Head of House

Resilience - Beating a Dead Horse?

When asked the big question, what is resilience? (or even better, what does resilience look like?), we are flooded with images of people getting thrown off horses, only to get back on again. And while getting back on the horse is part of resilience, it’s not the whole story and, in fact, misses out on the most important parts.

My two big sticking points with the horse analogy are:

It’s reactionary. That is, it teaches us that we have to wait until something bad happens (like falling off a horse) before we can be resilient. That is totally false and puts us into a negative mindset.
And what happens if the horse has bolted (or worse)? What if a horse wasn’t the best mode of transportation to get to your destination? What then?

Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy, in their book ‘Resilience’, suggest that ‘our resilience is rooted not only in our beliefs and values, in our character, experiences and genes, but critically in our habits of mind – habits we can cultivate and change.’

Four habits of mind that build our resilience are:

Reflectiveness: thinking carefully about what happened, your emotions and reactions.
Good judgement: keeping a sense of perspective in order to identify what should be changed and what should be ignored.
Risk Taking: Trying new things in a safe environment decreases feelings of anxiety and discomfort.
Flexibility of mind: encouraging creativity and changing points of view increases problem-solving skills.

By focusing on, and developing, these four habits of mind, schools have reported student growth in self-confidence across a range of areas.

Now that we have identified what we need to do, how do we do it?

The most important part of our positive education journey is that we have to confidently model the behaviour we want to see in our students and each other. Modelling and owning behaviour are the best ways to change it.

Modelling resilience is something we all do, even though we may not see it in ourselves. Recently, our whole life has been based on changing conditions, and keeping (sometimes hiding!) our emotions in check. In all of our interactions, we need to encourage and demonstrate the four habits of mind that build resilience. Some possible ways to demonstrate them at home are:

When discussing texts and the media (news, movies, novels, articles, people, etc…)
When exploring problem-solving, lateral and creative thinking
Showing vulnerability, and explaining times and situations where you have shown resilience
Acknowledging when your child has shown resilience, and reminding them of this ‘superpower’.

Resilience is more than just getting back on the horse; it’s having the tools and habits to make sure that:

…You don’t get thrown off the horse, and if you do…
…You have the tools and equipment you need to assess the situation and decide if getting back on is the best way forward.

Tim Columbus

Banksia Head of House

House Competitions

This term, the Student Services Team have been running a series of Remote Learning House Competitions and Challenges. All students and staff are encouraged to enter, with their chance to show off their wide range of skills and talents. The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you to all the students and staff who have contributed and entered the competitions so far!

The first round of winners for the Staff Baby Photo Contest (match the staff member with their baby photo) have been announced:

Lucy Zheng (Acacia) and AJ Mariona (Acacia) top-scored for the students with 89% correct answers. Ms Nancy Bastakos (Waratah) and Ms Sarah Crespo (Banksia) top scored for the staff with perfect scores of 100%! All winners receive bonus House Points towards the House Cup 2020 total.

All House Competitions will remain open until the final day of Term 3 (Friday 18 September), and every complete entry earns House Points. The following competitions are now open to all students and staff. More details will be released through Mentor Group, Teams Space, and Compass.

Staff Baby Photos Part 2
Art Re-enactment
Song-writing/Performance
SOC Bake-off
Guess the Song/Sound
Creative Writing
Photography/Short Film
Run/Walk/Cycle Challenge
ISO Desk Space Competition

Once again, congratulations to our winners and all the staff and students who have continued to support the challenges and competitions throughout Term 3. I look forward to seeing you in Term 4!

Tim Columbus

Banksia Head of House

September House Challenge

With limited opportunities for House Sports Competition in 2020, next week we will commence a ‘SEPTEMBER RUNNING / WALKING AND CYCLING CHALLENGE’.

The way that this Challenge will work, is that for each km completed, you will achieve 1 point for your House. However in order for your points to count, you must register on Strava and join the ‘South Oakleigh College Running Walking’ Club and / or the ‘South Oakleigh College Cycling’ Club.

Please see the links below:

Your km’s will start counting from Tuesday, September 1st.

BONUS HOUSE POINTS:

Running – First House to make it to Gold Coast (1700km) achieves bonus points

Cycling – First House to make it to Perth (3400km) achieves bonus points

When participating in this Challenge, please adhere to the current rules regarding distance and time away from home.

For any questions about this competition, please contact Mr Knee

Jason Knee

Health P.E Teacher