Pastoral Academic Care
Pastoral Academic Care (PAC) Focus
This week’s Pastoral Academic Care focus is Sharing Good News
Wellbeing Element: RELATIONSHIPS + EMPATHY
Character Strength: CREATIVITY
Wellbeing Reality Activities: SHARING GOOD NEWS
Parent Wellbeing:
Failing well, accepting that mistakes are part of life, forgiving yourself for making them and seeking feedback to learn new approaches to correct them are valuable skills to develop. Describe a time you have done these to succeed.
Respectful relationships are underpinned by participating in open and trusting face to face conversations with others. This involves listening intently and enthusiastically to others tell you their story, without interrupting. Welcoming body language with eye contact, open posture, interested and positive facial expressions, an inquiring tone of voice and nodding with points raised, all contribute to being there for others. Do you know when others are genuinely interested in your story? To develop students’ self-awareness of how to show empathy and build respectful relationships, they need to be provided with numerous opportunities to practise using active constructive responding in their face to face conversations with others. Simply asking another person to tell you more about a story they are sharing with fills both of you with uplifting spirals of positive emotions, which benefit your and their wellbeing. Another important aspect to emphasise with students is to aim to say five positives for every negative when having a conversation.
Other ways of listening and responding which don’t build respectful relationships include:
• passive constructive: listening quietly, without any interest or enthusiasm.
• passive destructive: showing disregard to learn about their story.
• active destructive: dismissing their story with disrespectful body language and changing the subject. (Acknowledgement: Gable, Gonzaga & Strachman)
Year 7
Mrs Kath Czinner
Our Year 7 group have coped well the continual changes that are occurring around us. The postponement and cancellation of major events such as the school camp, Mary Poppins concert and all the sporting events are indeed very disappointing to us all. Each student has taken this in their stride showing great resilience.
As school takes a new look with online learning, we are met with new challenges. By providing a settled routine at home and keeping in contact with our teachers, we will work together to provide balance. It is important to keep open the lines of communication and check ‘Compass’ and student emails regularly to keep up to date with school work and daily notices. Please keep in contact with your teachers and friends.
I encourage everyone to use this quiet time to ponder on what is special in our life, show gratitude for what we have and do what you can to help others in need.
Year 8
Mrs Katie Biddle
With the current world events it can be easy to get caught up in worry and panic. I am encouraging all of year 8 to focus on the things that they can still enjoy.
Congratulations especially to the students involved in the Mary Poppins production. You have shown resilience and courage and need to be congratulated on your attitude towards the necessity of the show being cancelled.
Students are working hard in class towards achieving their learning goals. Commendation awards go to Manon Perrin, Heather Bassett and Charlotte Jones.
A reminder that ALL year 8 students require a book and a folder for their literacy class. Thanks for your support with this.
I encourage all students and families to look out for each other and yourselves. Please let your child’s pastoral teacher (or myself) know if you or your child requires additional support. We are more than happy to help out in any way that we can.
Year 9
Mr Lloyd Honnery
I want to begin by acknowledging all the Year 9 students who were involved in the Mary Poppins musical. Your hard work over the last two terms has not gone unnoticed and the musical will be back bigger and better in the future. The time you spent working was a huge success even if you learned just one thing.
Unfortunately due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we have had to postpone the Year 9 camp. I am working with the venue to organise a date later in the year. Your payments can be carried over to the camp or used for other payments at the school.
In these uncertain times, it is important to continue with our education, even if it may be from home. For all Year 8 Students and Parents/Carers, Compass https://oconnor-nsw.compass.education will be the main form of communication. For students without internet access, learning packages will have been supplied to you. For the rest of you, Google Classroom will be used to post lessons which will need to be completed. If you have any questions around home learning please email me.
From the Year 9 PAC team - I hope everyone stays safe and remembers to look out for each other.
Year 10
Mr Peter McLeish
It has been a difficult couple of weeks for our students generally. Some behaviours have been a little bit fractious and this is understandable given what is happening in the world at the moment. I would personally like to congratulate our students for the way they are coping, endeavouring to maintain a strong focus on learning and allowing their faith to guide them through these uncertain times. I would also like to thank my team for their professionalism, their caring attitudes, their assistance and support. It is a pleasure to work with them.
Ninety five percent of Year 10 students have adopted our overriding theme of RESPECT without any problem. However, there are a few students who are requiring constant reminders of what respect looks and sounds like when dealing with others. Be assured our team is working to rectify this situation.
Our team is also having conversations with those students who find the habit of punctuality a difficult concept to grasp. We will be talking about how to identify and remove the blocks that prevent being on time. This is an important ‘life lesson’ and must be embraced to ensure future success in the workforce.
Lots of Commendation Certificates this week but unfortunately no photos as year assemblies have been banned for a while. The deserving recipients were Imogen, Mia, Willem, James R, Vanessa, Breanna, Jean, Emerson, Tom, Brydie, Maggie, Georgia R, Hayden, Angus, Kaitlyn, Joshua U, Sam F, Bridie, Grace, Blake Mc and Daniel. Apologies if I missed anyone.
As renowned author Henry James once said “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.”
Stay safe and be kind folks.
Peter McLeish (on behalf of the Year 10 PAC team)
Year 11
Mr Mark Fulloon
I would like to acknowledge the pressure this unforeseen series of events has placed on Year 11 and their work currently. Be rest assured that teachers are prepared with lessons being loaded onto compass and students can contact their teachers if they have questions. My hope is that all Year 11 students are able to stay positive and use their time to continue with their academic pursuits and submit work as required for their stage 6 course. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all teachers of Year 11 for their hard work keeping students up to date with their work and hope that all Year 11 students and their families are staying safe in these uncertain times. Remember to stay in touch with each other and to be a friend when it is needed.
Year 12
Mrs Vicki Channon
We can be very proud of our young adults in the manner in which they are handling the current situation. We have witnessed kindness and understanding amongst the cohort and this has been extended to our younger year groups. This is a time when leadership and role modelling comes to the fore. Notes of positivity and strength have been circulated by the Year 12 students and I do encourage everyone to stay positive and strong throughout these difficult times.
As Ms Menz has mentioned many times, please seek assistance if you are in any way stressed or anxious about your school work. We are being updated constantly as to the guidelines in regards to the HSC. Please keep informed by reading the information Ms Menz posts on compass. NESA also has information that is very helpful at this time.
We will get through this together, even though it might look a little bit different to what we had in mind. Please stay strong and positive, be kind and seek help from any of your PAC teachers, mentors, subject teachers, or me.
Isaiah 43:2. "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you."
Vicki Channon (on behalf of the Year 12 PAC team)