As we head toward the halfway point in the academic year, there are a number of events that may cause a significant shift in the outlook of our students.
Students in Upper School sit examinations and receive feedback on their performance. For some students this will be a positive experience but for other students, this will be a time of challenge as they experience results not commensurate with their expectations. At the same time, students in Lower Secondary are preparing for their final semester one assessments and discussions will turn to the results and habits required as adequate preparation for the years ahead.
At this time, the challenge for many students is to maintain their optimism and confidence about their future. Developing a resilient hope for the future is a powerful tool for maintaining wellbeing. Researchers tell us that optimism and hope is a strength that can be learned and developed.
Dr Justin Coulson, Honorary Fellow at the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne advises that much needed hope will grow in response to three things:
- A vision or goal;
- Pathways towards that goal; and
- Agency, which is a belief that by taking action, the stated goal can be achieved.
With these three clear steps in mind, there are three relatively simple practices we can put in place to build hope into young people and to continue to foster optimism for the future.
- Build a future focus
Engage young people in discussions about their goals and possible futures. Ask questions such as; “What do you want to achieve and why?”. Have them imagine their potential best selves. Talk to them about what they’re looking forward to, or ask them what they want to have, do and be in the future.
- Work with them on plans and pathways
Having identified a stated goal be encouraging and then ask questions such as
“What do you need to get there?”. Discuss pathways, options and possibilities.
Thinking about the future is important but it should be accompanied by then making plans. A stated plan of action is central in fostering optimism and hope.
- Promote agency:
When young people get “stuck” rather than giving them an answer to get them through, we can ask; “What do you think is the next best thing to do?” or perhaps
“When have you overcome something like this before?”
These types of questions promote a sense of agency; a confidence that I am able to make things happen. Rather than having our children rely on us for all the answers, they can rely on themselves, their resourcefulness and initiative. They can recall times they have previously succeeded and use that experience to build hope that they can succeed again.
What matters is that we give our children the chance to talk about these ideas. It is important for young people to feel like they are progressing in the right direction. An optimistic view of the future is the beginning of true hopefulness.
Dr Coulson states:
“There is nothing more useful in inoculating young people against depression, anxiety and hopelessness then encouraging hope. Helping them see that there is something to look forward to may be the single most important thing we do each day. Having someone by their side who really cares, and who helps them use their strengths, find the good in their lives and look forward to the future can be all it takes to help them move towards greater resilience and wellbeing.”
Stephen Meagher (Deputy Head of Secondary)
ACC NETBALL CARNIVAL
On 13 May the senior girls attended the ACC one day carnival at Mathews Netball Centre. After 3 hard games they worked their way to the grand final match for their pool. It was a challenging game, and they came back from 8 points down with a victorious 2-point win. The girls were outstanding both on and off the court, showed plenty of sportsmanship and were the loudest cheer squad on the day. Bring on the next elimination round as we battle for our spot to be the next ACC overall champs. Stay tuned for more info about how you can support our girls battle it out.
Steph Ransom
ACC SOCCER CARNIVAL
On 13 May the Senior Soccer Team participated in the ACC Champion Soccer group fixtures coming up against a number of highly fancied and specialist Soccer Schools from around the State. Despite a number of Year 10’s stepping in to fill the void of those on exam duties the students were competitive all day and fought hard against the older, more experienced opponents.
The day started with an impressive win coming in the form of a penalty shoot out against St. Andrew’s. Young keeper Alistair Bright pulled off a number of fantastic saves to secure the victory.
The toils of the footy game the previous evening was catching up with some of the boys with more than a handful battling through injury and cramp for the remainder of the three games.
Despite falling short in these games, the battle, will and competitive spirit was very impressive from all the boys.
A special mention must go out to those year 10 boys who embraced the step up and played against bigger bodies all day.
Jordan Torquato
PHOTO HENDRIKS
The A5 Photo ID Book is now available to view and purchase on the schools Web Gallery.
To access the gallery, follow the below procedure:
- Click on the St Stephen’s School – Carramar Secondary logo
- Enter password : kada29
If you have any queries, please contact Customer Service at customerservice@photohendriks.com.au
TRANSPERTH ROUTE 390 BUS SERVICE ROUTE CHANGE
With increased residential development in north-east Banksia Grove as well as the impending completion of the local road network, Transperth proposes to realign the Route 390 bus service onto its long term route previously planned in consultation with the local land developer and Local Government Authority. The proposal involves removing the service from Viridian Drive and extending all trips from Joondalup Drive to Forever Boulevard via Elderiana Link and Grandis Boulevard.
There are no changes proposed to frequency or operating hours. However Transperth does plan to introduce additional deviations to Joseph Banks Secondary College increasing capacity, while also providing more direct access to and from the School.
The opportunity to provide feedback on these changes can be found via the following link: https://www.mysaytransport.wa.gov.au/proposed-extension-route-390.
The consultation period for this change has opened today and will close at 5.00pm Monday 7th June 2021. After this date, Transperth will analyse the feedback received and make changes to the proposal accordingly.
COOK UP FOR SALVATION ARMY
Dear Parents, I am hosting a volunteer cooking event after school on Thursday June 10. Previously parents and staff joined together to cook meals for the Salvation Army to provide to people in our community living in hardship. The produce is kindly donated by Second Bite. To make it speedy and efficient, those participants who own a Thermomix can bring their device along and those who do not have one, we will team up with an owner of a device. Last cook up we produced 70+ meals. If you would like to join in with the fun and help those in need, please contact me direct on my email: donna.lund@ststephens.wa.edu.au
Donna Lund (Service Learning Coordinator)
