The Year 11 students have begun Term 3 with great enthusiasm after an enjoyable three week holiday. The term ahead is a busy one, with lots of assessments. Term 3 also sees the election of our 2019 leaders. This process has already begun and the Year 11s have submitted their letters of application. All positions of responsibility will be announced to the School community by the end of Term 3.

Malvern Emergency Food Program

The Years 8 and 11 students have been collecting food donations for the Malvern Emergency Food Program. The students have supported the program by donating non-perishable food items, such as pasta, pasta sauce, tinned soup, tinned tuna, cereal and long life milk. Food parcels provide a practical way to help families facing a temporary crisis. Parcels are distributed through the Malvern Police, Wairoa Community Mental Health Services and Moira Homeless Youth Accommodation Service. Unfortunately, the demand for food parcels continues to grow in the Stonnington area and I thank the students wholeheartedly for their generous food donations to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Blue Jumpers

Last week the Year 11 students tried on their blue jumpers for 2019. This has been a time of great excitement in my office and a reminder that Year 12 for these students is not too far away.

Opportunity for Year 11 Students – SONY Camp

The Year 11 cohort have an opportunity available to them in December this year. The SONY Camp is a holiday camp for children with disabilities, allowing respite for them and their family just before Christmas time. This camp represents the gift of giving at Christmas. The children, or campers as they are known, are aged between six and 15 years.

This year the camp will run for three days from Friday 14 December to Sunday 16 December at Scotch College. Two schools are involved, St Catherine’s School and Scotch College. This is the first time St Catherine’s has been involved and we are indeed very excited to participate in a life changing and memorable experience.

Each school will provide 16 students where, during this time they will be asked to look after a camper day and night. It will be a time of joy, with singing, swimming, picnics, games and parties. It will be a challenging time with responsibility and hard physical work. The camp is sponsored by SONY Australia. The program is supported by volunteer teachers, doctors and nurses from both St Catherine’s and Scotch for the duration of the camp.

Guest Speakers

Over the past three weeks, Year 11 students have had the opportunity to listen to some very engaging and influencing speakers, namely Paul Dillon, Director and founder of Drug and Alcohol Research Training Australia (DARTA), and James Lynch, a recognised leader in interview skills coaching.

Paul Dillon spoke to the students about the risks associated with alcohol use for young people and briefly touched upon the topic of cannabis. He outlined potential harms associated with cannabis, with a particular emphasis on its impact on mental health. Students were given some warning signs to look out for in friends who may be experiencing problems with their cannabis use. The presentation also examined the impact of alcohol on the adolescent brain.

James Lynch addressed the students on interview skills. Some of the areas of conversation were the interview process itself, having an appropriate email address, creating a targeted CV and what to include, how to sell yourself, the importance of volunteer or community work and developing your soft skills. James also spoke about the five Ps – Proper Planning Prevents Poor Practice. Perhaps the most important message from James was that life is not a dress rehearsal, your future is in your hands.

I finish my article with some beautiful photos taken of the Year 11s at the House Athletics in the last week of Term 2.