Secondary School

Excitement is mounting this week as we approach examination season for our students in Years Ten, Eleven, and Twelve.  I have been impressed with the way students are preparing for these upcoming assessments from focus in class to attendance at Academic Support sessions and interest in our Sunday Study Library group. Strategies from 'A Learner’s Toolkit' are being used extensively to support student’s revision and I hope you are seeing some of these at home.  

This week I have witnessed some beautiful brain dumps, some very flash flash cards and some huge mind maps.

School Captains Louis Cosh and Maddie Warren shared their reflections on their week in Boarding with the Secondary School on Monday in Assembly. 

Please see these student reflections below:

Louis Cosh

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and all last week’s events. I would firstly like to thank everyone who was involved in making Boarding Week happen. It was a week filled with many special activities, such as the Field Day,, to enjoy and a chance to discover a bit more about what it is like to be a boarder.

One thing I have noticed in all the boarders is how everyone chips in and is committed to having a shared life together. They share living spaces, take time to build connections with their supervisors, staff, and their friends. There is a strong sense of culture that comes with being a part of boarding. 

So, today I would like to give you all a recap of my time at boarding. The last time I spoke to all of you I had only spent my first night in boarding. I have now finished a whole week and I feel like part of the family already. Many things have also happened since then so I thought this would be a good time to share it all with you.

Such as, taking not one but two ice baths for the first time, helping fix/watch the bush mechanics performed on Daniel's flat tyre, I played many games of pool and table tennis in the afternoons, many of which I did not win. As well as participating in some pretty full-on yoga in the Zen den in Breaksea house.

Even with all the commotion that comes with living with your peers, I have been able to make many fun memories as well as have one of the most productive weeks this year. Overall, I had a great boarding experience and am grateful for being able to have this opportunity.

I would like to thank Mr Keatch, the supervisors, heads of boarding houses, chef Nick and his crew and everyone who was able to make this week happen. Boarding is a key part of our school, and I am glad we are all able to celebrate it in such a way.

Maddie Warren

As Louis mentioned, the theme of today’s assembly is commitment. I wanted to link commitment to the week I spent in boarding last week, and so I broke it down into the scales of commitment. 

The biggest type of commitment, the ‘one in a lifetime’ acts, are the ones that are easiest to see. They are so impressive. You are in awe of the person who did it and might wonder how they completed it. Some of my favourite examples of ‘once in a lifetime commitments’ that I’ve heard of recently are the two brothers, Stefan and Lachlan Lamble, running across Australia for cancer research, our team of Great Southern Shavers raising over $12,000 for the World’s Greatest Shave and listening to a friend’s story as she trains for a marathon.

Next are the big commitments, that everyone here would do a couple of times a year. It might be training for country week, preparing for a music exam, or taking shifts at work. They still take up a lot of time, and sometimes a lot of effort, and require lots of perseverance.

Then there are the everyday commitments, the little ones that you might not consciously recognise. I noticed lots of these while I spent last week at boarding. It could be filling in your reach, doing prep, or agreeing to do Liz’s yoga sessions after prep. I talked to another boarder about how organised and hardworking you have to be when you’re living away from home, and she summed it up like this:

“Everything takes commitment at boarding. You’re committed to looking after yourself because you are independent, and you’re committed to doing your part because you’re part of a big house with lots of other people.”

Thanks to everyone who dressed up and participated in the boarding week celebrations last week, and a big thanks to all the boarders and staff, especially Steve, Brianna, and Mr Keatch, for putting on such an amazing event on Wednesday.

World’s Greatest Shave – Lily Quick

On the Friday of Week Four, eleven brave Year Twelves and Mr Irving cut and shaved their heads for the World's Greatest Shave! 

A very big thank you to all of you for saying goodbye to your hair and thank you to everyone else for participating in fundraising to help support the families that are currently facing blood cancer. In total we have raised over $12,000. The cut hair will be sent to their respective organisations to be put to good use in both wig making and cleaning up oil spills in the ocean. 

Once again everyone, thank you.

Mrs Victoria Turnor | Head of Secondary School

This week, it is my solemn and heartfelt privilege to commend an initiative that Mary Witham, one of our Year Twelve leaders, has inspired. I hope you'll be curious and comforted as you read Mary's column below. 

Ms Sheryl Moncur | School Counsellor/Teacher 

Grief 

Our school as a community is looking to develop management techniques for members of our community living with grief for a loved one. Traditionally school is not a place to let your guard down and be honest with your emotions; we are looking to make the school a more welcoming place as in truth, grief does not shut off when you walk into school. 

We encourage affected families to be open to the support group for grieving students we are developing. The group will involve information regarding explanations for your emotions as well as coping techniques. This time will also be an opportunity to participate in any way and any amount. Further resources will soon be accessible at the school library, available to all students with or without discussion. 

Furthermore, creating a physical presence for support that afflicted students can access of their own accord has become a key element in this shift our community is taking.  

For now, I encourage students to pay visits to Ms Moncur’s welcoming office when they need personal time and space, as our staff want you to prioritise mental stability. 

Any advice or queries are wanted as we take future steps. 

Mary Witham | Year Twelve student

VACS 

Peer Tutoring  

On 22 May a group of Media students entered a very chaotic lively classroom of Year Twelves preparing for their peer support groups, each was busy talking to their friends about the period's worth of activities. Everyone was very pumped up and energetic. We saw a lot of bonds between students and their older peers.  Each person was learning more about the others through fun games which allowed everyone to feel connected and find people they enjoyed being around who they might not have usually spent time with. 

Overall, this VACS seemed very positive, and we could see some strong bonds forming.  

We interviewed one of the participants who was there to show support for his younger peers and meet new friends along the way. He said he had met a few kids and enjoyed spending time with them and learning more about each other. He found it surprising how much he had in common with some of these students. 

This VACS benefits our school by helping build connections between students and encourage learning.