Week 7, Term 3 2021

‘The aim of argument, or discussion, should not be victory, but progress’ (Karl Popper)

Finding the truth from the myriad of sources of information we now have, is not as straight forward as we would all like. “Fake News” and misinformation is seemingly found everywhere. This inevitably means that we encounter people with differences of opinion.

Whilst, having differences of opinion is not necessarily an issue, what happens after that might be.  It is inevitable that we will be involved in arguments, and I believe that it is important for our students to witness these, and importantly, know how they should be handled.

As parents and teachers, we are role-models, and our kids learn most from what they see and hear so we have an important impact on how our kids behave in similar situations.

Jonathon Herring who wrote a book on How to Argue, states.

They needn’t be about shouting or imposing your will on someone. A good argument shouldn’t involve screaming, squabbling or fistfights, even though too often it does. Shouting matches are rarely beneficial to anyone. Arguments, and for that matter discussions, should be about seeing things through the other person’s eyes. They should lead to a better understanding of another person’s view.”

A summary of his tips which I think are helpful includes:

  • Know your stuff – there is no quicker way to sound ignorant if you don’t really know the details.
  • When to argue and when to walk away – sometimes it’s healthier to walk away than to get into a heated debate or when people are simply not open to listening.
  • What to say and how to say it – your body language and language should be respectful.
  • Listen – If you’re not listening to the other person and addressing their statements, you’ll just keep making your same points over and over. The other person won’t agree with those, and the argument quickly becomes frustrating.

And lastly,

  • Know what you want – humiliating, embarrassing or upsetting the other person might make you feel good at the time, but the reality is, nobody wins from that outcome.

Ultimately, we want our kids to grow up as thoughtful, intelligent, loving people who are willing to hear other thoughts, and be happy to share theirs in a respectful manner. This is not always an easy thing for us as adults to stick to, let alone for our kids, but is certainly something we should be helping them to develop.

Mark Batten (Dean of Makaria)

YEAR 11 RIVER CRUISE

On Friday 27 August our Year 11’s and a number of dedicated staff got creative and attended the annual River Cruise . The students were fantastically behaved and hit the dance floor hard most of the night.

Mark Batten

THE LESTER PRIZE’S YOUTH COMPETITION

Thirty high school-aged children from around Australia have been chosen as finalists in The Lester Prize’s Youth competition – WA’s premier portraiture prize.  Formally known as the Black Swan Prize for Portraiture, this award is now in its fifteenth year.

The Youth finalist works will be on display at Brookfield Place’s Tower 2, 123-125 St Georges Terrace Perth from 18 Oct – 12 Nov 2021 as part of The Lester Prize Youth Awards Exhibition, with the winners announced on 27 October 2021.

Congratulations to Heather McAllan – Year 12 who has been chosen as a finalist.

INTERHOUSE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Congratulations to the 2021 winners of the Senior Athletics Carnival. – Charis House. It was a very close win with only 6 points between first and second place. It was a fantastic day enjoyed by all and students represented their houses with pride by dressing up and cheering on their fellow team mates. Individual results are as follows.

 

BADMINTON COMPETITION

On Friday 3 September the Yr 7,8 and 9 badminton team competed in the SSWA competition at Kingsway. All performed well and had a great day.

Adam Dwyer

YEAR 7 & 8 REC PROGRAM

Horticultural Club: also known as the GTG (Green thumb Gang)

The results of our Woolworths seed packs are self-evident. We have started to produce vegetables. The first group have been through and now the second group are preparing our Summer Harvest. Weird looking carrots aside everyone is having fun.

Rob Crewe

SYNTHESIS FILM COMPETITION 2021

Inspired by the latest clip on your socials? Love how imagery can tell a story? Attend a Secondary School in WA? Why not showcase your creativity by entering a short film in the much-anticipated Synthesis Arts, Design and Technologies Exhibition. More information about the Synthesis Film Festival is available at www.synthesisfilmfestival.com.au

AUSTRALIAN ARMY CADETS

The Australian Army Cadets (AAC) is a leading national youth development organisation, upholding the character and values of the Australian Army including service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence. We are aimed at young people aged between 12 – 17 years old, as long as they turn 13 in the same year as joining.

The Australian Army Cadets is an equal opportunity organisation that does not discriminate on the ground of race, colour, sex or religion.

It is a program designed to help youth develop their confidence whilst experiencing adventurous training activities conducted in a supportive, safe, supervised and challenging military setting. We teach leadership, survival, drill, first aid, radio, navigation and fieldcraft skills in both practical and theoretical environments. These skills transfer to building individual resilience, leadership, self-discipline and teamwork skills, which are essential in today’s society in order to become better citizens and prepare our young people for adult life.

There are more than 18,000 Army cadets based in 236 units around Australia. 53 ACU is based at Wanneroo Secondary College and is one of the 236 units. It is the biggest unit in Western Australia with more than 70 male and female cadets across all ages and from multiple schools in the area. We parade on Wednesday evenings from 6pm until 9.30pm.

For more information about the Australian Army Cadets please visit http://www.armycadets.gov.au

Contact Jaxon Broad, Cadet Under Officer at 53acu@armycadets.gov.au or alternatively you can contact Captain (AAC) Rebecca Moroney the Commanding Officer of 53 ACU Wanneroo at Rebecca.Moroney1@armycadets.gov.au or 0422 164 867.

St Stephen’s School has no affiliation with this company and the post is simply an ad for their services if required

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