Year 11 Pastoral Guardian
Bridget Piper
Mount Alvernia College is committed to providing students with resources and confidence they need to live a calm and happy life. This is in line with the College's focus on Educational Wellbeing. In essence, the scope and sequence of the Year 11 Personal Development Program is aimed to support students as they move into their Senior Studies.
In Term 1, the Year 11 cohort embarked on Success in Senior Schooling. The early weeks of this program reminded students to 'not let stress rule their lives'. Important lessons conveyed how stress can instigate a freeze response, the response to run, or the response to begin fighting back. In fighting back with new neural pathways, our program aimed to encourage critical thinking and reflection on stress management and prevention, proactive health, and a balanced lifestyle when it is more than stress.
As we moved into Term 2, it was time to have frank discussions and impart lessons on Consent Education, now mandatory in all Australian schools. The landmark decision followed a year of intense public pressure spearheaded by young Australian Chanel Contos, who launched her Consent Education Petition, leading to the implementation of mandatory consent across the country. In 2020, Chanel became known globally, encouraging young Australian women to report their sexual assault experiences. She used an online campaign to advocate for changes in the Australian Curriculum. Within just two years, the young Sydneysider became the recipient of the 2021 Australian Human Rights Award Young People's Medal.
Her humanitarian work has been internationally recognised, especially as the 2022 recipient of The Princess Diana Award. Beginning at a grassroots level, Chanel emerged as a powerful voice lobbying for social change, inspiring dialogue amongst global communities. She is a great role model for our students who are, themselves, developing their own voices on local issues.
While our term began with consent, the personal development program focused on Healthy Relationships. Students explored the basis for healthy relationships, respect, freedom, and value of each person for the other's equal freedom and right to think, feel, make personal choices (Aila,Accad,2009). Through American academic Peggy Orenten's (2020) lens, students explored the legal, ethical, and mutually beneficial parts of relationships. Critical discussions were prompted by authentic scenarios, using the three crucial aspects highlighted by the academic, reflection, time, and space, which allowed students to examine their relationships. Key inquiry questions such as: Are my relationships working? Do my relationships support my emotional wellbeing? If not, what changes do I need to act on? The term provided many opportunities for students to engage in genuine, long-overdue conversations on students' vulnerability and gender dynamics.
In a changing world, Term 3 challenged ethical and moral decision-making, with a focus on Understanding Substances and Keeping Safe. While living amid a post-pandemic world, we began by exploring values and pondered if in five years there had been a paradigm shift in the values of students since 2019. Using data from the Tell it from Me Survey, Mission Australia's Youth Survey 2022, students identified core values which are driven by their beliefs. These included:
· Being Independent,
· Finding a Job,
· School or Study Satisfaction,
· Family Relationships,
· Financial Security,
· Friendships,
· Making a difference in the community,
· Spirituality/Faith,
· Physical Health and Mental Health.
Using the results from the Mission Australia survey in 2022, Coping with Stress, Mental Health, and Body Image were the main concerns raised by young women, compared to young men who signposted Coping with Stress, School or study Problems, and Mental Health.
In continuing our explicit teaching and learning on drugs and alcohol, students explored adolescent drug use and abuse by looking at: how brain development leads to risky behaviour, how drugs affect brain development, and how students can use this knowledge in our prevention and intervention efforts. Critical for their wellbeing, our Personal Development Program created processes of upholding collective cognitive responsibility and collaborative learning, emphasising in the knowledge-building discourse on understanding substances and keeping safe.
As the jacaranda flowers heralded the end-of-year assessments, staying calm and keeping stress and occasional anxiety at bay proves to be a balancing act for most students, requiring grit and determination to flourish. While managing stress can be tricky, it is far from impossible. In the final weeks of the academic year, students revisited the Healthy Mind Platter, asking themselves: What do I need to work on this term? The Healthy Mind Platter has seven essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health, restoring balance in daily rhythms.
We heard a common message, reminding our students we are at our best when we invest in the health of our bodies, minds, and social relationships. Simply, it might be committing to an earlier bedtime or picking up some art supplies to set the creative juices flowing again. The aim is to fill our daily platter with the seven mind-food groups: Down Time, Focus Time, Connecting Time, Physical Time, Time In, and Sleep Time, and see if you notice greater balance and wellbeing in your body, mind, and relationships (Dr. Kimberly Langdon, M.D.,2018).
Move and Groove Program this year also was aimed at increasing the participation in physical activity of our students. As well as the health gains, the benefits include promoting mental wellbeing and social connections, especially at a time when student belonging is paramount.
This week's SchoolTV resource focuses on a SPECIAL REPORT: Partying| Mount Alvernia College (schooltv.me)[BP1] simple safe partying guides for parents.
As students approach 2023, please encourage them to embrace the idea of grit - the potion that compromises passion and perseverance for life. Many blessings and may the last school holiday of the year be filled with joy, happiness, peace, and most importantly rest.
God bless
Bridget Piper
References:
Sumner M. Davenport : Stress Out: Show Stress Who's the Boss! Self-Investment Company, 2009
Partying safely - Better Health Channel
Safe partying tips - Alcohol and Drug Foundation (adf.org.au)
Party Safe Education™ | Encounter Youth Education™
drugprev.pdf (education.vic.gov.au)