Mid-year wrap up

marie.hoy / / 2024

In this newsletter:

  • Principal’s message,
  • Community spirit,
  • A message from Ms Dunn,
  • A farewell from Dr Criddle
  • Parenting tip from Dean of Carana, Stuart Gale,
  • Highlights from around the campus,
  • Community notices,
  • Dates for your diary,

Principal’s message

It has been a busy and fulfilling term for us all at St Stephen’s School. After starting the term literally with a bang when we achieved our goal of attaining the world record for most confetti cannons launched simultaneously, our students have gone on to some excellent achievements in the Arts, interhouse and inter-school sports and we have supported our senior students through the first round of major exams of 2024. 

On Monday we are looking forward to officially opening our brand-new, state-of-the-art Science building although I’m sure you’ve heard from your children about the fantastic features and the beautiful spaces in the new building. These new facilities have already sparked scientific interest and enabled a range of experiments not previously possible.  

We’re also releasing tickets for The Addams Family on Monday, so I encourage you to book your tickets quickly to avoid disappointment and come along to support our incredibly talented performers from both campuses. You will receive an email from me on Monday morning so keep an eye out for that. 

Thank you to all our staff for their commitment to coaching, rehearsals, extra academic support and running retreats and excursions which enrich the lives of our students and help to make our school community a vibrant one. 

I trust that you all will enjoy a happy, safe and peaceful mid-year break. We look forward to welcoming you all back for Term 3. 

Take care and God bless,
Donella Beare – Principal

Community spirit 

One of our students, Darcy Metcalf, was involved in a life-changing car accident in 2023. He spent four months in Royal Perth Hospital and is currently undergoing intensive rehabilitation in Fiona Stanley Hospital. His recovery is slow but progressing. He’s reached a point where he’s nearly ready to be home with his family, and his medical team are working towards discharging him within the next eight weeks. Chailee Richards, a close family friend has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money for renovations to the family home that will accommodate Darcy’s wheelchair and future independence. Please keep Darcy in your prayers, and visit his Go Fund Me page to contribute in any way you can. Thank you on behalf of Darcy, his family and his great support network. 

Ms Dunn’s Digest

Mindsets matter!
Latest research states that a student’s mindset has significant influence on their levels of attainment in Mathematics, reading, Science and more. Students who possess ‘motivation calibration’ can identify what motivation looks like in everyday life and are most likely to succeed.

It is important to note ‘motivation calibration’ is different to ‘motivation’.  Students who self-identified as “wanting to be the best and wanting top grades” scored only 5% higher than those who did not.

What does motivation calibration actually look like?  It means to consistently do more than what is expected and always completing tasks to a high standard and then calibrating to this norm to improve study habits. Students with good motivation calibration scored 13% higher in their results.

Having a growth mindset and a sense of belonging has a positive effect on student outcomes.  Utilising self-regulation strategies and perseverance improves mindsets and is a promising way to support achievement and help students attain their personal best.

Recharge time!
At this time of the term students have been involved in exams or completing assessments and managing an increased workload. With the upcoming term break this is a timely reminder for our families to recalibrate and to be intentional in being in the present moment.

We can practice this by sitting quietly and tuning into our body or just breathing, or more actively practice through walking, mindful listening or through prayer. Research has shown the flow on benefits include increased resilience, concentration, and ability to learn.

There are also several apps that can be helpful to practice being mindful. Some recommendations are ‘Headspace’ and ‘Smiling Mind’. They provide listening activities of various lengths and can be listened to before starting homework, study or going to sleep.

Holidays are an opportunity to re-set, too!

Some quick tips to help maximise study

  • Eliminate all distractions such as mobile phones, TV and access to sites such as Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.
  • Keep the house quiet during study time.
  • Provide good lighting, cool temperatures, and a desk with a supportive chair.
  • Keep the workspace neat and clear of clutter.
  • Maintain an upright posture while studying.

 

Good organisation habits of successful learners to discuss with your children include:

  • Recording regular commitments and upcoming work set in advance.
  • Scheduling work to help keep workloads in perspective and prevent tasks being suddenly due or overwhelmingly large.
  • Making to do lists and crossing items off to provide a feeling of accomplishment.
  • Chunking tasks into small sections to complete.
  • Seeking clarification from a teacher when a task is not completely clear, well in advance of the due date.

Wishing you all a safe and rejuvenating break with your families and looking forward to your return for Term 3.

Rosemarie Dunn – Head of Campus

Farewell from Dr Criddle

My time at St Stephen’s School is coming to an end this term, and I will miss this community dearly. It has been a privilege to be part of this incredible school and to contribute to its story.

I have a lengthy history here. My first ever teaching role, as a brand-new graduate, was at Duncraig campus back in the mid-1990s. I held many roles in my first teaching position such as teacher, instigator of inter-school debating, CAS Coach, Head of Department, and founding staff member at Carramar – one of the first staff to work cross-campus. I left SSS to expand my career and enjoy opportunities at other schools across Australia.

