HEAD OF SECONDARY SCHOOL

My previous newsletter articles have provided an overview of our aim this term in relation to the wellbeing program students participate in during House Mentor time. My articles have highlighted the importance of relationships, reflection and planning as precursors to effective goal setting. Wellbeing this term has provided students with the opportunity to build skills to become more effective learners next year.

Goal setting is one of the most important aspects of finding success for individuals. It is a skill that, like all skills, requires practice and persistence. Goal setting enables us to visualise the future and work backwards to plan a way forward. Setting effective goals requires strong relationships to bounce ideas off, the capacity to reflect on lessons learned from previous experiences, and the ability to break down steps in order to create manageable steps to achieve goals.

On a broader scale, goal setting encourages students to think big and strive for improvement. We suggest that these goals be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely). This ensures that students are creating goals that are more carefully thought out and not simply bold statements of claim.

This notion is being particularly reflected within the Year 10 Senior Preparation Program that we are currently running. During this program, students have the chance to prepare for their senior studies by exploring a number of academic wellbeing topics, post-schooling topics, and introductory lessons that will help them to begin their journey of exploration for their HSC and IB studies. Students will also have the chance to develop some life skills along the way. The College is encouraging our Year 10 students to take this opportunity to set goals for the senior study and begin planning over the holidays to ensure that they can begin the journey successfully in 2022.

As my final article for 2021, I would like to take this time to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas along with a Happy New Year. I hope that you all get time to spend with your families wherever they may be in Australia. This year has been testing on a number of different fronts and I would like to thank the flexibility and perseverance of our staff and students in handling the difficulties and uncertainty that COVID has thrown our way. It has been a wonderful first year at the College and I am hopeful that I will get to meet a few more of you in person next year.

Christopher Ingold | Head of Secondary School