Newsletter of The Riverina Anglican College

LEADERS OF WELLBEING REPORTS

All articles published week beginning  10 August 2020

Year 7

We are now almost halfway through Term 3 and the year seems to be flying by, the weather is getting colder and what is left of the junior football, netball, soccer, and other sports seasons is now in full swing. 

 

Unfortunately, due to the disrupted nature of 2020 many of the extra-curricular activities usually enjoyed by Year 7 students have not been able to go ahead: events such as the Currie Cup Australian Rules and other representative sports, gala days and Friday sports typically held off-campus. These are normally great ways for the students to release a bit of extra energy and stress. With that being said, the students have shown resilience and adapted exceedingly well.

 

As a consequence of last term’s online learning at home, it is perceivable that some students may have developed a habit of too much screen time. If this is the case in your house, below is a list of some monitoring software that some College parents have had some success with in the past. Most allow parents to schedule screen time, manage apps and websites. Laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices are all great resources for education but can also be big distractions. It is important that our students learn to regulate and use technology responsibly and appropriately early on. 

 

Our Pact - https://ourpact.com/

Kaspersky safe kids - www.kaspersky.com.au/safe-kids

Qustodio - www.qustodio.com

 

This week students have been asked to identify and complete a profile of someone that is a leader in their life. They have been encouraged to write a letter to their leader as an acknowledgement of their contribution; handing the letter to the leader next week. (We embody empathy, care and service).

Justin Buckley | Acting Leader of Wellbeing - Year 7 

Fox and Stanley House 

Lauren Kelly | Leader of Wellbeing - Year 7 

Browning and Sheppard House 

Year 8

Welcome to the Week 4 edition of our Year 8 report for Term 3. It has been an exciting time for our Year 8 students with the release of the 2021-22 Stage 5 Subject Selection Handbook. The process of choosing electives for Years 9 and 10 involves learning about new and different subjects, choosing them in order of preference through a Google Form, printing the form and getting it signed by a parent/guardian, then handing that signed form into Mr Anthony Heffer. There is an introductory video that was emailed from Mrs Helen Foster last Friday, which can also be found on the College website. The elective courses include: 

  • Agriculture
  • Child Studies
  • Commerce
  • Dance
  • Drama
  • Food Technology
  • French
  • Graphics
  • History (Elective)
  • Industrial Technology (Timber and Metal)
  • Information and Software Technology
  • Journalism
  • Music
  • Outdoor Education
  • Photographic and Digital Media
  • Physical Activity and Sports Studies
  • STEM
  • Textiles
  • Visual Arts

There is also a decision to be made about which stream of Mathematics should be studied, to suitably prepare for Years 11 and 12.

 

The main advice being given to the students is for them to own their own decision. 200 hours across two years is a significant amount of time to be sitting in a class that they don’t enjoy. Whilst it is great for you as the parent/guardian to provide assistance and advice (especially for those Year 8s who are struggling to make a decision), it is important that they are choosing subjects based on what they will enjoy (rather than based on what their friends are doing or what teachers may be teaching certain subjects). This is an excellent opportunity for them to try something new or expand on a certain interest area in a low pressure environment. Very few elective courses have influence on their senior studies. Some different speakers will be addressing Year 8 in our Wellbeing time in Week 4 to help outline some of the courses they are not yet familiar with (for example, Outdoor Education is a subject that they may not have much idea about). 

 

A reminder that the printed and signed form is due to Mr Anthony Heffer by Friday 21 August. Please ensure that the choices are completed in preference (as this will determine which/whether certain courses will be able to run). 

 

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences are a great opportunity for you to connect with your child’s teachers to discuss areas of strength and improvement going forward into Semester Two and beyond. This year Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences were rescheduled for Tuesday 11 August, via the Google Meet platform. If you were unable to make a booking and wish to confer with a particular teacher about your child’s progress, please get in touch with the College to organise an alternative time. 

 

As always, if you would like to discuss your child’s wellbeing and flourishing here at the College, please don’t hesitate in sending an e-mail or calling either Jennifer or Luke.

Luke Richardson | Leader of Wellbeing - Year 8

Jennifer Jenkins | Assistant Leader of Wellbeing - of Year 8

 

Year 9

Welcome to week 4. There has been the introduction of some new things at the College and the recommencement of some others. 

 

Zoom Parent/Teacher meetings are a first for us teachers here at The Riverina Anglican College. We are lucky to have the technology to be able to still conduct these interviews. If you were unable to attend the meetings, you are still able to contact your child’s teachers via email or phone to discuss any concerns.

 

A big congratulations to all of the players involved in the recent soccer competitions. Special mention to the girls, who made the final of the Shipard Shield. Unfortunately, they couldn’t take the Shield this year but we are sure they will be on the hunt for it again next year.

