Year 10 Pastoral Guardian
This year was like no other and the unlikely adventures that unfolded called us to be more compassionate with our words, simple in our daily lives, and to care whole-heartedly for ourselves and our community. The Year 10 cohort can look back on the year with pride in the way they united to support and care for one another. Year 10s have been nothing less than incredible, from creating initiatives to enhance community connectedness, to raising awareness of a variety of charities, and then to embracing all school events with spirit and energy. As their Clare School Pastoral Guardian for the past two years, I admire the generosity and love they have for our college, on top of their personal desire to become better versions of themselves. The words wisdom and bravery have been instrumental in all conversations this year. Wisdom is the ability to use the knowledge and experience gained from oneself or another to make good decisions in the future. While COVID takes the limelight for 2020, it has provided the Year 10 cohort with valuable wisdom that they will carry into their senior years. Bravery is the key to applying the wisdom. Wisdom is implemented when one acts with courage and humility, to overcome challenges and to embrace new opportunities. It is my hope that all Year 10 students will go forth with wisdom and bravery, knowing they are equipped with everything they need to fulfill their journeys, that will be unique and amazing.
As this is the last Parent Corner for this year, I sincerely thank the parents and guardians for all your support. Uniting with a parent/guardian to support the individual through challenges, disappointment, and uncertainty is a very powerful entity. The connection between the parent, student, and school is ever so important through the adolescent years, and I encourage you to continue to be present and actively involved in your child’s life – they need you more than they will ever let you know. You should be very proud of how they are navigating their way through adolescence, demonstrating credible traits of maturity, resilience, and perseverance. Take confidence that your child is ready for senior school at Mount Alvernia; the students are well prepared and will continue to be supported and cared for. It is on that note I warmly welcome Mrs Karen Farrow as their Year 11 and 12 (Elizabeth Hayes School) Pastoral Guardian, who will guide them with wisdom and love.
I wish you a safe and joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Tamara Richardson
Tyler Mitchell, Eliana Ranalli, and Jemima Bishop share their most recent experiences from the Year 10 Leadership Day with Michael Fitzpatrick and the Breaking Free Program with James Petersen.
During Terms 3 and 4, as a cohort we have been given two introspective speeches that were a major call to action. The speaker was James Petersen from Breaking Free, an organisation that focuses on making sure everybody can live their life to the fullest through making daily choices and good habits. I know that. through James’s advice, I have made sure to have at least fifteen minutes of exercise every day, to make sure I have at least eight hours of sleep each night, that I take in enough sunlight, and overall take care of myself each and every day. It is important that we prioritise people in our lives and always put our mental health first. James's personal story was confronting and inspiring- it really struck a chord in almost everyone in the year level. James delivered his simple yet powerful message in a unique and engaging way - we need to keep moving forward, be kind to ourselves, and take responsibility for our daily choices and habits. (For more information visit www.breakingfree.org.au/)
Tyler Mitchell
On Monday 9 November, Year 10 attended a Leadership Day, where we participated in a range of activities, met new people, and learnt more about ourselves and others. During the day we identified the values and characteristics that we want to demonstrate as a cohort and the legacy we want to leave when we complete Year 12. We were encouraged to go out of our comfort zone by talking to people we normally wouldn’t, and standing up in front of the year level to talk. An activity that I found beneficial was having everyone cover their eyes and, one by one, each student would go up to another student to say sorry for past actions or to provide encouragement and support. This was an opportunity that we all embraced, to be understanding of one another’s feelings and offer support. I feel our cohort really needed a day like this. We feel more united and understanding and accepting of each other. It helped us to become more open minded and nonjudgmental towards other people and to offer support to those to whom we don’t normally talk. I think this is such an important thing to do as it helps our year level to be more focused as we move into Years 11 and 12. We are continuing to create friendships, where everyone can feel more welcomed and not alone in our wonderful Mount Alvernia family.
Eliana Ranalli
I have learnt so much from the amazing experiences Mount Alvernia has provided for the Year 10 cohort. In Term 3, we had James Petersen from Breaking Free come to help strengthen our understanding of what we can do to support our mental and physical health. Personally, what I took out of that presentation was to "prioritise people and social interaction". We can be so caught up in our studies and forget completely to prioritise social interaction. Although our most important job at this stage is to fulfil the duties of a student, which is to study for exams and assignments, socialising will always be more important. There are stages of my life where I have struggled to find friends and I have recognised that you're not going to remember the result you received for English in Year 8 but, rather, you will remember the fun time you had with your friends.
The Year 10 Leadership day at the Little Flower Church Hall re-enforced the importance of recognising our cohort as 'one'. We are all humans, on a journey through high school together, each bringing different qualities, values, and experiences. It is vital to embrace, respect, and treasure each person equally and, most importantly, without judgment.
The opportunities in which I have been involved this year have shaped me to be a student who is happy, determined, and motivated to be successful. I'm excited to be moving into Year 11.
Jemima Bishop
Conversation Starters
- Which daily habit are you going to practise now after listening to James from Breaking Free?
- What was the most important thing that came out of the Leadership Day for the cohort? What role do you have in this?
- Tell me about one person you met on the Leadership Day.