The whole-of-school Pastoral Care Program at CGGS focuses on student wellbeing and develops service, leadership, study skills, creativity, friendship, cyber awareness and safety knowledge, life skills, resilience and optimism in students over the course of their studies at the School.
The program is tailored to each year level, as illustrated in our Path to Wellbeing. In this report, you will read about recent activities undertaken by Year 7 and Year 10 students – both quite different to each other, but equally important.
Year 7 Cyber-bullying education
Year 7 students saw a performance of ‘Six Decades of Bullying’, which showed how the ways in which bullies taunt their victims with cyber-bullying today are different from the stand and abuse, and physical assaults of the late 1960s, yet the effect on the victims is much the same.
It was a combination of storytelling and drama as each story was partly told and partly acted out with each actor playing a multitude of different characters in each story.
Today’s students are surprised to see how events that would today end up as headline news were just ignored by those in charge forty years ago, a time when school counsellors didn’t exist and different attitudes towards the culture of bullying existed.
The topic of law and punishment in regard to the perpetrators of bullying, both in Australia and overseas was also covered in some depth.
Far from being a heavy drama Six Decades of Bullying had an easy to follow often comic touch, that entertained without detracting from the seriousness of the topic. Four stories, four different outcomes: tragic but also how negatives have been turned into positives and the powerless have become the leaders and enjoyed success across all aspects of their life.
There was a combination of lively conversations between two observers and scenes in which the real life events from the four stories were vividly re-enacted.
The students were fully engaged and asked excellent questions after the 2 performers completed their skits.
The performance created great stimulus for talking about bullying issues and the supports for students to access if needed.
Year 10 Community Service
Community Service provides opportunities for individuals to serve others in the wider community. Students develop an awareness of community needs, raising funds, volunteering time and taking pride in giving back to the community. Through involvement in Community Service Activities, students broaden their view of the world, whilst learning more about themselves as individuals.
On Wednesday, 15 November the Children’s Medical Research Foundation held their annual luncheon at Merryville Historic Homestead at Murrumbateman.
This is their major fundraising event for the year and as has happened over the past five years, our students volunteered to serve petit fours at the event for 300 people. All proceeds raised enable the CMRI to further their work for internationally renowned scientists in cancer, epilepsy, embryology and gene therapy research. It is an independent organisation committed to unlocking the mysteries of childhood diseases.
If your daughter is currently in Year 9 she should have begun to fulfil the minimum of 20 hours’ community service and discussed her Community Service booklet with you. She will have until Week 1 in Term 3 2018 to engage in the Community Service program.
Many events such as: Christmas wrapping for charities such as Cerebral Palsy, helping sort clothes at St Vincent de Paul stores and assisting at fetes and fairs such as the Michelago Spring Fair, have been sent to Year 9’s to date.
I wish all CGGS families a safe and happy Christmas and look forward to seeing you in 2018.
Director of Pastoral Care
Photo above: Year 7 students Abry Rodriguez, Hannah Thurbon, Danielle Bradford, Grace Dimoff (in front), Julia Romano, Jessica Velloza, Isabella Stone and Nicole Zivko with ‘Six Decades of Bullying’ performers, Mrs Jeanette Widmer and School Counsellor Mrs Megan Tomlins