Pastoral Academic Care
PAC
Pastoral Academic Care Focus
Last week’s Pastoral Academic Care focus was CONNECTING WITH TEACHERS
Wellbeing Element: RELATIONSHIPS AND OPTIMISM
Character Strength: TEAMWORK
Parent Wellbeing: A skill of social-emotional resilience is reaching out to build social connectedness with others. Describe how you do this and how you could do it better.
The quality of relationships between students and teachers is the greatest predictors of student success and the delivery of high order teaching. It is crucial for parents and teachers to have a collective vision of what they want their students to act like, look like, sound like, know and can do because of their influence? And then have shared a road map to follow to achieve this student image.
The old sayings, “we can’t teach them till we reach them” and “kids don’t care what we know till they know we care”, are pivotal beliefs to live and breathe, loving being a parent and a teacher. One certain thing is that parents and teachers can’t fake caring, students will pick up on this very quickly.
Cultivating growth mindsets in students to believe that their teachers are there for them and genuinely want them to become their best possible selves will build healthy relationships in classrooms. This includes accepting their teachers’ advice, as they do with their sports coaches and realising that teachers, like themselves, are also individuals, with their own ways of doing things.
When students, parents and teachers combine their top strengths great learning, parenting and teaching occurs, enabling the whole school community to thrive and flourish.
“Teachers open the door, but you must enter yourself.”
Year 7
Welcome back. It has been wonderful to see all the bright smiling faces of Year 7 students return to O’Connor this term. Welcome to our two new students, Ella Koshani and Keyley Seymour.
Term Two has started and as we welcome the cold weather we also need to remember there is a change of uniform for this term. Please remind your children that they are to wear the full winter uniform to school each day unless they have sport. They are expected to wear their blazer to and from school. Students are also reminded that they need to bring the correct gear for their learning. They must be bringing pens and books for each class they have. I have checked in with a few classes this week and have noticed many students without books. Another reminder for students to charge their device the night before school. Look how smart we look when we are all in uniform.
A huge thank you to all the parents, carers and Year 7 students who attended our P and F evening. It was a very positive night where people mingled over pizza and viewed photographs of camp. A link has been added here for you to access the photos.
Yolanda Kreuzen
Yr 7 PAC Leader
Year 8
Welcome back to Term Two, I hope everyone had a safe and restful holiday. It’s a big term ahead, full of challenges and opportunities to try new things so I hope everyone takes advantage of this and charges full steam ahead.
First up we have the Year 8 retreat on the 10th of May. It will be an amazing day for each of us to make some new friends and learn a thing or two about yourself. Retreat is an opportunity for everyone to break routine, reflect, and learn new skills to foster resilience and empathy.
Good luck to everyone participating in the upcoming Armidale Eisteddfod, it is a wonderful time for students to showcase their creative, musical and performing skills. We are proud to celebrate the diverse array of talents Year 8 has to offer.
Thank you to the 3 girls who “helped” with the Triple Jump this week, it is a good opener to the Athletics carnival which will be held on the 17th May. The athletics carnival is a fun day running around in the last of the warmth before winter sets in. I expect to see a huge turnout from Year 8 with plenty of cheering and colour on the day.
Thank you from Team Year 8!
Lloyd Honnery.
8 PAC
Year 9
We’re back! Term Two is known as the reporting term. During this term, the students will have the opportunity to learn new things, enhance their knowledge of concepts they are already familiar with and to display their ability through various learning tasks. This will culminate in reports being written to let you, the parents and carers, know how your child is progressing through their studies. It is important for students to maintain their focus to produce their best.
NAPLAN is also happening this term. It commences on May 14 with the writing module. NAPLAN is a snapshot of student learning it is not meant to be stressful or cause anxiety.
Congratulations to those students already receiving Commendation Certificates in the first week and especially Abby Jackson who received a Year Leaders’ Award.
There have been a few changes to some students’ core classes. All of these were at the request of students who find it easier to work with some students rather than others. We hope these changes will improve the learning of those students and encourage them to make the most of their learning opportunities.
We are looking forward to a very productive term.
Please feel free to contact me at anytime if you have any concerns about your child’s education.
Peter McLeish
Year 9 PAC Leader
(on behalf of the Year 9 Pastoral Academic Care team)
Year 10
Welcome back to Year 10, I hope that all students and their families had a good break over the Easter period and were able to enjoy their time on holidays in general.
This is an important term for students as it is an academic reporting term and for year 10 there is also time allocated for an organised work experience, which is week 9 24th-28th of June.
This is an important opportunity for students to see what work life involves and a possible connection to what a potential career path may look like after school. Friday 17th week 3 is also the O’Connor sports carnival and I encourage all students to attend and be involved and also extend an invitation to parents also to come along as spectators to encourage the students in their chosen events.
Mark Fulloon
Year 10 PAC Leader
Year 11
Welcome back everyone to another busy term. There have been many positives in the manner in which the students have commenced the term. I hope students were able to take time out for themselves and enjoy a well earned break with friends and family. I also hope that they were able to reflect on the learning from Term 1, celebrating the achievements and looking at the adjustments that might need to be made to move their learning forward this term.
Term 1 was tough for many students in regards to managing and completing assessment tasks, homework, part time employment, exercise and family life. Balance is the key and it is very hard to achieve and get right all of the time. Pastoral Academic Care Teachers will be working with students on skills such as study and time management strategies, routines and well being issues as always.
One way to keep ahead is revise notes and make summaries from the day’s lessons every night if possible. Create a weekly planner with commitments, study times, work etc so that it is visual. It also needs to be flexible in case something comes up. Have a term calendar somewhere prominent and place all assessment tasks, events, important dates on this.
Please contact the teachers if you have any concerns.
Looking forward to a great Term 2.
Vicki Channon
Year 11 PAC Leader
Year 12
Term 2, our second last term of scheduled classes for seniors, is well underway and there has been plenty happening already for Yr 12. Students have been particularly busy at school and in the community and I would like to highlight the following:
Thank you to the many Yr 12 students made the effort to represent the College at the ANZAC Day Ceremonies in Armidale, Uralla and Walcha.
It was my privilege to hand out Commendation Awards to numerous students at the end of Term 1. The following students have also received six commendations, qualifying them for a Principal’s Award: Meg Lye, Kaitlynn Turley and Jackson Gwynne. Congratulations and well done to all.
On Thursday 9/05 our School Captains Simon Di Luzio and Meg Lye attended the NSW Parliament’s Youth Leadership Day in Sydney. During the day Meg and Simon met members of parliament and discussed how our parliamentary system operates as well as watching the Lower House in action. They also had the wonderful privilege of visiting Government House and meeting and having afternoon tea with our newly elected NSW Governor, Her Excellency Margaret Beazley.
Term 2 is a particularly busy term at school and is crucial in students consolidating learning and preparing for upcoming trial exams (Term 3) and of course, their HSC Exams. At school we are continuing to support and encourage students to remain focused and apply the effort now that will reap rewards come exam time. I am confident that you as parents are also supporting this process at home. Thank you very much for your ongoing support of our students and our wonderful school.
James Russell
Year 12 PAC