Demanded and Earned Respect

Today I met with our Year 12 boys and we unpacked the meanings of ‘Demanded and Earned Respect’.  Demanded respect is given due to a position of authority over another.  Earned respect comes from an established relationship between two people.

I explained to the students that in any established society there are people who demand respect simply because of their position.  More important though, is earned respect as this is long lasting and far more valuable.  Students must show respect to all staff because of their position. My prayer though is that I have also earned their respect.

As the Year 12s finish their schooling this year and become positive members of our community, I trust they will earn the respect of others as they in turn give respect to those who demand it.

Happenings in Senior…

Study Skills: by Elevate Education

Last week our Seniors did three separate study skills sessions.  They were:

Year 10: Time Management

This addressed the question from students: “Once I know what to do, how do I find the time to do it?”

Skills covered included:

• Study routine – How to develop a study routine that allows for socialising, sport and extra-curricular activities but ensures that students still find time to fit in their study.
• Working smart – How to identify the work that is going to get students the most marks across their final years and how to ensure that it gets done.
• Study groups – Students were shown how to leverage their time across the year by using study groups. This is a particularly powerful technique for those students who are time poor.
• Procrastination – Students are introduced to the most common reasons for procrastination and how to get around it.

Year 11: Memory Mneumonics

Sometimes, the only thing more difficult than getting through all the work in the final years of school can be remembering it! This seminar covered simple to use techniques and strategies that help students with their memorisation and recall of information.

It also showed students how an effective study environment can affect their memory. Students were introduced to ways to eliminate distractions such as Facebook, music, TV and internet.

Year 12: Ace your Exams

With the arrival of exams, knowing the material is no longer enough. Now it’s a case of application. The question for many students is: “How do I take all the work I have done and turn it into the marks I deserve?” The seminar examined what students need to do in the lead up to exams in order to be properly prepared. The seminar also covered a range of exam room skills used by top students in order to stay calm and stand-out.

Cross Country

We had the most glorious day for our Cross Country Carnival and it was wonderful to see the participation and the effort students put into the event.  The U16 Boys event deserves special mention.  Every U16 male competitor was present except one.  This was a great day for building sportsmanship but even more importantly in my opinion, was the school spirit it generated.  Thank you to parents for encouraging your child to get involved.

It was fabulous to see how close the competition came with only a few points separating the winning house.

Bell-free Environment

Except for the start and end of the day and breaks, the Secondary School is going bell-free. Teachers and students will be guided by preset alerts on their laptops or phones for end of lesson times. This is a common approach in other schools and is also used in universities. It is expected that it will take a short time to adjust and will then become the ‘new normal’. Less bells will make for a much more harmonious environment.

Coming Up….

Legacy Cup Challenge of the Minds – Thursday 21 May

We have a wonderful fun competition coming up on our Assembly in Week 6.  All students are required to support their house for this competition by wearing house shirts and sport uniform.  Students will be selected based on their academic results and will be challenge in a team competition to discover which house has the greatest minds!

Drug and Alcohol Education – Kerry-Anne de Jager (TechniTest)

On 18 May, a guest presenter from the company TechniTest will be coming to the College to address our Year 10 students. TechniTest go into work places and do alcohol and drug testing of employees.  Kerry-Anne will be talking to our students to ensure they are aware of the impact drugs can have on individuals and their ability to perform. If you want to know more about this organisation then please go to their website at www.technitest.org

Your assistance required….

I have written to all senior students to explain the need to be accountable for all school attendance. Students who miss roll-call must sign in otherwise we cannot account for their presence.  Likewise, any students who leave the grounds must be signed out by parents or students must provide a parental note giving permission to leave.  No students will be given permission to go into town to purchase food. Please ensure your child is aware of the importance of following these procedures as an unaccounted for student can have devastating results in the event of an emergency evacuation.

David Heyworth, Head of Senior School