Pastoral Academic Care (PAC)
This fortnight we hear from Year 8 and Year 12 PAC Leaders of Learning.
Pastoral Academic Care (PAC) Focus - Embrace JOMO (Joy of Missing Out)
Well Being Element - Relationships + Empathy
Character Strength - Love of Learning
Parent Wellbeing: Parent Wellbeing: To become the person who you want to become and be there for other people reflect on: Reliability – can people depend on you? Openness – can people expect you to deliver both good and bad news? Competence – can people depend on what you produce? Compassion – do people feel you treat them with consideration and respect? What are you doing well? Acknowledgement: Aneil Mishra and Karen Mishra
Year 8
Ms Natalie Mellowship (on behalf of the Year 8 PAC team)
Reporting
It has been great to see our Year 8 students focussing on their academic pursuits and working towards achieving success (whatever that might look like for each individual). Teachers have been busy writing academic reports and these reports will provide information to parents and carers on how their student has progressed over the course of Semester 1. In light of the reports, students should still remain focussed and motivated to work to the best of their abilities, both in class and with the additional extra-curricular activities they have the opportunity to participate in.
Around School
Year 8s have been taking their acting skills to the next level in Religious Education recently. Students in 8PAC1 have been working on staging a film about martyrs and in particular, focussed on Margeret Clitherow. She was an English Saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, known as “The Pearl of York”. Margeret Clitherow was pressed to death for refusing to enter a plea to the charge of harbouring Catholic priests. Here we have Mitch Davies, Eamon Yeates and Sajak Timalsena reenacting a scene from Margeret Clitherow’s death.
Students have been enjoying staying fit and active, and have been relishing the many opportunities that their PDHPE practical lessons have to offer. Sometimes we all just need a brain break, and that’s exactly what we have done in 8PAC2’s lessons. Here we have students in 8PAC2 enjoying some quality time outside with their peers playing Handball.
Real Talk
Real Talk is an organisation that is based on Christian values and provides students with presentations designed to enable young people to understand their true value, worth and dignity. Year 8 students have been fortunate enough to be a part of the Real Talk presentations here at school over the past couple of weeks. The male students were able to focus on a program called “Stronger” which encourages and challenges students to work on themselves and their relationships by making good, and at times, hard decisions. The female students worked on a program called “Brave and Beautiful” which affirms the idea of strength, character and the beauty of every female, exposing the false portrayal of beauty in today’s world and the pressure to conform to society’s standards.
Catholic Principles and Values
Recently, the Year 8 PAC Team met and we acknowledged how the above quote resonates with our own educational philosophies. Linking with the Catholic Principle and Value of Solidarity and Fraternity, we discussed how the idea of community is more than just the immediate and that connection with our students is extremely important. Having strong ties with a community can help provide us with happiness, security, support and a sense of purpose. We thank our Year 8 families for their continued support of O’Connor Catholic College to provide our students with the best possible opportunities and outcomes.
Year 12
Mrs Vicki Channon
The students are nearing the end of their long, and at times, stressful period of assessments. Week 9 is a big week for many students in completing the last of these. The next assessment period is the Trial HSC exams which will be held Week 5 and 6 of Term 3.
Holidays are fast approaching and it would be wonderful for the students to have a plan of attack for this important break as they move towards the finish line. It is important that students take some time for themselves, rest, and recuperate. Enjoy some time with friends and family. The second week is a perfect opportunity to re-engage with the learning and focus on the HSC. Making a study plan is very beneficial in keeping one on track and ticking all the boxes. Making summary notes, refining these and working towards completing past papers, small sections, then larger chunks in a timed setting are all useful things to do. Working with peers is also a fabulous way to study and test each other.
There will be study/holiday workshops in Week 2 of the break here at school. I strongly suggest you take advantage of these as it is a solid amount of time that is dedicated to the subject material. A timetable of these workshops will be distributed to you very soon to allow for planning.
YEAR 12 PAC FUN: Starting the day laughing and moving, a great way to prepare for learning.