MIDDLE SCHOOL
MS KATRINA STALKER HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
COMING TOGETHER WITH JOY AND RELIEF
RE-ESTABLISHING THE NURTURING MIDDLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY
CANVAS PAINTING BY YEAR 7 STUDENTS FOR DONATION TO A LOCAL RSL
There was a justified sense of relief as the boys returned to school in Term 4 , along with an appreciation of the need to bring them back together as a community after the challenging times they had experienced during the lockdowns .
The loss of routine , structure , friendship , opportunity and freedom has affected students in a variety of ways , different from the effect these phenomena have on adults .
Preparation for our return included developing lessons for the Middle School which promoted emotional wellbeing , resilience and recovery around the themes of self-efficacy , hope , gratitude and connectedness . Soon after the boys ’ return , we conducted some fun sporting games to enable them to reconnect in an environment outside the classroom .
Boys at Year 7 and Year 8 levels engaged in the games with great enthusiasm and exhibited good sportsmanship . Time was spent each week on the four themes during the forms ’ Pastoral Care Programs . The boys posted on a Padlet their stories about togetherness – how they were supported and how they supported others during the lockdowns .
They looked at ways of turning negative self-talk into positive self-talk , and the importance of this skill in overcoming feelings of helplessness and uncertainty . Each form devised ways to take care of others . It gave the boys a voice and showed them that their actions could make a difference . Form 8JE created a wonderful picture to donate to a local RSL club for Remembrance Day . In the spirit of connecting with the environment , the boys embraced Sustainability Day on 27 October .
The Man Cave workshops , which promote healthy and respectful relationships , were rescheduled from July until the return of Year 7 in October . Each form spent a day with a facilitator , providing the boys with a number of opportunities , including :
� realising that their daily challenges were widely shared , particularly during recovery from an extended lockdown ;
� building trust and mutual responsibility within the form group , to help develop their emotional toolkit
to deal with life ’ s challenges ; and
� developing the interpersonal skills that help them foster key relationships .
It was important for the boys to reengage in class with their teachers . This included re-establishing the boys ’ skills for learning in a school environment and rebuilding their confidence as learners , while reviewing and developing what they had learnt during remote learning .
During remote learning we had run a competition for ‘ acts of kindness ’. Henry Catford ( Year 7 ) won this inaugural competition for his kindness towards his great-aunt during lockdown .
On Remembrance Day , 11 November , as in past years Year 7 boys placed crosses and Magen Davids in the Quadrangle lawns for the Old Boys and staff members currently known to have died as a result of World War I or World War II . Lachlan Gumley and Edward Maxwell ( both of Year 7 ) laid the crosses which represented their relatives who had died as a result of war .
Many Middle School boys have thrived in various competitions held over the last few months . Witter Onggara and Alexander Artemov ( both of Year 8 ), Joshua Deng , Jerry Xia and William Cheah ( all of Year 7 ) have been invited to the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee School of Excellence . These students will be trained to contest a place in the team that represents Australia in the International Mathematics Olympiad . In addition , Yup Meng Quek and Tommy Chu ( both of Year 8 ) have been invited to the analogous Olympiad training program for Informatics . Our mathematicians also achieved very well in the Mathematical Association of Victoria Maths Games Day , achieving first and second places .
Witter Onggara ( Year 8 ) was awarded a ‘ Swannie ’ in the Debaters ’ Association of Victoria debating , Hawthorn region for 2021 ( at Year 9 level ). This is quite an amazing achievement for a Year 8 student .
Watching the boys ’ joy at returning to school and re-engaging with their studies and their friends made the finish of the school year most rewarding .
14 Great Scot Issue 164 – December 2021