From the Principal

Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful Maker’s Market on Friday. We appreciate the generosity of those who donated or produced items and those who contributed to the setup and running of the event. I want to recognise the efforts of the organising team, led by Mr Martin Prins. They invested many hours into planning the event and coordinating various elements.

While we aimed to raise funds to support the purchase of new technology equipment that will benefit students across the College, we wanted to continue to build a sense of community and connection. That is why it was so encouraging to see many families in attendance, despite the wet weather. It was a blessing that the rain was minimal through much of the evening.

I also offer my congratulations to our Primary and Secondary chess teams who competed at the State event this week. Our primary team placed 4th overall and our secondary team came in 12th. Jethro Sih of Year 6 achieved an outstanding second place overall in the primary competition.

Resilient

How does your child respond to an uncomfortable situation? Are they typically one who steps forward and takes the challenge head on? Are they one who will shy away, make excuses or tantrum? Does their response differ depending on the nature of the challenge and the specific context?

I have recently been reading Resilient by psychologist, John Eldredge. Written soon after the pandemic, Eldredge reflects on the apparent dip in resilience demonstrated by many, adults and children alike. He believed he was witnessing a decrease in people’s capacity to cope with challenge.

Eldredge recognises that many people can overcome enormous challenges when they need to, but this can have an impact later, once the intensity of the moment passes. He also considers the capacity to deal with frustrations and discomfort has been weakened by having so much at our fingertips. Eldredge argues, ‘when you grow up in a world where everything is done with a few clicks on your phone, it doesn’t exactly develop resilience.’

An article from the Harvard Center for the Developing Child explained resilience in children in terms of scales. Negative factors are on one side of the scale. One I have seen in many children and young people, especially in gifted and high potential young people, is fear of failure. We can help to ‘tip the scales’ in a positive direction through warm and supportive relationships, building self-efficacy through experiences of successfully undertaking challenges and supporting emotional self-regulation. The article also argues that the cultural climate, one that has an undercurrent of faith and hope, contributes to a young person’s level of resilience.

Many students at the College tell me they feel supported by their teachers and by each other. They tell me that they know their teachers want the best for them and that means not letting them off when things can be difficult. This is part of how we are trying to help tip the scales in a positive direction.

Returning to Eldredge’s book, his main focus is to remind the Christian audience he is writing for to lean into our relationship with God, to remember that we can find strength and confidence in Him. Recognising how dearly we are loved can help us to navigate challenges and so build our capacity to manage challenge. This can be the cultural climate in a Christian school, that fosters hope and faith. The bible story helps young people to recognise that the world is imperfect. But God is always there, loving each of us and working for our good.

Isaiah 40: 30-31

30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Jodie Bennett

Principal