Term 3, Week 1

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The Pastoral Team would like to welcome students and families back to the College for another busy and exciting term. Below are the key dates for the term, please note however, that other events (including specific Year level events) which may not be listed will be in upcoming newsletters, via social media, and the College App.

Term 3 Calendar of Events – Key Dates

• 15 July                          Virtual Parent Teacher Interviews Year 10-12
• 17 July                          Parent Cyber Safety Presentation – 5:00-6:30pm
• 18 July                          Year 9 Subject Information Evening – from 5:45pm in ERPAC

Year 8 Social with Lourdes Hill College – from 3pm

• 24 July                          Academic assembly and afternoon tea

• 1 August                      Parent Meeting to Learn – Middle School and Primary parents.

• 1/2 August                   Year 10 SETP Meetings
• 5 August                      Year 7 Virtual Subject Evening
• 9 August                      Solidarity Mass and Walkathon
• 13 August                    School concludes 1:15pm

Year 7 & 8 MaPS Meetings with House Mentors -1:45-6:30pm

Year 9 Subject Information Interviews – virtual -1:45-6:30pm

• 14 August                    SLC Sports Day at Runcorn
• 15-16 August               College Show Holidays
• 29 August                    Year 8 Father/Son Evening
• 30 August                    Student free day

Year 5 and 7 (2024) Orientation Day

• 13 September              End of Term 3

Year 8 Social

An invitation went out this week for Year 8 students to attend an afternoon hosted by Lourdes Hill College which gives students the opportunity to join together for a range of activities followed by a barbeque.

The purpose of this social is to engage students in positive interactions with girls from Lourdes Hill College, so that students can socialise in a friendly, controlled and safe environment.

The foundation for the social will include students participating in a variety of activities aimed at ‘breaking the ice’ and having fun. LHC and SLC staff will be providing supervision throughout the afternoon, and Year 11 students from both schools will work together with the Year 8 cohorts. 

Unfortunately, numbers are limited and filling quickly. Year 8 Parents can find all of the information needed on the letter that was sent out earlier this week.

Mentoring and MaPS Conferences

For students in Year 7 and Year 8, regular parent teacher interviews will be replaced by the Mentor and Student/Parent (MaPS) conferences, which are student-led conferences, facilitated by House Mentors (August 13). 

 The purpose of the MaPS conferences for Year 7 and Year 8 students are:

• To strengthen relationships between the home and school and invite parents to be partners in their son’s learning journey.
• For a teacher to holistically overview the student’s progress in their Laurie’s Journey, using TrackOne (data analytics) mentoring and profile sheets.
• Reviewing goals and outlining an action plan for improvement – which will lead to more engaged learners who are motivated in the classroom to achieve specific achievement goals.

From our first MaPS Conferences in 2019 – I would like to share a parent email (name’s removed) with you in regards to feedback from the Mentor and Parent/Student conferences:

“… I attended my son’s led parent teacher meeting with his mentor yesterday and wanted to say that I am supportive of this new format. It was great to hear about his goals and perception of his progress in his words. My son is quite self-driven and his mentor, in a very insightful and intuitive way, shared his feedback to him about ensuring he keeps a balance socially. I think what I appreciated the most is that it was a more holistic discussion and certainly got a lot more out of having the student in attendance so thought it worth sharing this positive experience with you.”

The Power of Sleep

Research indicates that 30% of primary school children and 70% of teenagers are sleep deprived. This is having significant consequences on many areas of their lives such as: 

• Learning and academic performance: Sleep helps concentration and motivation, along with consolidation of new information and memories. 
• Emotional and mental health: Studies show children who are sleep deprived are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, negative body image and low self-esteem.
• Behaviour and decision making: Sleep deprivation affects decision making capacity, has a negative effect on behaviour and relationships, and increases risk of accidents. 
• Body systems: Sleep deprivation affects children’s physical growth, brain development, immune system and plays a key role in weight gain.

Why are students not getting the sleep they need? The top four reasons students give for their lack of sleep are:

• Technology FOMO (social media, gaming, Netflix, YouTube).
• Homework/study.
• Busy lifestyle combined with poor time management and procrastination.
• Stress.

Further information for students, parents and teachers can be found at: The Sleep Connection (Lisa Maltman - http://thesleepconnection.com.au).

The pastoral team wishes all students the best in the coming weeks, Live Jesus in our hearts… Forever.

MR DAVID KNIGHT

Dean of Pastoral Care (Senior School)