Let’s talk – Appearance Ideals and Expectations

Last Wednesday, the Year 8 girls listened to a presentation from the Butterfly Foundation. The session focussed on factors that place pressure on our young people to look and be a certain way. The girls were a great audience and responded to the positive nature of the presenter. What follow are some reflections written by some of our students:

The Butterfly Foundation Presentation was an excellent way of showing young women the negative effects of comparing yourself to other people. Not only did it reflect on women’s body issues, but it also touched on how boys are also facing self-worth problems and reminded us that we are never alone. The presentation was a huge help and had a great effect on how I see body image, and to remind myself to self-love. Harper

I enjoyed listening to the presentation yesterday. As a teen girl in 2022, it feels as if myself and others around me must follow a specific stereotype to ‘fit in’. I have struggled with body acceptance and loving myself for exactly who I am. Listening to Rachel giving us helpful and positive ways to change negative self-talk touched my heart and made me realise that no one is perfect and only you can be in control of your life. Jaqi

The Butterfly Foundation presentation was inspiring and uplifting as it provided me with positive ways to not only love myself, but also others. It encouraged me not to be influenced negatively by social media and helped to create ways to positive self-talk. It also helped me learn to become the best version of myself and live a more authentic life. It was a great presentation overall. Lucy

The butterfly foundation was inspiring and informative. It showed me that everyone is different, and I shouldn’t worry about what other people think. The environment made me feel included and safe, she was very trustworthy and welcoming. She was different to other presenters and made it exciting and interesting to watch. Lucy

The Butterfly Foundation presented a very informative presentation. The lady created a safe and inclusive environment, where I felt comfortable to share. The topics mentioned were clear and relevant. The lady shared her personal experiences and related well to us; this was comforting to know we are not alone. I enjoyed this presentation as the speaker was enthusiastic, kind and fun!  Liza

Year 7 Walk for Hutt Street

As part of their Year 12 Health & Wellbeing Course, students, Kayley T, Montana D, Amelia H, Emilia S, & Danica C, organised a fundraising activity for the Year 7 cohort to raise awareness for homelessness in South Australia. During extended Pastoral Care, the Year 7s participated in a pseudo ‘Walk a Mile in My Boots’ activity, where the whole cohort completed two laps of the College Ovals. While completing the walk, students were prompted with further information about the Hutt St Centre and homelessness.

The activity aligned perfectly with the College’s Mission and Vision; Saint Michael’s is a Catholic School in the Lasallian Tradition which is committed to the Christian Education of the young, especially the poor. Students were offered the opportunity to donate to the Hutt St Centre while being educated on homelessness within South Australia. This is what some of the students learnt:

Tara- It’s really sad that there are over 6,000 homeless people in South Australia.

Cadence- I found it awful that not every night homeless people have shelter or a place to sleep.

Ella- It would be so hard being homeless.

Eden- I took a lot out of the activity because I felt like I was doing something to help.

Sienna- People should know that homeless people don’t have a choice in their environments.

Congratulations Senior Dance Students

A huge congratulations to the 2022 Senior dance students and Stage 1 and 2 dancers, for recently performing a powerful, emotional, and inspiring final showcase for the College community. The girls’ continuous commitment and dedication to their passion for dance blew the audience away!

Hayley Kollevris, Dance Coordinator

What’s been happening in the library

“If we want to nurture empathy in our learners so they can understand different perspectives and explore alternate ways of doing, being and becoming, we must ensure that rich literature is at the heart of every home, library and classroom”.      – Foundation for Learning and Literacy

This year’s CBCA’s Book Week theme, “Dreaming with eyes open” was celebrated at St Michael’s College during Week 5 and 6 this term. The theme explores how reading changes our lives. It transports us into other people’s lives, allows us to experience other perspectives and empower us with new possibilities. Reading provides an ocean of opportunities: from developing empathy and compassion for others, igniting imagination and resolve, to fostering greater resiliency, confidence and creativity in our increasingly complex world.

