Resilience

There are several definitions that researchers have used to describe resilience. Invariably there are references to bouncing back, coping under pressure and returning to a level state after dealing with some form of adversity. Director of the Resilience Centre in Sydney, Lyn Worsley, has described resilience as “the process of continual development of personal competence while navigating and negotiating with available resources in the face of adversity”. I cannot think of a more appropriate way to describe how Year 8 students demonstrated this during their Outdoor Education program last week. I am confident that Year 8 students have dried out by now and are still telling tales of climbing a giant’s ladder, mountain biking, hiking and dealing with the falling rain whilst preparing meals using headtorches. It was definitely their capacity to navigate and negotiate with the available resources that enabled them to achieve success each day.

I was fortunate to be able to witness firsthand how students dealt with the various challenges and tapped into their resilient selves over the five days. We thank Ms Kim Wood for her leadership of this program and to the Pacific staff who were in attendance; Mr Joshua Cummins, Pastor Tim Jarick, Mr Brett Kersnovske and Mrs Sharon Middleton.

Year 11 Leadership Interviews

This week we held interviews for Year 11 students applying for leadership positions at the College for 2021. I have been incredibly impressed with the calibre of applicants and the manner in which all students have interviewed. Whilst several will ultimately miss out on securing a leadership position, I have no doubt that these students will continue to develop their personal competencies with good grace and demonstrate leadership collectively with their peers as a Year 12 cohort. We thank Mr Mark Hauser for his leadership of this significant process.

Virtual Talent Competition

Open to Middle and Senior College students (and staff), budding performers are encouraged to enter the upcoming Virtual Talent Competition. Further details will be made available to students in coming weeks. We thank Cultural Pacific Action Group Captain Katelyn Connors and Head of Drama Mrs Janine Delaney for their organisation and leadership of the competition.

Photo Day

A reminder that next Wednesday 5th August (Week 4) is the School Photo day for all Prep – Year 12 students. All students are required to wear their formal winter uniform for the day.

Mr Ben Ryan, Director of Students