Middle Senior School Communications, 10 October 2024

Term 4 - Week 2

Term 4 - Week 4

21 Oct - 12 Nov:  Yr 12 QCAA Exams

Future Dates

Saturday 02 Nov:  Yr 10 Celebration

04 Nov – 08 Nov: Yr 10 Work Experience

Important Dates

Thursday 7 Nov:  CPA Soiree / Calvary Sport Awards

Friday 15 Nov:  Year 12 Final Chapter / Graduation

Thursday 28 Nov:  7-11 Awards Service 

A note from the Head of Middle and Senior School (Mr Wilson)

Dear Parents and Carers

How are you preparing your child to be an independent adult at the age of 18?

In Week 4 our Year 12 students will start their external examinations and then engage in some concluding activities before we celebrate and farewell them at their Valedictory service on November 15. They enter the Valedictory service as our students and leave that service having completed school – essentially this is one of the milestones to adulthood.

I enjoy reading material by psychologist and author Judith Locke (she is Brisbane-based and supports lots of Australian schools), and the above question is one she often poses to her audience. She has just published an excellent new book with another psychologist (Danielle Einstein) titled Raising Anxiety. It’s a thoughtful read that I would recommend to all parents. As a teacher, my response to the above question is ‘of course we prepare students for independence – that is what we are about – helping students gain increasing independence and equipping them to know what to do when they don’t know what to do’. However, as a parent, I find that question much more confronting and it leaves me reflecting on what habits I am teaching/modelling to my children, how often I am disadvantaging them by solving a problem on their behalf and it leaves me questioning what my intentional strategies are to help my children be independent by the age of 18.

Obviously, given the cost of living crisis and the state of the world in general, many of young people will live at home and get some assistance well past the age of 18, although it is worth noting that legally they can make all their own decisions from that age, and as much as we love our children, we do want them to have their own life independent from us at some point in the future.

Perhaps the hardest challenge to accept is that we must choose times (discerningly as adults) to let our children fail, fall over, and experience inconvenience – why? Because, we can’t be there forever to help them through life’s problems. We need to equip them to know and experience:

• that they can fail, reflect, and then persevere to have a better chance at succeeding,
• that after they fall over, they can dust themselves off and get back up and keep going,
• and that inconvenience is a temporary experience that they can survive.

Ultimately, facing difficulties, and not fleeing difficulties, helps us build the ‘muscle memory’ needed to persevere and be resilient in times of trial. For our students at school, some of the best opportunities they have to develop these characteristics is at our camping programs, which is why they are so important to attend. Beyond that, the challenge to those of us who are parents is finding the right balance between saving our children from problems and giving them opportunities to experience and solve their own problems. Here are a few questions, that you are welcome to ponder with me:

• What habits am I modelling to my children about how to confront difficult situations in life?
• When do I need to step in and help my children and when should I leave them to sort their problem out independently of me?
• What’s the worst that could happen if I don’t ‘save’ them in this situation?
• How can I support them to build character, perseverance and resilience through/after a difficult situation?
• What could they learn if I don’t step in and save them from this situation?
• What situations are they not developmentally equipped to sort out themselves without adult intervention?
• How can I support them to build character, perseverance, and resilience through/after a difficult situation?
• What is my stepped-out plan to increase their independence between their current age and 18?
• How do I respond to difficult people and what do I model to them in terms of the manner in which I respond to difficult people?
• What am I teaching them about the world beyond home and school and what skills am I giving them to face this world and ideally flourish in this world?
• How am I preparing my children to be independent adults from the age of 18?

Mr Josh Wilson
Head of Middle & Senior School & Innovative Learning Design

General Notices from Mr Arraiol (Head of Wellbeing and Culture)

Term 4 co-curricular and extra-curricular activities are well underway, and we encourage all students to make the most of these opportunities to enhance their experience at the College. These activities allow students to develop new skills, make friends, and become more involved in our school community. We urge all students who have not yet joined a program to review the Term 4 co-curricular timetable and consider doing so.

Uniform Expectations
Maintaining a professional appearance is a fundamental skill that prepares students for the workforce, where they will likely need to adhere to dress codes and appearance standards. Recently, we have noticed some of our Middle and Senior School students not meeting the College's expectations, particularly regarding wearing excessive make-up (such as eyeliner or mascara), false eyelashes, incorrect socks and incorrect jewelry items.

We have emailed all students this morning about the need to meet the expected guidelines for uniform and informed them that they have until Monday to make the necessary adjustments to their appearance. From Monday onwards, students who do not comply—especially those wearing false eyelashes or excessive make-up—will be required to correct their appearance on-site or be sent home. Adhering to our uniform policy not only fosters a sense of pride in our College community but also reinforces the importance of professionalism that will serve them well in their future careers.

Thank you for your support in helping us prepare students for success both here at the College and in their future workplaces.

Cafe Specials - Week 3 Term 4

General Notices

Year 12 Valedictory Service

Coming Up Events @ Calvary

Our current College events can be found on our website: https://www.calvarycc.qld.edu.au/events/