On Tuesday 23^rd August (Week 5), we were fortunate to have book illustrator Craig Smith with us to run workshops with Yr 7 and 8 English classes. He shared many tips on how to start drawing with shapes then relying on imagination and viewpoint to develop the detail and intent. Students were guided through steps to draw an illustration in 20 minutes and were amazed at how good their finished sketch looked!

Congratulations to all 9 teams who participated in the Yr 8 Readers’ Cup in weeks 5 and 6. The competition came to an end with an incredible Grand final, which could not have been any closer! 8BPC 05 and 8GPC 03 both finished on an equal 15 points, forcing the quiz to continue until a clear winner was decided. After 5 tie breaker questions, the 8GPC 03 team was finally able to clench the cup with their accurate and detailed response.

Grand Final result:

8GPC 3 won with 15 points plus 5 tie breaker points

8BPC 5 runners up with 15 points plus 4 tie breaker points

8BPC 6 third place on 15 points

8GPC 2 fourth place on 10 points

Congratulations to the 8GPC 3 Team: Maeve Nicholas, Sanur McMahon, Jessica Burton and Anelise Bewry on your well-deserved win on the day!

As part of the Yr 9 English curriculum, students created Book trailers to promote a book they enjoyed this year. With such a high calibre of storytelling on a digital platform, it was a challenge to choose only three winners. Subsequently, we have announced two new categories: Runners-up and Worthy acknowledgements.

Congratulations to the following students on delighting us with their talents.

Enjoy the photos from last week’s Book Week celebration

YEARS 7-9 WELLBEING CHARACTER STRENGTH FOCUS

Week 9: Teamwork

As people we are social beings whose lives, in all aspects, benefit from teamwork. From raising children (as highlighted by the African proverb “It takes a village to raise a child”), to our lives at home, and as we know, teamwork is also critical in the workplace.

At St Michael’s we see the results of teamwork each day. We see ongoing teamwork evolve in the EcoGarden, especially now that it is blossoming with spring- Have you seen it lately? And of course, in the classroom and a range of cocurricular activities that enable our students to grow to be the learners and leaders of the world.

Several weeks ago now, Wellbeing Week unfolded and encircled the St Michael’s Community in a warm and colourful cloak of positive emotions; It really was teamwork in action. From students to teachers and non-teaching staff- everyone was on board to create a set of diverse and engaging opportunities for the whole community to enjoy and unite in.

Students smiled as they held the baby animals in the petting zoo, and those who attended the LEC auditorium for the Tiny Habits session, left feeling valued and cared for, and with some useful ideas too. Others savoured zooperdoopers, or donuts at recess or lunch, and they engaged with enthusiasm in sporting competitions. They sang confidently as they participated in Karaoke and participated in the Happy Snaps poster collage, together, in the Middle School. With the support of Communications and Customer Relations staff, this display will be evident for everyone to see on the Library windows soon!

Another great example of teamwork has been evident in the follow up to the Devices presentation last year. Last year a dedicated team of students and staff worked towards promoting better habits for our health where devices are concerned. Their leadership and creativity in designing innovative ideas and strategies was the outcome of their teamwork. The posters they worked on were launched and distributed during Wellbeing Week, hoping to inspire some of our community towards healthier device use habits.

This week, Year 8 student leaders went to work with their younger brothers and sisters at the Junior School campus, and with the goodwill of students and staff, Charities week led by Year 9 and 10, has enabled a range of activities on offer for students over the course of the week. In this case, the teamwork will result in supporting others who can use our help- in the form of a number of charities. Further to this, Year 12 Health and PE students collaborated in running an oval walk for Year 7 students on Wednesday to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness.

These examples are representative of only a few of the experiences our students are offered at St Michael’s. It’s evident that our community really is blessed by these opportunities with teamwork at their core.

Teamwork inspires us towards stronger creativity and solution seeking and it energises and helps us reach our goals and work towards developing stronger wellbeing in ourselves and those whose lives we touch!

Enjoy your weekend!

Tonia Carfora, Year 7-9 Wellbeing Initiatives Leader