Senior School

 Building Resilience in Our School Community: Why It Matters More Than Ever 

Article by Brandon Fuga - Year 11 Leader  

Resilience is our ability to bounce back from life’s challenges, whether that’s a tough exam, a falling out with a friend, or dealing with stress and change.

 Within our Senior School at Overnewton, we’re committed to helping students build the emotional strength and support networks they need to thrive.  Not just academically, but socially and emotionally too.  1 in 7 adolescents aged 4-17 years’ experience a mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression (Australian Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey, 2015). These challenges can make it harder for students to focus, feel confident, and cope with everyday stress.  As part of our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program, we explore the topic of building resilience during our pastoral care lessons 

Here are 3 ways students can build resilience: 

• Having strong friendships and positive peer support can make a big difference. According to researcher Michael Ungar (2005), students with supportive friends are 1.5 times more likely to show resilience. That means being kind and inclusive helps everyone feel stronger. 

• Physical activity is another key factor. The World Health Organization (2018) found that only 20% of teens are getting enough exercise. Regular movement helps reduce stress and boosts mood, which supports emotional resilience. 

• Sleep plays a role too. A huge 73% of high schoolers report not getting enough sleep (National Sleep Foundation, 2014). Lack of sleep can make us more emotional and less able to handle stress. 

What can schools do? 

There is ample evidence that well-designed, well-executed, and maintained school-based SEL programs have a positive influence on students' academic, behavioural, and socio-emotional outcomes. An extensive meta-analysis of SEL programs with more than 270,000 students showed that those who participated in the programs improved their academic performance by an 11% and showed increased positive social and emotional behaviours (Noble, T., & McGrath, H. 2018).  That’s why our school is focused on creating a safe, supportive environment where everyone feels they belong and where resilience is part of our pastoral lessons. 

Asking for help is a sign of strength, not a weakness. 

References 

Noble, T., & McGrath, H. (2018). Making It Real and Making It Last! Sustainability of Teacher Implementation of a Whole-School Resilience Programme. In Resilience in Education (pp. 289-312). Springer, Cham. 

Ungar, M. (2005). A thicker description of resilience. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work. 3, 89-96. 

Year 11 VCE VM Community Project - Picnic Table Renovation

Article by Laura Bonini - VCE VM Coordinator

This week, the year 11 VCE VM class have finished their community project.  For the past 6 weeks, the students have been working on bringing the picnic tables around the M block back to life.  Two students worked on each table during their Personal Development Classes (PDS).  The tables were built by parents many years ago and were showing a lot of wear and tear.  The Year 11 students repaired, sanded and repainted the frames and have applied merbau timber to the table top and seats.  The before and after shots of the tables show an impressive transformation.  We’d like to thank Josh McFarland, Rob Conte and Nathan Cutajar’s Numeracy Class for helping us complete the project and hope the college community will appreciate them for many more years to come. 

VCE VM Structured Workplace Learning (SWL)

Article by Laura Bonini - VCE VM Coordinator

During the exam block the VCE VM students completed 2 weeks of Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) in a variety of workplaces. The employers were impressed with the dedication and work ethic of our students, commenting on many of them arriving to work before their own staff have arrived. We would like to thank the local employers for providing our students with this invaluable opportunity and applaud our students for their maturity in the workplace. 

Each fortnight, the College Careers Team publishes a newsletter providing students and parents with the most up-to-date career information, events and opportunities.  

Please access via the following link.

Don’t Miss Out! We Will Rock You – NEXT WEEK

The College musical opens next week! Tickets can be purchased here!

This year the musical is being performed at the Bowery Theatre – just 11 minutes from the Yirramboi Campus 15 minutes from Canowindra Campus. 

Sessions:

Thursday 7 August, 7pm

Friday 8 August, 7pm

Saturday 9 August, 2.30pm (matinee)

Saturday 9 August, 7pm