 

Good luck to the girls who are competing in the Open Touch competition. Again, this event will not allow spectators but we look forward to hearing their great results.

 

With the wet weather on Friday, Miss Mattingly did a great job providing alternative places for students to be and activities for them to do during sport. Year 9 adapted well and engaged with the games in the gym and received very positive feedback from all involved.

Emma Smith | Leader of Wellbeing - Year 9

Issac Mannion | Assistant Leader of Wellbeing -  Year 9

Year 10

Year 10 have had a busy fortnight and, hopefully, feel content with their academic subject selections. In our coming weeks in Year meetings we are focusing on students’ connections and relationships. Connectedness and relationships are not being explicitly taught but promoted through the opportunity to engage in games and challenges within small groups. 

 

Providing an emotionally and physically safe school environment helps students develop positive connections to peers and teachers, promotes their health and wellbeing and enables learning to occur. Such activities allow students to connect, not only with each other, but our Homeroom teachers. Our Homeroom teachers are a pivotal part of wellbeing at the College. Students meet with them each morning and have many fruitful interactions during the academic year. They will continue to follow students in their House Groups. 

 

Year 10 has continued to demonstrate leadership and camaraderie in the playground and during Friday afternoon sport. It is exciting to witness younger students modelling their behaviour and being guided by our Year 10 cohort as they enter their more senior years here at the College. 

Meegan Johnson | Leader of Wellbeing -  Year 10

Trevor Dawson | Assistant Leader of Wellbeing -  Year 10

Year 11

Leadership

During Week 1 Homeroom teachers spoke about the various qualities which leaders possess. These characteristics included caring, kind, genuine, confident, assertive, the ability to listen and the list goes on. It was excellent to see these traits in the students who nominated themselves for leadership roles.  I was so proud to be called the Year 11 Leader of Wellbeing and seeing the passion and commitment of the students. The students put forward confident, assertive and informative conversations and insights on their vision and leadership at the College. I was able to see great potential in the upcoming leadership team.

 

The students will go ahead and create Captain and House Captain speeches.  These will be delivered via a video platform which will be presented to students in Week 6 during Homerooms.  Students have been sent an email instructing them of the process which includes a booking with Mr Gareth Tyndall to assist with the video process.  I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the candidates the best of luck with the remaining process. 

 

Homeroom

This week we looked at the term ‘Frientimacy triangle’ the 3 requirements of a healthy friendship.

 Our world is getting "better" at connecting us and yet we're reporting feeling more disconnected than ever. The issue: loneliness. The solution: understanding the 3 actions that lead to belonging. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmJyWreER7A&list=FLrycHrUvIYPFNj4eguYPGeQ&index=87&app=desktop

Teachers will continue to discuss vulnerability and why it is so necessary in friendships to build trust and honesty.

Amall Liakatos | Leader of Wellbeing - Year 11

Kelly Bowen | Assistant Leader of Wellbeing - of Year 11

Year 12

I’ve been reminiscing lately. It was kick-started by getting the students to start documenting some of their memories from their time at TRAC, thinking about the little moments that stand out. Some significant and some seemingly insignificant. It has been partly a trip down memory lane but also a research activity for end of year speeches and such. I even started to look back through some of the early correspondence between students and myself, or parent/guardians and myself.

  • A Year 7 student two weeks into high school planning to give up football because the homework load was too high.
  • A parent thinking that $80 and a few donations to the Year 7 camp was a great price for a three day break from their emerging teenager!
  • The agonising over subject selections and the seemingly life-altering decisions to be made as independent Year 8s (multiple students).
  • Even last year a student’s on again, off again commitment to coming to Tathra as they continually mixed up the dates of their brother’s wedding being held overseas.

Looking at their Year 7 photos compared to now is also a surreal experience. And the comparisons between Year 7 camp and Tathra photos!

 

Trial exams have started well this week. As I said to the students last week - these are trials and should be treated as such - a chance to see what they can do, practice time management under exam conditions and figure out where they can improve between now and the HSC. Of course they are not the be all and end all - neither is the HSC - but it gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding. And then work on ways to get better.

 

Focusing on the formative (feedback) nature of the trials and not the summative (marks) aspect is an important step when getting the results back in the coming weeks.

 

Again, eating well, sleeping well and exercising regularly throughout the exam period is as important as any revision and study.

 

The post trial period will be used in a number of ways, which we’ll elaborate on in the next bulletin. This will include assessing feedback, organising College colours for those eligible, continuing with university applications and of course, making the most of time in class and out for the final month of secondary school.

 

Dane Fuller | Leader of Wellbeing - 12

Kim Kjaer | Assistant Leader of Wellbeing - 12