Minds Matter

At the end of another busy term and school year, it’s important to take time to reflect and celebrate our students’ successes – but what does that truly mean? 

Success is often defined as the ability to reach your goals – attainment, accomplishment, or progress. However, it’s individual, and something you must define for yourself. It’s not about any other person’s measure or metrics except your own. It is not necessarily a destination, but a journey that helps develop the skills and resources we need to thrive. 

When we think about our own children, we all want them to experience success – but we must be mindful to not mistakenly focus on just two common measures – the smile on their faces and the grades they produce. Whilst both are important, we wanted to highlight other areas that our students have achieved great success this year: 

• Many students have stepped well outside their comfort zone and tried new things: participating in school performances, oral presentations, sporting carnivals, and outreach programs just to name a few. 
• We have seen many friendships - new and old - nurtured and cherished during both the good and hard times. 
• Students have demonstrated self-control and discipline to stay focused during times when life may have felt chaotic or unmanageable. This has shown true grit and determination to persevere and overcome obstacles. 
• We have seen numerous examples of resilience and self-regulation, with students bouncing back and drawing on times of adversity as means to build their strengths and emotional intelligence. 
• Students have shown curiosity and a quest for new and better ways to do things. They have shown a willingness to learn and adapt. 

We asked some students what their successes were when reflecting on the year: 

“My biggest achievement this year was growing as a person, even when I was struggling.” 

– Year 7

“This year I met new people, improved my self-care, was nominated for a national competition, and applied for leadership opportunities.” 

– Year 9 

“This year, I am proud of myself for facing some difficult challenges, but not backing away from them and pushing through and giving challenging and scary things a go.” 

- Year 10

“I am proud of myself for surrounding myself with friends who make me happy.” 

– Year 10

“My biggest achievement this year was winning the grand final for netball.” 

– Year 10

This year, I am proud of myself for being really organised and staying on top of assessments! I feel super oriented and I know where I’m going.” 

– Year 11

One conversation you may wish to strike up with your child over the Christmas period is “What does success look like to you?”. Try to broaden their definition away from the narrow base of academic, sporting, or even financial success. Remember, success is not always about achieving something spectacular – it also manifests in the small affairs of daily life. 

Holidays can be a good time to connect with your child – a time to authentically communicate and actively listen to each other. As the year draws to a close, we wish you and your families a safe and wonderful Christmas break and we look forward to continuing to work alongside you all in 2023. 

Jess Sexton and Kimberley Greene

College Counsellors/Social Workers 

Reference:

 Success: Parents and Teens Benefit From Updated Understandings. (parentandteen.com)