SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY

Year 9 students recently participated in the SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY Schools’ Program. Mitch McPherson, an Old Boy of the College (SVC 2000-03) established the organisation in 2013 after his younger brother Ty died by suicide. Now, Mitch shares his story, and Stay ChatTY works in schools, sporting clubs and workplaces across Tasmania to promote positive mental health messages.

The Schools Program workshop is grounded in evidence and is aligned with the Australia secondary school curriculum. The Schools Program aims to:

demonstrate the importance of resilience and sharing emotions;
increase the understanding of where to find help at school and out in the community; and
encourage young people to think about how to look after their own mental wellbeing.

Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and I thank Heads of House, the Student Support Team and Year 9 Teachers for their support and supervision of the program.

"The SPEAK UP! Stay ChaTY session was quite enjoyable. We learnt about grit and what grit is. We learnt about resilience and how to tell if a person is showing signs of depression and anxiety. They taught us to always be kind and compassionate and to complement each other to make each other happy. The part I enjoyed was when we played little games to teach us how to do things and how to see signs of different things. I have taken away from it that people are always better people if they’re feeling good about themselves rather than feeling terrible and not wanting to do anything" (Blake Garrett, 9B).

"SPEAKUP! Stay chaTY came along to St Virgil's and ran several 'GritFit' sessions with each grade nine class. They designed sessions to challenge our knowledge of mental illness and demonstrate the support in place if we ever needed it. One of the activities they ran was trying to guess the famous person, based on their turbulent childhood. For example, I learnt that Lebron James' dad was an ex-con, his family was poor and he encountered street violence a lot. They used this to show the importance of never giving up and being what they called a 'Grit G.O.A.T'. I took many things away from the session but the main one was to have a more positive outlook on life because being sad never solved anything. Overall, these were involved and entertaining sessions, that I feel benefited everyone." (Lochie Gillie, 9C)

Year 10 Examination Timetable

There are many people here to support our Year 10s through this experience. If they have any questions, are unsure of anything or are feeling worried about something I encourage them to reach out and ask. Knowing the answer will help them to feel more at ease with the process.

Year 10 Events

Thursday November 17 - Thursday November 24: Year 10 Exams
Friday November 25 and Monday November 28: Year 10 Student Free Days
Tuesday November 29: Year 10 Mass and Luncheon
Wednesday November 30: Thanksgiving and Awards Evening
Monday December 5 – Friday December 9: Year 11 Headstart at SVC

I would like to remind Year 10s, that if there are any issues with their formal uniform, then this needs to be rectified now in preparation for Formal Exams and Year 10 events.

Uniform Reminders

As Virgilians we belong to a connected community. Our uniform and appearance is an outward sign of our belonging to this community and should be represented with pride. Students are reminded of the below uniform expectations:

Blazers are to be worn to and from school with formal uniform
Spray jackets and polar fleeces are sport uniform items and should not be worn with formal uniform
White socks only are to be worn with sport uniform, not black or any other colour variety.
Students are permitted to wear watches, but no other jewelry is to be worn such as necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings.

As it is Term 4, we are very familiar with these expectations. Moving forward students will not be provided with a warning for uniform infringements and will be required to wear formal uniform for a week. Organisation and accountability are important skill sets to develop. Parent/Guardian support is appreciated with this matter as we prepare students for future workplace expectations.

Community News

News from outside the College Gates

OVAtions

Anxiety Workshop