Middle Years update

It has been a busy two weeks in the Middle Years!

SEA Sessions

Year 7 and 8 students attended two sessions facilitated by Justine and Rebecca from Sex Education Australia (SEA). The program was tailored to the needs and interests of each cohort: Students had opportunity to ask questions anonymously via an online Dropbox which helped shape the program. Year 7 students learnt about the physical changes associated with the onset of puberty and discussed the nature of changing friendships in adolescence as well as the value of respect. The Year 8 students discussed dating and consent, contraception, and the law surrounding physical relationships. 

The Buddy Program

The Year 7 students recently completed the first cycle of what I am loosely calling the ‘Buddy Program’. This program saw students meeting, informally, with students from other Home Groups to facilitate socialisation across the cohort. An important aim of this program was to offer students opportunity to continue developing their conversation skills. This Program appears to have been a success and I will look to establish some more meetings at the start of next Term.

Strive

The Year 8 students enjoyed the second Strive activity on the 7 June, visiting the Queen Victoria Markets and rock climbing at Hard Rock in the city. It was wonderful to see students challenge themselves in the rock-climbing activity and to see their confidence improve with each climb attempted. Some students made it to the roof of the building which was an achievement. A few students attempted, and succeeded, in climbing some quite challenging walls which was amazing to watch. I was very impressed by the way the students supported each other – literally as a safety belayer – but also as a cheer squad of sorts. It was magnificent. 

Thinking Traps 

The Year 8 students capped a busy week by participating in a new program from Toolbox Education called 'Thinking Traps' which considered unhelpful thinking styles, where they show up, and the cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) basis for challenging these types of thoughts, identifying the sources of unhelpful thought patterns and creating new, balanced perspectives. This activity was run as part of the Thrive mental health literacy program, developed for Year 7 and 8 students and these themes will continue to be explored in wellbeing sessions. 

Checking in

The Year 7 students continued their participation in the Thrive Program and were introduced to a check-in process for developing active listening skills and engaging in and managing difficult conversations. This crucial skill, taught as part of the Thrive Program, will continue into Year 8.

Respect as a foundational value of the school

Year 7 and 8 students have been considering the value of respect, one of the cardinal values of the Shelford community, over the past few weeks. They have thought about respect and the many ways it is demonstrated each day by showing consideration for other people and their property at school; by being mindful about what they post and share; by abiding by the responsibilities of the community; by caring for themselves, their family and friends and, importantly, by appreciating and accepting individual differences and the perspectives of others.

At Shelford, we understand respect as being reciprocal. This means, as the old adage goes, we treat others in the way we ourselves would like to be treated.

I am proud of the way the students of Year 7 and 8 treat others, and themselves, with respect. They demonstrate respect when they take to the court or field in GSV sport, playing hard but fair, honouring their opponents and team-mates alike; they demonstrate respect by studying and taking on the feedback offered by their teachers that they might improve their skills and understanding each task at a time, they can strive to achieve better step by step; and they demonstrate respect by the way they support and nurture the treasured individuals who comprise our community, being patient and considerate in their actions. They demonstrate respect, too, when they acknowledge mistakes and make an earnest effort to improve moving forward. 

There are myriad ways the students of the Middle School demonstrate respect each day. As such, students understand and practise the values of the school community with a new adage: Respect is learned, earned and returned.

Tristan Hill

Middle Years Coordinator