Middle Years
Persist
Well, term 3 is over and everyone in the Koonung community gets a chance to reset, relax and refocus for the last term of the year. It would be an understatement to say that this term has had its challenges for all concerned. I say for all, because at times it is worth it to stop for a while and look around and to think about how life has been for others. Your brother, sister, classmate, friend, teacher, the police officer, the nurse working nightshift in ICU and the person at the checkout. Every person has dealt with the ups and downs of this pandemic and having awareness of this is a great step to understanding others and from this, yourself.
I want to thank all the students from Years 7-9 who have given their best for the term. Some have not had an easy path but have managed to find a way and for that, we your teachers, want to say thank you. If you have missed a few more Zooms than perhaps you thought you would, well I would say reflect on this briefly but leave it behind. Today is a new day and another chance to do your best. A chance to learn from yesterday but focus on what you can do today and to not let yesterday define you. Be positive and persist. Below is one of my favourite quotes and is not only very important to get through lockdown, but will underpin success for many throughout life:
The Power of Persistence Calvin Coolidge - “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
Take care of yourself and those close to you and enjoy the break. And remember when tough times come, as they do for all people, persist.
All the best
Stuart Kofoed
Director of Learning - Middle School
Stuart.Kofoed@education.vic.gov.au
“Walking out of Lockdown”
The last week of term is a welcome sight for many who are suffering a little Zoom fatigue and been busy with assessments. The middle school captains have been thinking up ways to combat these stressors by doing something proactive and fun that will bring the Year 7 cohort together. So, together with 3 pre service teachers from Deakin University, they have come up with a “Step Challenge”. The idea is that for the last week of term we meet the fatigue head on by getting outside and walking. The class who can do the most steps in the final week of school will be rewarded with a hot lunch provided by middle school and obviously bragging rights as the most active class.
To add another dimension to this, their steps will be represented as a collective and illustrated on a map that goes up the east coast of Australia. We worked out that if everyone can just walk just 3km on day one, as a cohort we can metaphorically walk to the far eastern town of Mallacoota. On day two our next target can be Sydney and so forth, on our way to the top end of Australia. I would like to thank all students of Year 7 who have already started walking toward the end of the term and getting steps for their class. Never a better time than now, to get the physical and mental benefits of movement.
I would like to thank the Middle Years Leaders, Cooper Rossely, Darcey Gifford, Evelyn Heath and Jai Reddy for working with myself and the pre service teachers Brittany, Bridget and Ollie, to get this initiative up and running.
