Welcome to Week 6 of Term 4
By Mr Stuart Ralph, Principal
This week, our Year 9 students experienced their Solo Camp as part of the Rite Journey program.
In the text ‘Exploring the Power of Solo, Silence and Solitude’, research shows that there are many positives to be gained by teenagers having this opportunity, with the following significant aspects:
- Opportunities for personal growth and increased trust in one’s ‘inner voice’.
- A break from the fast pace of life.
- A temporary reprieve from the digital world.
- The ability to be present in life.
The peacefulness of a solo experience provides a healthy, healing, and rejuvenating encounter. We can all benefit from some silence and solitude from time to time!
‘Once we settle into solitude, it is a beautiful thing. It creates spiritual sustenance. It gives us much-needed time to reflect. It’s our opportunity for long-ignored thoughts and feelings to emerge. It’s a chance to quietly acknowledge fears that linger below the surface, unacknowledged, and weaken our emotional foundations. Reflective, thoughtful time can surface hopes and dreams of a better future, support intuition, and encourage us to expand our emotional horizons.’ (Ari Weinzweig, 2024)
As an educator who taught and led The Rite Journey for over a decade, I know the profound impact it will have on our community and, most importantly, our students. The Rite Journey is not designed to be easy because life is not easy, and our young people need to be challenged to step out of their comfort zones in a supportive environment.
Over the last two decades, it has been evident to me that if we are to make positive changes for the benefit of our young people, we need to examine how we do things and provide unique experiences.
International Men’s Day
On Monday, the College celebrated International Men's Day. This day honours the positive value men bring to the world, their families, and their communities worldwide. We highlight positive role models and raise awareness of men’s wellbeing. Our theme for 2024 is “Positive Male Role Models”.
During the day, we held a staff breakfast and BBQ for the students. This was an excellent opportunity to reflect on the values of respect, kindness, and unity while celebrating essential males in our students' lives.
High School Basketball Championships
I congratulate all the students who represented the College last weekend. It was a pleasure to witness the students representing their College with pride. Congratulations to our Year 7/8 Girls who won their Championship and 9/10 Boys who were runners-up. Our committed staff have done an amazing job coaching and managing teams. Thanks to Mr Sam O’Keeffe, Mr Steve Ryan, Mr Kurt Byard, Mr Braden van Buuren, Mrs Sandra Farr, Mrs Cheryl Sheehan, Mrs Shania Brown, and Mrs Jo Aherne. I also congratulate students Lucy Aherne, who coached our Year 9/10 Girls team, Ethan Savage, assistant coach of the 9/10 Boys team, and Jade McCoy, who supported us on Sunday.
Congratulations Chloe Casey
I congratulate Year 10 Student Chloe Casey on being selected for the Tasmania U’19 Cricket team. Chloe will travel to Perth from December 2 to 9.
Congratulations Baltimore Heald
Year 9 student Baltimore Heald has been selected to attend the Curious Minds program (National STEM extension program for girls in Years 8-10). The program will see Baltimore attend an immersion camp in Canberra for a week in December.
Year 10 Camp
We wish our Year 10 students well as they head to the Tasman Peninsula for camp next week. Students will visit Port Arthur, complete the Cape Hauy walk, and experience a Tasman Island cruise with Pennicott Wilderness Journeys.
I would like to thank all members of our community for your ongoing support.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Stuart Ralph
Principal