When I returned to St Stephen’s ten years ago, wonderful reconnections were made. In particular the opportunity to work K-12 acro

ss all five of our sites with all our staff (both teaching and non-teaching) as the inaugural Director of Teaching and Learning was fantastic. There have been colleagues who I taught, parents I taught enrolling their children and alumni returning to contribute. While no place is perfect, the number of people choosing to reconnect with the school is significant, and reflective of why I returned. In total I have worked nearly 18 years of my career here and have never been stagnant, have always enjoyed the challenges.

This is a school with a culture that supports “giving it a go”. Our students are all-too familiar with my mantra which is for all to have a growth mindset – to approach tasks with curiosity, give your best, and understand that if you are struggling there will always be a strategy to assist. We are part of a school community that supports and enables this, understanding that we are all connected and want to belong.

As an educator, I often don’t see the wonderful ongoing effects and results until much later when an ex-student returns to tell their story or when I am lucky enough to bump into them elsewhere. We are curating the future and creating possibility every day, with a long-term view to the potential of every student and staff member.

In farewell, I offer this reflective prayer that I presented at a recent devotion. It holds much meaning for me.

I wish all in our community the very best for the future possibilities ahead.

Liz Criddle – Deputy Head of Secondary – Teaching & Learning

Parenting tip

In this edition we thank Dean of Carana, Stuart Gale, for sharing his insights and experiences relating to social media, technology and teens.

As we all know, technology plays a huge role in our lives and most of the time for the better. However, we do know that teenagers can struggle to regulate their own screen time and need assistance and guidance in managing their online interactions, and whether they know it or not (or even like it or not) they actually do need us to help keep them safe online.

As a parent of three teenagers myself, I am all too aware of the influence technology can have in our homes and on the lives of our kids. In my own home, we have had to address our use of mobile phones and computers and put strategies in place to help keep our kids safe online.

Social media
There are potential dangers online that many teenagers come across daily. Social media can be a huge part of a teenager’s daily life, and used well it can be beneficial, but there are many traps kids can fall into.

The impulse to obsessively check Snapchat and achieve ‘streaks’ can be a pressure for our kids, the constant ‘ping’ of notifications coming through at all times of the day or night can lead to anxiety and interrupt regular sleep patterns. Location and privacy can be problematic if the settings aren’t managed carefully.

The internet
The internet can be all pervading in our homes if we let it and so it is helpful for us as parents to be aware of what our kids are watching and participating in.

Pornography is all too easy for our kids to access. In a recent Australian study of 15–29-year-olds, 100% of boys and young men and 82% of girls and young women reported ever viewing pornography. The median age for first exposure was 13 years for boys and 16 for girls. Clearly, the young people in our care are certainly in that ‘at risk’ phase so we must be vigilant.

Online gaming
Gaming can also be of concern for some of our kids. Games are becoming more violent and more realistic in their violence, and sexual references and nudity regularly appear in video games that our children can access. Exposure to racist, misogynistic, and extreme perspectives are concerning, especially when teenagers don’t yet have the tools to analyse these ideas.

What can we do?
In the context of these issues, an important first question is whether we are comfortable with devices being in our kids’ bedrooms outside of our direct supervision. I encourage you to think carefully about this one, and to make the call and remove them if you are concerned. Your kids may not like this to begin with, but it will help them, and the whole household, in the long run.

Fortunately, there is a lot of help and advice available to parents. Of course, we must work with our kids to educate them and keep them safe at the same time.

There are also safeguards we, as parents can apply to our kids’ computers and phones to restrict certain content, turn off the device at night, and restrict what is watched or downloaded.

Below are some links to guide you through the process of setting up safeguards on your child’s device whether they have an Apple or Android device.

If you have an iPhone or Apple computer, you can use Apple screen time:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphb0c7313c9/ios

https://support.apple.com/en-au/108806

Family sharing lets you set up permissions for your child’s Apple device from your own device:

https://support.apple.com/en-au/108380

Microsoft family safety for Microsoft devices:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/microsoft-365/family-safety

For Android mobile devices:

https://families.google/familylink/

Parental control apps

There are also many apps that parents can download onto our own phones to set up safeguards on a teen’s device.

https://www.techradar.com/best/best-parental-control-app-of-year

https://au.pcmag.com/parental-control-monitoring/44998/the-best-parental-control-software

https://www.safewise.com/au/best-parental-control-apps-software/

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/parental-controls

We urge you to seriously consider applying these, regardless of how well it appears your teen is using technology. I use these with my own kids not because I don’t trust them, but because I know the world they live in can be extremely difficult to navigate. There are temptations and pressures in their world that we just didn’t have when we were kids and it’s our responsibility to help them work through these pressures as best they can. It’s not about trust, it’s about guarding their minds and their hearts.

If you have any questions or would like some further guidance in any of these matters please don’t hesitate to be in contact with your teen’s Dean of House or Campus leadership team. As the saying goes, ‘we’re all in this together’ so if we can work in partnership our children can only be better off.

