Stress Management

Early in the term, the Year 12 students enjoyed a presentation from Sacha Kaluri of The Motivational Company, on how to manage their stress. It was a timely presentation, with the Year 12 students completing their school assessed coursework at the end of this term in preparation for their final examinations.

Sacha discussed the following strategies to help reduce stress:

• Meditation
• Write journal entries
• Scream
• Cry
• Reward yourself
• Sleep
• Exercise
• Do not leave things to the last minute
• Leave the situation
• Breathe – it gives you oxygen
• Make a ‘to-do’ list
• Watch YouTube clips on self-help strategies
• Have fun
• Study for 50 minutes, have a break for 10 minutes. Ensure when you have a break, you physically get up and do something, you will retain 30 per cent more.

Drug and Alcohol Presentation

On Wednesday 14 August, the Year 12 students enjoyed a thought provoking presentation from Paul Dillon, founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia. Paul’s annual drug and alcohol presentations at St Catherine’s School provide our students with the latest research and advice on these topics.

The Year 12 presentation covered the topic: ‘Last year at school: What do I need to know about alcohol and other drugs?’. To ensure that young drivers are as prepared as possible, information about drink driving and the process of random breath testing as well as roadside or mobile drug testing was provided. Some basic facts about ecstasy/MDMA were also discussed, including the impact that being caught with an illicit substance can have on a young person’s life, as well as the importance of seeking help as quickly as possible should something go wrong.

The Year 12 cohort with Paul Dillon, founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia.

The Year 12 feedback following Paul’s presentation has been overwhelmingly favourable and we trust that the girls have gleaned invaluable insights, providing them with practical advice to stay healthy and safe.

Mental Health Awareness Week

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Year 12 Holmes Kilbride, led by Lulu Murrell, organised a number of fun and interactive activities. The dodgeball game between the Year 12 students and staff was a highlight, with the game, at times, becoming quite competitive! It was a wonderful way for students and staff to participate in some exercise and have fun at lunchtime in the School Hall. I would like to thank the following staff for their participation: Mr Fiachra Barry, Mr Stephen Brown, Mr Bradley Hicks, Mr James Brown, Ms Asuko Okumura, Ms Elaina Cortez, Mrs Virginia Midgley, Ms Kate Fitzgerald, Miss Kristy Forrest and Mr John Novak.

The Year 12 students participated in a game of dodgeball with staff as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Other activities also included a dad joke competition and writing positive affirmations on the Library wall and in the cafeteria. It was a very worthwhile week of activities, giving students time to reflect on their mental health.

Students wrote positive affirmations on the Library wall as part of Mental Health Awareness Week.

Year 12 students participated in a dad joke competition for Mental Health Awareness Week.

Year 12 Recital

On Monday this week, in our Level Meeting, the Year 12 students enjoyed listening to six musical performances from our very talented cohort. Phoebe Keilar, Madison Hunt, Ilah Watson, Yuwei (Sophie) Ying, Olivia Soong Zi Yuan and the Year 12 Quintet consisting of Madison Hunt, Olivia Soong Zi Yuan, Lauren Lew, Sophie Turnbull and Clementine Aston, all performed in front of their peers. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the talent of these students. I thank Ms Liv Cher and Mr Tim Collins for organising this event.

St Catherine’s versus Scotch College Netball Match

On Wednesday this week, a group of Year 12 students from Scotch College came to St Catherine’s to play an enthusiastic game of Netball at lunchtime. The School Hall was full of spectators from Years 7 to 12 as our girls took on the bigger and much stronger boys from Scotch. We took it right up to the boys and came away with a convincing win!

St Catherine’s Year 12 students played a game of Netball against students from Scotch College.

Responsible Service of Alcohol

The Year 12 students had the opportunity to complete their Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate this term. We had nearly 30 students take up this offer, giving participants the skills and knowledge to contribute to a safe and enjoyable environment in licensed premises. The RSA certificate is a form of education provided to servers and sellers of alcohol to prevent intoxication, drink driving and underage drinking.

The RSA program covers a range of topics including:

• Problems associated with excessive consumption
• Alcohol and the law
• The question of who is responsible for RSA
• Facts about alcohol
• Improving the atmosphere of the premises
• Handling difficult customers.

Congratulations to those students who completed their certificate.