From the Director of Students

Dear College Community,

As we head into the middle of Term 4 it is exciting to see and hear the many opportunities and discussions within the Year groups and Pastoral Care incentives.

On Friday of Week 3, I was lucky enough to wander around the College and take time to visit all the different programs running across the College. Students at St Gregory’s are very fortunate when it comes to quality care as teaching staff exhibit a real and genuine interest in student wellbeing.

Bullying Prevention 

This semester, all students were asked to complete a survey about Bullying. The survey is specifically designed to collate data that will help students, Year Leaders and staff to better understand or highlight areas of schooling, student life and interactions that may require critical reviewing and if necessary further attention.

The College is mindful that Bullying has no place in our school and with the data collected over a period of time, we hope to improve our Bullying prevention program further.

The survey was completed by students in Years 7-11 and the responses will help the College specifically detail the type of behaviours students are experiencing.

Some of the questions asked in the survey:

• Who do you talk to when you have bullying problems at school?
• What type of bullying have you witnessed?
• Am I a bully at school?
• Do you feel safe at school?
• If you catch the school bus, do you feel safe on the school bus?
• Where does Bullying occur?
• Where and how often does bullying occur?
• Think of the last time you saw or heard another student being bullied. What did you do?
• If you did not do anything the last time you saw someone being bullied, what was the reason?
• Have you ever reported Bullying to a staff member?
• Have you had any discussion about Bullying during Pastoral Care?
• If so, did the discussion help?

We will endeavour to use the data with the staff and students to improve resources to prevent bullying behaviours. The aim is to empower students to treat each other with respect and dignity while developing resilience and a strong sense of empathy towards others. The Survey will be resubmitted at the end of each term by students and will aim to seek out any improvements or new areas of concern that need to be addressed. 

Year 10 Pastoral Care Program

Year 10 have been very busy over this semester. Recently, Mrs Price the Year 10 Assistant Year Leader presented a wonderful workshop on Mental Health. Students viewed the AUSTRALIAN STORY documentary featuring Greg Inglis – Beating the Blues 2020. 

Introduced by Mal Meninga

‘Whether playing for the Storm, the Rabbitohs, Queensland or Australia, rugby league legend Greg Inglis was a force to be reckoned with. But off the field was a different story. For years Greg and those close to him struggled to make sense of his powerful mood swings.

He was prescribed a range of medication for depression and anxiety and self-medicated with alcohol, leading to two stints in rehabilitation clinics. It was only after the second of these that he received a correct diagnosis for his condition — Bipolar II.

As Inglis prepares to resume his career in the UK, he speaks with extraordinary candour about his mental health to ensure others with the same condition don’t suffer in silence.’

After viewing the documentary, students completed a workshop in small groups. The activities helped students ‘unpack’ the mental health dimensions of the documentary. 

Students were given cards with quotes and significant moments in Greg Inglis’ life including;

The career goals and support he received along the way, what helped him escape the dark moments, why routine was important, the help he received, finding balance and the final message. Students enjoyed the workshop and the feedback was very encouraging. I would like to thank Mrs Price, Mr Hogan and the Year 10 team for this initiative. 

God Bless,

Mr Bladino Vetrano 

Director of Students