Stuart Gale – Dean of Carana, Duncraig campus
(on behalf of the Deans at Carramar and Duncraig)

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE CAMPUS

Class of 2024 Year 12 Retreat
Thanks to Amelie van Wyk for sharing her thoughts about Retreat on behalf of the Class of 2024. Many thanks to all our staff who made Retreat a memorable experience for all our students.

“Last week, the Year 12’s retreated away for the last time to Swan Valley Adventure Centre, and for many, myself included, it served as an outlet and an opportunity for real reflection on our final moments of high school and the years gone by. For many, having spent their whole schooling from kindy all the way to year 12 at St Stephen’s, this year group holds specific importance and many nostalgic memories. Over the course of the stay, we were given the choice of many activities such as knitting, breath work, a highly coveted commando course, mindful colouring, grid-iron, and an Among Us adjacent/inspired game of Ms Dean’s creation to name a few. As well as this, we were given the opportunity in small groups to discuss things pertaining to life beyond school, finding motivation and appreciating the strength and love we all realize from our family unit. To end each full day on a high, we were treated to a quiz night full of laughs and surprisingly a rendition of Billie Jean, complete with dance moves, as well as a final night of social dancing. Finally, the year group crammed into the quaint little church on the property for a beautiful service complete with inspiring words from teachers, performances from the music students, and personal words shared by individual students to their year group, and safe to say, there were very few dry eyes in the room. This retreat was a very important and meaningful experience for the cohort, and served as a memorable closing farewell and acknowledgement of our time spent together and the time to come where we will be apart and carrying on with our lives.” Amelie.

Rookie Debating Grand Final
In last week’s Rookie Debating Grand Final “The Point Provers” in the affirmative took on “The Debating Dynamos” in the negative on the topic “Should Australia implement a four-day school week?”  After a well-argued debate, The Debating Dynamos took the honours. Congratulations to the best debater on the day, Eli Lawson, Year 6 best debater, Poppy Gilbert, Year 7 best debater and Grand Final Chairperson, Elliot Wright (pictured right). Thanks to our staff and Year 11s Jacob Atkinson and Victoria Hill for their guidance and support of our Rookie Debaters!

ACC Cross-country update
We’re incredibly proud of our ACC Cross-country team. After months of gruelling preparation we are proud that our female team was placed fourth overall with St Stephen’s School Duncraig placing ninth overall out of 84 schools. We also had some fantastic individual honours with Emma Hill- Year 7 (ninth), Willow Potter – Year 10 (ninth), Isabella Heathcote – Year 11 (second). Congratulations to all our runners and thanks to our HPE staff for their training and mentoring support. We’ve just heard, too, that Isabella (pictured centre) has been named in the School Sport WA Cross-country team which will be travelling to Melbourne to compete in the National event in August. Good luck, Isabella! 

Career Expo and University Interviews

Representatives from over 50 organisations came together for our 2024 Careers Expo. Hundreds of students and parents from both Carramar and Duncraig campuses were able to ask questions about courses, occupations, career pathways and business opportunities for their future.  We were especially blessed to have some of our parents presenting on behalf of their workplaces and industries. Everyone walked away with information to support their future career decision plans.

Despite torrential rain on Thursday 6 June, over 50 students and their parents from Years 10-12 came to the library after school to have individual meetings with representatives from Universities and North Metro TAFE. Students and parents were able to ask questions about specific areas of interest and alternate pathways to courses such as engineering, medicine and physiotherapy. It was fantastic for students to be reassured that there are many options available to them. They were all encouraged to continue to get the best possible marks that they can – whether that was ATAR or General courses – as that was the best way to ensure there were options for them when they finish Year 12. Everyone who attended appreciated the opportunity to get advice that was specific to their own pathway and abilities.

2024 Inter-house Surfing results

Some great surfing was on display last week during our Interhouse Surfing Competition! Congratulations to all involved and a huge thank you to our HPE staff, Chelsea Unwin and Sean Nugent for their coordination of a fantastic day.

 

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Train with AFL pros
Calling all footy players aged 14-17! Join the Athletic Institute to train like the pros with football skills from AFL player Elijah Hewett, mindset training by premiership player Mark Hutchings and fitness testing benchmarked to AFL standards and more! Don’t miss this chance to elevate your game, book now at https://athleticinstitute.com.au/ 

 

Do you have any old glasses sitting around at home?
As part of our Service Learning tour to Vietnam in January 2025, one of the organisations we are partnering with, Hearts for Hue, have informed us that they would sincerely appreciate any donations of old reading glasses. We have placed a collection box in Secondary Student Services at Duncraig, and Student Services at Carramar for you to drop in any old, unwanted glasses. Thank you for your support!

Dates for your diary

Remember you can always visit the St Stephen’s School calendar for key dates

  • Friday 28 June – last day of Term 2
  • Monday 22 July – first day of Term 3 – winter uniform