Middle Years 

Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, and all good things will be yours.

- Swedish proverb

Middle Years is an important time

It is the bridge between primary and senior years. It is a time when you develop greater independence, and yet family engagement is vital during this time. It is a time when your parents are learning to let go, and trust that you’ll make good decisions.

Middle years is a time to:

• find your feet, as you grow into capable young adults.
• explore, wonder and engage.
• settle into secondary school life.
• discover your interests and develop your passions.
• learn about friendships, deal with friendship changes, learn to forgive.
• self-regulate and self soothe, to calm the active mind.
• treat yourself like a good friend, and not get swept away with negative thoughts, but to focus more on positive thoughts and feelings.
• remember that challenges are designed to help you grow, and perhaps the challenge is good.
• remember that time cannot be rushed, so enjoy every moment.

2021 myPEC House Captains

This week it was my pleasure to announce the 2021 myPEC House Captains. Well done to everyone who applied; the interviews showed great leadership depth in this year level. I realise that some students who applied will have a sense of disappointment, but I would like to reiterate was a difficult choice it was for all the Heads of House due to the collective leadership amongst all the students who applied. I hope students who applied felt this was a good experience and found it beneficial writing about their leadership ideas and gained something positive from the interviews. I am very happy to speak further to any student who would like to seek feedback or discuss the interview process.

A current Year 12 leader attended the interviews with their Head of House and remarked that she did not get a myPEC leadership badge but has gone on to become a fabulous leader and House Captain. Her message is: “don’t give up and pursue your leadership dreams and develop your leadership skills.” 

I also encourage all Year 8 students to complete their MYL Award (Middle Years Leadership Award), and the criteria and award application sheet was emailed to students at the start of term. 

What is leadership? A simple definition is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Leadership isn’t something you’re either born with or without, but a powerful skill that can be developed over time.

The 2021 myPEC House Captains: 

Laidlaw:        Jock Nicholls and Sacha Laidlaw

Learmonth: Amity Haley and Amelie Hiscock 

Young:           Harry Austin and Abby Lazzari

Berry:             Sophie Merrin and Will McKellar

The Year 7 High Ropes Day update

The rescheduled Year 7 High Ropes Day is now Monday 29 March. We will run the same arrangements of the day with Yeodene Trees Adventure near Colac. We will be departing at 9am, travelling via Caramut to Colac. We will be returning in the late afternoon via Warrnambool and Port Fairy (Three Chains Rd pick up point). Further information will be emailed to families in the coming weeks. Operoo permission will need to be updated.

Mrs Julia Winter Cooke