Week with an aim to reflect, educate, understand, accept and celebrate the beautiful diverse community we live in. Harmony day is held every year on 21 March which co-insides with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. 

Theme: Everyone Belongs

The continuing message of Harmony Day is ‘Everyone Belongs’ and the annual observance of this day aims to encourage inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural background.

Students and Staff are invited to wear a touch of orange on Thursday 21 March to show their support for an inclusive Australia and celebrate the diverse cultures that make our country so wonderful!

A Rite of Passage - Year 12 Jackets 

 Our Year 12 students were recently presented with their Year 12 Jackets in a short ceremony in the Marist-Sion Chapel. The Year 12 Jackets are a symbol of presence, responsibility and influence in our community. Thank you to our Student Leaders and volunteers for organising the Year 12 Jackets and to a special Year 7 student, Meg, who shared words of appreciation and encouragement for the Senior Students they look up to. We wish all Year 12 students the very best in their final year of secondary schooling!

Student Engagement - Marist Basketball Teams are off to the Gold Coast

Today's Assembly gives us the opportunity to bring back a tradition of presenting those students selected to represent our College at one of the Marist Carnivals, with their uniforms. 

On Sunday, our Marist-Sion College Basketball Team and staff will be flying to Trinity College on the Gold Coast to compete in the Marist Basketball Carnival 2024. 2024 is the first Basketball Carnival for Marist-Sion College since 2019. The teams will arrive at Tullamarine for the flight to the Gold Coast this Sunday morning travelling Beenleigh for Opening Mass.  Playing games every day through to finals day on Thursday, when we will return Melbourne. 

In this all Australian Basketball Competition, selected students will compete against other Marist schools from across Australia. Building Marist relationships with like-minded schools in a competitive basketball carnival. The Marist Sporting Carnivals foster a sense of belonging and family spirit and is a critical part our own College culture. As a way to expose students to the wider Marist community the concept of the Marist Sporting Carnival was developed and it now stretches back a number of decades. It allows students to see the Marist spirit and tradition as found all across Australia. The carnivals are played with the Marist Identity being upheld by all participants.

The carnivals allow for these students to develop and extend their emotional intelligence. Social skills, empathy, self-regulation, self-awareness and motivation all come into play throughout the carnivals- these are all personal and social capabilities which are essential for students to live, work, manage relationships and learn. The teams have trained at 7.30am in the mornings and after school in preparation for all of term 1. We would like to thank members of the PE staff who have assisted with scratch matches after school and supported the teams throughout term 1. 

We would like to acknowledge Mr Michael Maye who has coached since we began in 2010, Daniel Yamada who has taken on the role as girls coach, with support from Team Managers Michael O’Keeffe and April Bethune. 

Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support - Winter Uniform

In preparation for the colder weather in Terms 2 and 3, now is a timely reminder to please check Winter Uniform items in readiness.  

All students are required to be in full Winter Uniform from the first day of Term 2 and for all of Terms 2 and 3. This includes wearing the Blazer when travelling to and from the College. Year 12 students are permitted to wear their Year 12 Jacket to and from school, however, ALL Year 7-12 students are to wear the College Blazer to all formal and special events including Masses and College Assemblies. 

Please refer to your child's Student Planner pp.121-127 for the list of College Uniform and expectations. 

If you have any questions about your uniform, please contact your child's Tutor.

Resources curated for our College community 

Raising Body Kind Teens - Parent Webinar

With a focus on preventing body dissatisfaction and serious eating issues, this new session from Butterfly provides practical strategies to help parents better understand and support positive body image in the home. It encourages all members of the family to be Body Kind; kind in the way they move, nourish, nurture and speak about their own body and others.

DATE: Wednesday, 20 March

TIME: 7pm - 8.30pm (AEDT)

COST: $15

VIA ZOOM: Time limited recording available

Click here to Book

Mrs Janelle Burgees

Deputy Principal: Wellbeing Partnerships and Safety