Wellbeing News

And the winner is …… Congratulations to 11:3 and their homeroom teacher Miss Carlile for their incredible effort during the recent “2025 Push Up Challenge”. With a final tally of 13,320 this number represents the total amount of push ups, push outs, squats, sit ups or similar completed by the home room over the 20 days.

Whilst we celebrate and acknowledge 11:3’s achievement, as an entire year group the year 11 students completed 32,791 and raised $235 for headspace Griffith. This is certainly an amazing effort by everyone and I am especially grateful to the homeroom teachers for continuing to keep the students motivated and enthusiastic regarding the activity; a task itself which I am certain was very difficult on certain days…. particularly Mondays it seems. The next closest group was 11:4 with nearly 11,000 so you can appreciate the huge effort 11:3 put in, but also the commitment from the entire year group.

The students in year 11 have hopefully had fun, learnt some interesting facts regarding mental health but most importantly have had relevant conversations which ultimately pushes for better outcomes for mental health, particularly in our local regional area.

This was the final activity for the Wellbeing Team for this term and they have already started planning for activities throughout the remainder of the year. With a focus on social and emotional wellbeing the team will be creating a range of activities for students and staff to reduce stress and enhance the sense of belonging and value of each individual here at MCC.

As we head into the school holidays, I am excited to hear the plans that many of our staff and students have. Some are heading off on wild adventures, others are using the time to relax, reflect and rejuvenate so they can feel revitalised for the coming months. Many of the students are accessing additional tutorials and study groups in preparation for upcoming exams. Others, like me, will use the time wisely to declutter and remove any excess goods or items that are no longer needed, simplifying my life. Whatever people have planned I hope that a healthy work/ life balance is maintained as the time is a brilliant opportunity to practice selfcare not add to an already busy schedule or workload, enjoy nature where possible and be in the moment. 

I am particularly excited to hear the plans of some of our First Nations students as they prepare to take part in a local NAIDOC walk next week and flag raising ceremony, celebrating their culture and the contributions of past generations and the bright future of some local young people. The theme for 2025 is "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy", and all members of the local community, both indigenous and non-indigenous have had the opportunity to participate in banner workshops so that they can walk together as part of the cultural celebration, multiple generations walking together to achieve a common vision or closing the gap and full reconciliation.

We will be acknowledging and celebrating NAIDOC 2025 here at MCC on our return to school in the new term.

This term has been very busy but also very productive. Our games group continues to grow and it is a wonderful thing to watch as friendships are developed and students become more confident with others and their own abilities. Whilst UNO and electronic games were initially the games of choice, word games such as Scrabble and Upword are proving to now become popular. There is a full range of mindfulness activities and some students choose to use the time to enjoy the space to complete work. Our suggestion box has had some innovative suggestions and most recently we have included Jenga…. there is a range of activities to suit various needs but most importantly what we are providing is a space where we welcome everyone and everyone belongs. 

We are also very fortunate at MCC that many other members of staff volunteer their lunch breaks to supervise extra-curricular activities; focusing on students interests and strengths. These activities provide opportunities for increasing self-esteem, confidence and capacity building. From choir, music, chess club, debating, opportunities for volunteering and one activity that has proven extremely popular is the Minecraft Building Challenge. There are always opportunities to be part of MCC sporting teams and these announcements are updated on a regular basis. Next term we hope to include a few other options but this will be dependent on staff availability and genuine student interest.

If you or your child would like more information or would like support to access any of these activities, please reach out…. sometimes all that is needed is a bit of support to attend initially as we can all appreciate anything new can be daunting. 

Finally, I would like to wish everyone the best for the upcoming holiday period. For those who will be travelling please take care. 

“Winter is a time to nurture my inner light. I am grateful for the changes each season brings. I see winter as an opportunity to reflect and grow. The cold reminds me to seek warmth within myself”

Sue Hone 

(Student Wellbeing Support Worker)