Leader of Learning - Pastoral Academic Care and Wellbeing 

Welcome back to Term 3 

I was lucky enough to find myself attending the LaSallian Youth Gathering in Bankstown, Sydney with a group of amazing young people from O’Connor during my holidays. I was a last minute invite, and despite the challenges that alone created at home for me, I am ever so grateful to have shared the 5 day experience with this group of people. We headed off to Sydney on the first Tuesday of the break, in the middle of the significant rain event that was hitting Sydney and the coastal fringe of NSW. This set the tone of our pilgrimage! We certainly were able to prove that no matter what challenges were thrown our way on this trip, that together we would overcome them, making us stronger as a group and as individuals. 

What challenges did we face? Just to name a few: flooded rail tracks saw us (well in reality just me from the group) being separated from Broadmeadow on, sickness and navigating public transport. However we shared some absolutely amazing experiences as well, like meeting another hundred like minded young people, sharing our story (both personally and about our beautiful college), we made new friends and shared many meals and laughs together. We heard stories of courage and were given challenges to consider. The 16 young people who came on this adventure with Mr Brad Powers, Mr McCann and myself represented our school and their families with such pride. They got engaged in every workshop and experience on offer. It really was a privilege to watch them grow and shine over the Gathering.

The next two weeks sees Student Led Conferences happening here at the college. Stage 4 will begin next week. We are offering both a face to face opportunity to come together to celebrate some successes from last semester on Tuesday and zoom meetings on Wednesday and Thursday. Bookings are via Compass. I am really excited to meet with my PAC students and their parents next week. Students are busily preparing their work samples this week and are also practicing their role in leading a meeting. Sometimes I am asked “Why are we doing this and not a traditional parent-teacher meeting?” And yes, this is a really interesting question. My response is always student focused. SLC is about providing students the chance to own their learning and the processes of learning, to reflect on their success and levels of engagement and to identify areas of growth. Rarely do we have an authentic opportunity for such conversations with all stakeholders (student, family and teachers). We always encourage parents to contact subject teachers directly if they wish to meet with them to discuss their child's learning. I encourage you to reach out to your child’s PAC teacher if you have any questions.

A fresh term means a fresh start. We look forward to another very busy term ahead. Given the new start, we encourage you to ensure your child is in full winter uniform with appropriate footwear. Leather shoes are essential in the Technology and Science rooms as they are considered a safety item. Many PAC teachers across all year groups are struggling with students constantly wearing the wrong uniform and shoes to school. It makes for a challenging start to the day for everyone. Teachers would like everyone, including themselves to start the morning with PAC being a time for positive interactions, however a lot of time is spent in conversations about uniforms with little to no improvement over a period of time. If you are struggling with any aspect of the uniform please contact your child’s Leader of Learning - Year as they can provide you with some assistance.

Working together creates opportunities for success!

Mellissa Bell

Leader of Learning - Pastoral Academic Care & Wellbeing