Foxwell State Secondary College eNewsletter

Principal's Update

Term 4 is a critical time for our students. Although they may be showing signs of tiredness and apathy, this is a time where students should be consolidating and reinforcing routines and habits that have worked for them in relation to their organisation throughout the year, as well as in relation to their general behaviour in and outside of the college. Now is not the time to slacken off and count down to the end of term. Although we are all tired from the year that has been 2022, this is a time to show grit and determination. Remember, positive habits developed with and by students in the Junior years will greatly benefit them in the later years of their secondary education and life.

Our school will continue to provide an educational program through to the 9th of December 2022. It is our expectation that students attend school every day and for the full day, and that they are engaged in the educational program on offer and are behaving in a manner that abides by our Student Code of Conduct. Sadly, a number of students have recently demonstrated behaviours that are not in alignment with our Student Code of Conduct. We are committed to providing a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where all students have opportunities to engage in learning experiences. If, on the occassion an incident occurs which infringes on a student's feeling of safety or well-being, we encourage students to report to staff for follow-up rather than 'taking matters into their own hands', so to speak.

This week I have been disappointed to hear rumours, gossip, speculation and untruths circulated by members of our community. These comments have caused unwarranted distress to members of our community which goes against everything we believe in as a College, and our SPIRIT values. Unfortunately, some of these have resulted in unnecessary behaviour incidents. We consider behaviour management to be an opportunity for valuable social learning and look forward to the positive growth of our College culture that will come from these learning experiences.

This week I had the privilege of attending the Gold Coast Secondary Principal's Leadership breakfast with each Head of Year as well as members of our leadership team. The keynote speaker for the breakfast was Cooper Chapman, professional surfer and founder of The Good Human Factory. Cooper founded The Good Human Factory to inspire youth and communities to think about mental health as a state of being, something that we look after in much the same way as we look after our fitness and our nutrition. The key message and take aways from Cooper's keynote address was:

"Don't go through life, grow through life"

His message was simple, with a handful of recommendations.

Take Responsibiltiy

- Are we the hero or the victim in our story? It is our responsibility to choose.
- Resilience - Be like the tiger! A tiger goes home hungry from a hunt, not defeated, not blaming anything and everything on why the hunt didn't work, rather, learning from the experience and growing.

Gratitude

- Gratitude is a feeling, not a thought.
- Are we showing appreciation and not expectation?
- End each day by considering three moments that we are grateful for, perhaps while brushing our teeth.

Kindness

- Science has proven that kinder people are happier people. A simple act of kindness has been proven to release serotonin and oxytocin in our brain, producing happiness.
- We can show kindness by being kind to others, being kind to our mind and being kind to the environment.

Cooper ended his address with a challenge for the audience. I would like to share this challenge with you, focussing on your children, our students...

Show them that you are grateful. Give them a compliment, or tell them that you are proud of them.
Show kindness to the environment by picking up that piece of rubbish, rather than walking by it.
When frustrated by children, take a moment to breathe before responding.

Until next time...