Daniel Morcombe Day

Today, students and staff were encouraged to wear red in clothing and/or accessories to recognise Daniel Morcombe Day and the message behind the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety curriculum. Designed to educate children on how to stay safe and protect themselves from harm, the curriculum and message at the College emphasises three key actions: Recognise, React, and Report.

The curriculum teaches students to identify unsafe situations and to better understand their own body signals when they feel unsafe. Providing strategies to respond effectively to these feelings, such as seeking help and removing oneself from the situation, are also key lessons. Finally, a significant aspect of the curriculum is the responsibility to report any inappropriate or unsafe situations.  

This final message is one we have been reminding our students of this term. Students can play a crucial role in shaping and driving the culture within the College. Here are some ways in which they can be key drivers:

• Leadership Roles
  
  
  1. Peer Mentoring
     Older students can mentor younger ones, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment. We currently have our Year 6 students working with younger students in the Early Years sector and our Year 8 students have been buddied up with Year 11 students for this very reason.
     
     
  2. Leadership Passport
     Participation in leadership teams allows students to voice their opinions and influence school activities. The Leadership Passport scheme promotes student initiative, service of others, and the creation of leadership teams. One such team comprises of a wonderful group of Middle Years students who are completing some volunteer work cleaning the old convent – Iona.
     
     
• Positive Behaviour
  
  
  1. Role models - the students who demonstrate positive behaviour and respect towards others set a standard for their peers.
     
     
  2. Peer support – Encouraging and supporting classmates, especially those who might feel marginalised, helps create a caring community.
     
     
  3. Being an Upstander – This is someone who takes action to support and defend others who are being treated unfairly. Unlike a bystander, who might witness an incident but do nothing, an upstander has a strong moral compass and actively reports behaviour that does not align with our values. Examples of upstander behaviour include
     1. Direct intervention: Telling a peer that we do not have that behaviour here at the College and to stop.
     2. Seek help: Informing a trusted adult about the situation.
     3. Provide support: Comforting the person being treated unfairly and letting them know they are not alone.

An important component of being an upstander is that it empowers others and builds community among peer groups, promoting a culture of kindness, respect, and safety.

• Parental Involvement
  
  
  1. Regular and open communication between the school and parents builds trust and supports student success. Working towards common goals helps unify the community and build positive school culture. If parents have concerns, they are encouraged to reach out to their child’s classroom teacher to share information. 

There are a number of supports available to parents in supporting their young people with issues, even those external to the College. Here are some starting points:

Happy Families https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/olotscc  Password: happyolotscc

Headspace        https://headspace.org.au/

Daniel Morcombe Foundation   https://danielmorcombe.com.au/

eSafety Commissioner     https://www.esafety.gov.au/

Safe on Social   https://www.safeonsocial.com/

The Carly Ryan Foundation   https://www.carlyryanfoundation.com/

ICAS Testing

ICAS Assessments is a team of dedicated educational assessment professionals committed to applying their expertise to help students, teachers and parents. They have over 40 years of experience developing assessments for schools, governments and businesses. In August, the College has a number of students participating in ICAS assessments for a range of different subjects including; Mathematics, Science, Spelling Bee, Writing, and Digital Technologies.

I am very pleased to report the outstanding effort of one of our Middle Years students. Charlie Sullivan (6B) performed very well in his testing and received the following acknowledgement:

Congratulations to Charlie! He will also be acknowledged at the next College assembly.

Volunteer Group - Friends of Iona 

It was lovely to see the group expand by adding three more students to the clean up crew this week at the Iona Convent. While cleaning and tidying upstairs at the convent isn't glamourous work, it is certainly making a difference.

If your child would like to join the team with Mrs Harwood and myself, please have them reach out about our Thursday afternoon activity. The activity aligns well to the Leadership Passport as an Above and Beyond Task for Level 1 and Level 2 students or as part of the Community Service component for the Level 3 students.

We hope to see more there next week.    

Kind regards, 

Craig Cullen

Assistant Principal Middle Years