From the Leader of Learning Wellbeing Year 11

Term 1 has been a jam-packed and incredible start to the year for our Year 11 students. As the students commenced the first term of their senior studies it has been wonderful to hear lots of positive feedback from the staff about the commitment and dedication of Year 11 students and their willingness to challenge themselves and set goals in each of their subjects. Although at times students found it difficult to balance classwork, assessments and home learning tasks; they have risen to the challenge and have come to understand the importance of putting in the work in order to achieve success. A reminder to all students that it is crucial for them to read through the feedback they receive from their teachers and apply these comments and strategies to their future work. I’ve enjoyed seeing and hearing about lots of the different activities students have been getting up to in class . From beep tests in PDHPE, simulated archaeological digs in Ancient History and coastal site excursions in Geography - keep up the great work!

There have been many events this term which have highlighted the outstanding talents and participation of our year 11 students. There have been great fundraising activities that have been led by the students including Valentines Day for Vinnies and the Project Compassion fundraisers that many Learning Groups organised. I would also like to commend the students who elected to participate as competitors in the Swimming Carnival: Jasmine Zolerick, Marcus Domingo, Viktoria Vidovic and Ethan France - in particular, congratulations to Marcus and Viktoria who made it through to the PDSSSC carnival. We have also had many other Year 11 students compete in various sporting events such as the PDSSSC Touch Gala Day and the MCS Basketball tournament and PDSSSC Basketball Gala Day - well done to the boys basketball team for being silver medalists in both tournaments. Congratulations to all these students who tried out for teams and participated in these tournaments. We have also had Year 11 students representing the College in the CSDA Public Speaking Competition - congratulations to Chegutdit Deng, Wasim Rahman and Aditi Pal for their fantastic speeches. This week’s Jazz night was a wonderful way to end the term and showcased so many amazing performances from our Year 11 musicians and singers. I was blown away by the talent that was on the display and the dedication and commitment to your art! 

A major highlight of this term for Year 11 was the Retreat. Each house was sent to a different location where they participated in various activities and discussions about their journey so far in life, their connection and relationship with God and to build upon their spiritual journey. I was able to attend the Retreat with the Gould house and had a fantastic time watching the students participate in all the activities and be open and honest with each other in their discussions. From the feedback given by the staff and students at the other venues it was clear that the students had a very enjoyable time and were a joy to take out on this experience. Thank you to Mr Clarke, Ms Kalifa, Ms Desira and Mr Loyola for your leadership and organisation of the various Retreats. 

In our wellbeing lessons this term we have touched on some really important areas to help students begin to manage their goals and pathways to success. Our first wellbeing lesson was based around ‘soaring with our strengths’ where students used the VIA Character Strength survey to identify their top strength and understand how to use this to their advantage. We then created a wonderful display of Year 11 soaring with their strength. This term we have also covered some important information from Ms May about the ATAR and NESA, as well as practicing some mindfulness strategies. Finishing our wellbeing lessons this term, the SRC led a trivia session for Teamwork Week which had the Learning Groups working together as a team to compete for the glory of Trivia Champs - congratulations to C21 who earned their title and prize!

It has been a wonderful term and I am so proud of all of the effort Year 11 has put into their coursework and extracurricular activities. I hope that you all have a Blessed Easter and a relaxing and rewarding break with your families. It is a chance to catch up on any work and prepare study notes of your Term 1 units so that you can start fresh and ready for the commencement of Term 2. 

Take care of yourselves and each other.

Miss Emily Pett

Leader of Learning Wellbeing - Year 11