Stronger Together

We welcome back all students next week as we continue our academic journey together at Pacific. I have never been more confident to say that we are all incredibly excited to see the College grounds filled with young people eager to connect once again with each other face to face (albeit 1.5m apart) and engaging in dynamic learning activities. It would be remiss of me not to thank the Year 11 and 12 students for their adherence to social distancing requirements and for the energy they have brought with them back onto campus.

Several weeks ago, I reminded staff and students in Middle and Senior College of the importance of being able to exhibit some control in supporting our own wellbeing. I expressed the fact that students should be able to identify support structures, people and activities that help them feel better, which, in turn, leads to sense of control and autonomy. Collectively, commencing with online PCG, students have been invited to take part in a range of activities which have been engaging, fun and out of the ordinary. I thank Mr Damien Evans, Ms Leigh Finter and Mr Brett Kersnovske and their teams of PCG teachers for the creativity they have brought to this aspect of your child’s school day. Likewise, one of the support structures put in place was our Wellbeing Check-In surveys, which students completed twice a week. Redacted data suggested that for the vast majority of our young people, they were waking up with a positive mindset which speaks volumes to how all stakeholders have played their part so far in this online learning journey. We will continue to survey students on their return and ensure that their wellbeing and safety is our number one priority.

The hymn ‘Blessed be the Tie that Binds’ is a gentle reminder of how we all have an important role to support each other and maintain connections. Crucially, it is the fact that we are stronger together that has ensured we are doing so well under current circumstances. I encourage families to continue checking in with their children as they navigate the return to classroom learning with open questions about how their days have been and what they are most looking forward to as they return to school. I encourage families to reach out to their child’s PCG teacher or Head of House in the first instance if further support is needed during this transition back to College.

Mr Ben Ryan, Director of Students