Finishing Well

Earlier this week I reminded Middle and Senior College students of three key aspects to finishing well following what can only be described as a term of complexity and change. Communication, consistency and control are words we unpacked with students at the start of Term 2 and again this week, albeit within a slightly different context.

• Communication: We ask students to engage in positive conversations with their teachers as they receive feedback from their assessments. We remind students to also engage positively with their peers and be kind to one another.
• Consistency: We ask students to do their best at committing to a normal routine each day and possibly even finding flow in some of the activities they do.
• Control: We ask students to continue working on their own self care plan, by identifying their support structures, people and activities that make them feel positive.

Increasingly, I witness students’ engagement within each of these domains across the College campus. There have been genuinely beautiful interactions between students as they continue to re-connect with each other. Likewise, there has been richness in student learning as they work on their passion projects in Year 7 and 8 Personal Development, construct their underwater drones in Year 9 STEM and put the finishing touches onto their pizzas in Year 8 Food Technology.

Year 9 Student Leaders were fortunate to be able to take part in a virtual leadership conference on Monday and what really resonated was the advice given that ‘courage comes before confidence’. Often, we encourage our young people to develop confidence in their own abilities and use of their God given gifts. However, it is nurturing their capacity to display courage and step out of their comfort zone that should come first.