Connect

Over the past fortnight, students across the College have continued to engage deeply in the Connect Program, focusing on building personal and social capabilities through targeted, year-level topics.

As part of our whole-college learning, all students participated in activities and discussions recognising Refugee Week, gaining a greater understanding of the experiences, challenges, and finding freedom, celebrating diversity in our community. This important learning fostered empathy, inclusion, and respect across our school community.

Year-level topics explored during Connect included:

• Year 7 – Respectful Relationships: Students explored the importance of positive communication, empathy, and how they would react to different scenarios as a bystander.
• Year 8 – Emotional Literacy: This session focused understanding their core emotions and articulating how they feel and perceive these emotions.
• Year 9 – Mental Health: Students explored the importance of maintaining mental wellbeing, deep dived into anxiety, and ways to look after their own mental health and that of their peers.
• Year 10 – Stress Management: Practical strategies for recognising signs of stress and managing them effectively were discussed, with students reflecting on what works for them.
• Year 11 – Deakin University Excursion: Students had the opportunity to visit Deakin University and explore future pathways, giving them insight into tertiary education and life beyond school.
• Year 12 – Stress Management: Students participated in an interactive workshop where they experienced how stress manifests in the body and reflected on strategies to manage stress in real-time situations.

The Connect Program continues to support students in developing resilience, empathy, and the skills they need to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.