Professional Culture and Growth

Professional Learning and Development 

On Monday 15 July, Marist-Sion College staff gathered in the hall to engage with teacher, leader, and wellbeing specialist Meg Durham from Open Mind Education. Meg specialises in wellbeing for those working in educational settings and took us through her Thrive by Design framework which will support our staff to thrive in themselves and their work as we progress through these challenging and cold winter days. 

Her workshop is not only designed for adults, but some excellent strategies were shared to help your child with their own wellbeing, especially if they are feeling the pressures of VCE. Some easy things you can do at home to help support your child’s wellbeing are:

• Sleep – are they getting enough sleep, and is it quality sleep?
• Move – daily exercise can benefit the mind greatly
• Nourish – what they eat can play a big role in their wellbeing
• Rest – not sleeping, but doing something that brings them joy
• Connect – social connections with family and friends are so important 

Meg also talked about what drains and what charges up our batteries – another great way you can check in with your child – and as teachers, we can gauge where our students are at with their battery before engaging with their learning. Learning how to manage our own energy levels can have significant impact on our wellbeing and our ability to function during the day, and understanding and acknowledging others energy levels also plays a vital role.

The afternoon session involved six workshop options for staff to choose from, run expertly by our colleagues. The workshop offerings were:

1. Spirituality and Wellbeing – Finding Meaning through Relationships – Lisa Harkin
   Our Marist and Sionian spiritualities are characterised by a search for God and meaning in our lives, in our relationships with each other, with creation, and the desire to share the Gospel message of Jesus. This session provided time for stillness and contemplation as we read and responded to a short Scripture passage. We used a method called Lectio Divina; a slow, rhythmic reading and praying of a Scripture passage that encourages listening with the heart.
    
2. Fitness devices and Wellbeing – Dan Nisbet 
   We learned how to utilise our fitness app/smart watches to track different systems in the body that tell us how our wellbeing is tracking and how to best use this data to support wellbeing each day. 
    
3. Nutrition and Wellbeing – Hannah Smith 
   This session focused on how eating more of certain foods can significantly boost your overall wellbeing. We discovered practical, evidence based dietary tips that can enhance energy, mood, and health. 
    
4. The Power of Reflection and Positivity – Georgie Erpisimidis
   We learned that wellbeing strategies don't need to be onerous or time consuming, and how to use some simple tools of reflection and re-framing of our thoughts and questions to support our wellbeing in the workplace and at home.
    
5. Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) – Sharryn Marshall  
   This wellbeing workshop utilised personal experience as well as professional knowledge of ourselves and roles within our College community. We learned to embrace opportunities to expand upon our sense of selves and to reflect, think and enhance thought processes. 
    
6. Igniting Your Passion for Work – Nikki Davies  
   Work can be a battery drainer and many times all consuming. This workshop provided some strategies and tools to support us in those times where work can feel draining, mundane or all consuming. 

It was a wonderful day to gain a better understanding of wellbeing and to connect with colleagues to commence what is sure to be a busy term!

Have your contact details or family circumstances changed?

If you have had any changes to your contact details or had family circumstances change it is important to contact the college to update your details. This also includes any changes to other family members or friends you have listed as a contact for your child. Ensuring your details are up to date means that we can make contact when needed. Please call or email College Reception to update your details. 

Staffing Changes for Term 3

We welcome the following new staff to Marist-Sion College:

• Mrs Emily Burrows – Head of House, Sion
• Mr Paul Zepackic – Teacher MEEP and English

I am pleased to say we are fully staffed for all classes. Whilst we have had to prioritise some classes over others, it is pleasing to see we are continuing to recruit excellent educators at this stage of the year.

Position of Leadership (POL) 2025 

This week we commence our POL interviews for Director roles in the College and subsequently all other leadership positions for 2025 in the coming weeks. After a 5-month review and consultation period, we are excited to interview and appoint exceptional leaders at Marist-Sion College who are aligned with our values, mission and vision and will continue to foster a culture of learning and excellence within our College community. 

Georgie Erpisimidis

Deputy Principal – Professional Culture and Growth