As we approach the end of Semester 1 (I can’t believe how quickly it has come around) it is important to reflect on some of the trials, tribulations and successes of the year thus far. There have been many important conversations this term between staff, students, parents and community members that have centred around student and staff wellbeing; positive choices and responsibility for personal actions; academic engagement; positive relationships and maintaining these; issues with social media and IT, as well as all the winter Co-curricular activities. All of these elements present in our school community makes for a hectic and busy term, especially in the wellbeing and pastoral care space.
One of the major focuses for us lately has been on mental health and trying to build resilience and positive management strategies within our students. Not always easy when we face competition from social media influences as well as various peer pressures and the need for individual management of various commitments. What we have been focusing on with the boys is the need to keep an eye out for their mates and remind them that behind every smile, there may be a struggle—and it’s essential we continue to create a school culture where it’s okay to speak up and ask for help. We have also been emphasising the importance of sleep, exercise, managing phone and screen time, building social connections as well as monitoring how personal actions and words can impact others and what might be considered banter can actually be hurtful.
What makes Eddies special is its people. The way we encourage our young men to look out for one another, the way we try to lift each other up and celebrate success (seen so beautifully at the Cabaret this term), and the way we take action to improve our school environment when we can. We don’t always get this right, but the challenge is for us to keep promoting positive action and calling others out when they see something that is not ok (hard to do for most teens).
We are seeing more students take a stand—calling out unkind behaviour, challenging disrespect, and choosing inclusion over exclusion. This isn’t always easy, but it’s exactly the kind of leadership we need. Whether it’s speaking up when someone is being treated unfairly or encouraging a friend to be more mindful, these small acts have a big impact.
It has also been a huge term for House groups in their fundraising efforts for a new school BBQ area. House Captains, Vice-Captains and other leaders within House groups have done an amazing job to organise raffles, pizza deliveries, BBQ’s, coffee stalls and the list goes on. Heads of House have been amazing in giving up their time to support this as have many staff members to support the cause.
As we continually focus on building a more respectful and inclusive school, I encourage all members of our community to remember: our actions matter. How we treat each other—both in person and online—shapes our school environment. How we interact with others at Co-curricular activities, how we model behaviour to those around us, how we call out actions online and in person – all of this determines what kind of school community we build. Let’s continue to promote within our young people making room for every voice, to listen with empathy, and to consider how our words and behaviour affect others.
Last week we held a ySafe workshop for parents as well as student workshops for Years 7 and 8. A huge thank you to those parents who braved the cold to come to school for this workshop. ySafe is an organisation that educates and promotes online safety in schools and other community organisations. One of the key messages from these sessions was about taking responsibility for personal actions, which included increased monitoring of our young people and how they interact online. As always open and honest communication with our young people is essential to understanding what they are doing online and who they are interacting with. The College has provided access for parents to the ySafe parent resource which is on Dashboard. There are a series of helpful hits, articles and tools that parents can utilise to navigate online behaviours with young people.
It is hoped that after our young people enjoy a restful break, they will return in Semester 2 with fresh energy, a new sense of determination and a willingness to improve and develop their skills both academically, socially and emotionally.
“In the end, we are accountable to ourselves – our success is a result of what we do.” – Catherine Pulsifer
Monica Day
Assistant Principal – Student Wellbeing