Student Wellbeing

As we approach the final days of the 2022 year we remember back as to how we transitioned back to school full time onsite rather than a blend of remote and onsite learning and that we have all needed to adapt and pivot again to this change.

For the majority of our students returning to onsite learning with routines, seeing friends and structure has helped in their transition. For others it has been challenging with the noise and number of people around which was very different to learning from home.

No matter how we have adapted to 2022 the most important thing to note is that despite the challenges and changes that we have made it to the end of the year and that is something to celebrate. 

With this being the last edition of the Marian for the year, we need to acknowledge some aspects of our planning for 2023.

Canteen Committee

With recommendations made by the Student Representative Council, the Committee is in the process of organising a new menu and the option of setting an online ordering service incorporating an APP that all families can use to place orders before the start of the day.

We are in the process of working with Flexischools to assist us with this transition. We will send out more information to all families when it is ready to go. Hopefully by the first day of 2023.

It is planned that we will have a summer and winter menu as well as daily specials. Students will still be able to purchase items at recess and lunch and use cash. However, to be guaranteed the items that you want over the course of the day the best option may be to order it online and then just pick it up at lunchtime.

We hope that this changes reflect what the students have researched and asked for in presenting their findings to Mr Pisani earlier in Term 4.

We will keep all of our families abreast of the changes.

Student Leadership for 2023

Another recommendation made by the student leaders was in relation to the election of student leaders for 2023.

The proposal was to use Survey Monkey as a tool so that all students who were nominated for a position were chosen on the basis of their address to the year level.

This response has been overwhelming at Years 7-10 with up to 20 students in the year level nominating for the Student Representative Council and up to a dozen students in some Houses putting their hand up to become a House Captain in 2023.

We thank the student leaders for making this recommendation and from the overwhelming response from the year levels we can see that this is the way forward for Student Leadership elections.

We look forward to recognising early next year all of those students who have been successful in their leadership endeavours for 2023.

Kildare Ministries Student Leadership Retreat for 2023 leaders.

As I write this, four members of our Senior Student Leadership team are at a KEM Leadership Retreat at Presentation Family Centre Balnarring with other student leaders from our sister schools in both Victoria and South Australia.

Eleni Karagiozis and Vy Pham – our Lamp Bearers for 2023 and Zaara Banu and Avelynn Chng – two of the four representatives of our Year 12 Student Representative Council are there looking to develop and identify key goals for all of our schools for the new year.  We look forward to sharing with our community what those goals will be and how our Student Leadership team will work towards these in 2023.

Reminder about Mobile Phone Use

Presently all of our families and students would be aware of our current position on the use of mobile phones and items such as air pods during the school day. The expectation is that they should be located in a student’s locker from the time they arrive to school until 3.00 pm unless the teacher instructs the class that they will be using them as part of the learning program.

We will review these processes at the beginning of 2023 and send out to families the overview of what happens if a student is identified to be using their phone over the course of the day.

We know all of our students are growing up in a technological world but we will continue to educate all of our young people about the use of these devices and that they can survive without them over the course of the day and that it is not an extension of their hands as so many of them think.

We thank our families who have supported us over the course of the year with our processes. 

With the holidays approaching and the opportunity to take a moment, rest and rejuvenate and spend time with those we love and cherish, may we not forget about the very small child born in a manger over 2000 years ago who continues to offer all of us hope and light that things can and will be better.

Let us hope that this is the case for all of us in 2023 – Have a safe and happy holiday.

Kerrie Williams

Assistant to the Principal – Student Wellbeing