Principal
Turn Lemons into Lemonade: Using Lockdown to Change Your (Bad) Habits
In the first week of the vacation break, before lockdown changed everything, I read a book that has been recommended by many, Atomic Habits by James Clear. It is a very interesting read and feedback from people in all types of careers is that the tips were very effective in changing bad habits entrenched from over a lifetime.
The tips and suggestions are not just applicable for adults in the workforce. With a little tweaking, they give some excellent pointers for young people. I have adapted some of James Clear’s ideas into study tips to help students who might need a fresh take on studying during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 lockdown. I share them with the school community as parents have taken on the mantle of supporting our boys during remote learning:
- Make it obvious when and how you will study, for example:
- I will study (Maths past papers) from (5:00 pm to 6:00 pm) at (my desk) or
- After (making notes) I will complete (three past paper questions).
The students can insert their own specific goals into the brackets!
- Make your bad habits invisible. Remove the TV from your rooms. Remove your phone for an hour at a time. Shut down your emails. The secret of self-control is not relying on willpower but changing your environment.
- Make studying attractive by pairing it with something you want to do, for example:
- After 45 minutes of studying, I will check social media for five minutes or
- After I have completed five hours of study, I will watch two episodes of my favourite show on Netflix or
- After I do three hours or study I will go for a walk/run.
- Study with people who already have excellent study habits. This will shape your study behaviour.
- Create a ritual. Listen to a song that pumps you up and gets you in a good mood before you start studying each and every time. Sing and clear your mind.
- Remove friction to make studying easier. For example, if you need to print out past papers every time, you might not be bothered. But if they are there and printed for you, it is easier to do a question or two at the end of the night.
- Create a reward! Every time you study for one hour, ask your parents to donate $1, $2 or even $5 to a jar that you can use on something special post school! A bike? A holiday? A phone?
- Reframe your thinking… You don’t have to study; you get to study. Education is a privilege despite the challenges. Give gratitude a go.
- Reset when you fall off the bandwagon. We all fall off the study bandwagon from time to time, but it is important to reset! Do not go into a shame spiral about missed study. Dust yourself off and get back to it. Do not miss more than two study sessions in a row.
- Research shows that the biggest improvements come from setting personal goals that improve on past performance, not the performance of the smartest person in the room! Focus on being your personal best. The rest you cannot control. This will get you into the right mindset to study.
[Adapted from Clear, James Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones, Random House, UK, 2018]
TASS Launch – Message to Parents
Many of you would be familiar with the College’s School Management System (SMS) MAZE (for billing) and Sentral (for student learning, wellbeing and attendance administration) and how, over the past years, the College has used these to support your son’s learning and other aspects of his college life.
Whilst these software solutions have served us well, they do have some limitations in allowing us to provide a truly innovative and adaptive SMS that has all of your son’s information in the one place.
The College is pleased to share with you that we are working on an exciting initiative and will be launching a new SMS, TASS (The Alpha School System) in Term 4 2021. TASS is an integrated system that will manage every aspect of your son’s information and College life and will also assist us to improve our engagement with parents.
Your feedback in the strategic planning surveys was clear; there is a need to introduce a streamlined communication system with parents. The new system will become the ‘one source of truth’ and will have a number of features including the ability for parents to view academic information, access reports and parent interview bookings, update student and parent information, and access information regarding student attendance and fees. In the coming weeks, we will commence the migration of our current data to the new system.
Therefore, this provides a good opportunity to ensure that the information we hold in relation to your son is current and correct. Should you need to advise the College of any change in contact details or provide updated medical information, please email enrolments@spc.nsw.edu.au.
Getting Ahead of COVID-19
As we continue to work through the immense challenges this pandemic and subsequent lockdown is having on all of us, we need to try and get as far ahead as we possibly can in dealing with the current COVID-19 situation.
NSW Health has asked us to remind our community about the importance of adhering to Public Health orders and taking advantage of local COVID testing clinics and vaccination points. Please find some helpful links below.
Book your COVID-19 vaccine appointment near Strathfield
NSW Health COVID-19 Vaccination
In Memoriam
We keep in our prayers the family of Veronica Fitzgerald, grandmother of Liam Fitzgerald (Year 8) and his brother James Fitzgerald who also attended the College, and mother of Old Boys Peter Fitzgerald ('75), Ralph Fitzgerald ('77), John Fitzgerald ('89) and Paul Fitzgerald ('91), who recently passed away.
Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace.
Amen.
Dr Vittoria Lavorato
Principal
SPC boys can do anything!
**except divide by zero