9 minute read
Helping Others
Mrs Alison Wright, Head of School, Students
Preparing for life: finding yourself
RGS students have a life ahead of them that remains in the imagination; many will do jobs that do not yet exist using technologies that have not yet been developed; they will be moving in a society whose boundaries, both physical and mental, will have moved. The simple delivery of knowledge is no longer enough, and the students of today need to learn the skills that will allow them to operate in this brave new world.
“At The Rockhampton Grammar School,
we encourage our students to aim as high as they can, to be curious, confident, and ambitious; at the same time, we urge them not to fear failure and to see challenge and adversity as opportunities, not obstacles. All this we do both in the classroom and outside, be it on the sporting field or the stage. RGS is committed to promoting the wellbeing of every student. Our Pastoral Care Programme aims to foster strong character development, a healthy lifestyle and a positive attitude to life and school. Nurturing the individual provides benefits in all areas of life and we strongly believe it is important to help our students develop the tools and mindset to help them grow in character and go further. Learning to grow in character is a fundamental part of our educational philosophy. Our Pastoral Care Programme is divided into four components: Wellbeing, Study Skills, Leadership and Careers. Wellbeing at RGS is inspired by the principles of the SEARCH framework:
S Strengths
E Emotional Management
A Attention and Awareness
R Relationships
C Comprehension Coping This framework suggests that building wellbeing is influenced by: How we relate to others (strengths, virtues, and relationships); How our emotions filter our experiences (emotional management); What we focus on (attention and awareness); How we can help students understand, express and manage social aspects of learning (relationships); How we perceive and react to the world (comprehension and coping); and what we are motivated to do and achieve in life (habits and goals). Our Heads of Year work with the Head of School Students to devise a Year 7 to 12 Pastoral Programme to ensure students receive the latest insights to equip them with the skills to thrive and make positive choices in this ever-changing world.
Our Form groups provide an opportunity for each student to be supported in their personal journey. At the heart is the provision of a gratitude journal that encourages students to record their thoughts, successes, challenges and identify what they are grateful for. There is a team of passionate, highly skilled and experienced people around every student.” Mrs Alison Wright – Head of School, Students
Mrs Kate Harris, Head of Primary
RGS Secondary students gather for their weekly Wellbeing Committee meeting.
Learning compassion early
RGS Head of Primary Mrs Kate Harris has a simple message when it comes to everyone acknowledging the important value of “compassion”. “Everything comes from being kind and responding in a kind way,’’ Mrs Harris said. It can be a challenge for adults, let alone young children. “Little people need to know how to identify emotions in themselves before they can identify emotions in others,’’ Mrs Kate Harris said.
Mrs Harris has asked children to look at the Five Finger Strategy to Assist with Assertive Play. “You’ll always come across conflict. It’s normal,’’ Mrs Harris said.
“We provide students with strategies on how to manage that, if someone is being mean or unkind. How do they get their voices across?” Mrs Harris said they also looked at teaching young children boundaries. “It’s okay to say, ‘I’m not okay with that’ and others need to learn to accept that response,’’ Mrs Harris said. “It’s a culture of kindness. It takes a long time.” RGS Primary will look at “respect” in Term 2. “It’s learning about self-discipline and respecting everyone’s viewpoint, not necessarily agreeing with it, and understanding different people’s backgrounds.”
Student Wellbeing
“Upon commencing at RGS in 2021, I felt students, particularly in Year 11 were missing agency and leadership opportunities in the lead up to Year 12. I decided to open up time for students on a Friday morning, to focus on and discuss matters important to them. Soon the Friday meeting became an essential part of the school week as our small humble beginnings as a group of no more than a handful of students turned into an impressive group. In less than a year, we have hosted bake sales, raised funds for charities, raised awareness for social and cultural events and impressively created a committee for cultural awareness for RGS. This year we have high hopes to continue the good work started last year and give back to our community. Our students are passionate young men and women who are determined to leave a positive mark on the world. It is an honour to watch students find their voices and are a true inspiration.” Mrs Amy Challacombe- Head of Year 11, Wellbeing Committee Chair
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SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING
• Self-Awareness
Recognising one’s emotions and values as well as one’s strengths and challenges.
• Responsible Decision-Making
Making ethical, constructive choices about personal and social behaviour.
• Relationship Skills
Forming positive relationships, working in teams, dealing effectively with conflict.
• Social Awareness
Showing understanding and empathy for others.
• Self-Management
Managing emotions and behaviours to achieve one’s goals.
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1. Head of Year 7
Mrs Michelle Rundle works with the Year 7 students to “Be Better as One” 2. Year 12 students help out and have a chat at the Prep Easter
Egg Hunt. 3. The Primary Friday
Sports Gala Day allowed Primary students to reconnect with team sport.
RGS: Year of the GOAT
RGS School Captains (Faith and George) and Vice Captains (Mary and Henry) attended a leadership conference before the school year where they explored the legacy they could have as Seniors. They already knew they valued the School Motto of “Grow in Character and Scholarship”, however, they also wanted a mantra that represented their collective group and all that they want to achieve across the year. They decided 2022 is the year to be the GOAT!
G Greatness – This is the ability for all students to find their strengths, making the most of the many opportunities the School has, and then achieving their very best in their endeavours. It is important for us all to remember that greatness, first, needs to come from the confidence and appreciation you have for yourself. The saying, ‘you need to believe in yourself before you can believe in others’ is crucial in creating the foundation for greatness.
O Openness – The ability to experience failure and not close ourselves off, allowing others to give us advice and pick us back up during the difficult times. This year, as a school, we have already had many setbacks, and I’m sure everyone has experienced their own personal challenges, but it is how we remain positive and feel comfortable through seeking support from others that will allow us to keep 2022 on a great track.
A Approachable – If you see someone going through a difficult time or not acting quite like their usual selves, be there for them. Ask them if they are alright. Make conversation with them whether you talk about their weekend or what they had for breakfast. Although it may seem like nothing to you and only takes a few minutes out of your day, the positive affect a friendly conversation can have on others cannot be measured. And if a feeling that you cannot relate to is shared by someone, try putting yourself in their shoes to understand why their actions and emotions may be so different to yours.
T Togetherness – No matter what grade you are in, or whether you’re a boarder or a day student, we are all one team. None of us are as good as all of us, so it is crucial to always look out for each other, to include everyone, and leave no one behind, as this is the only way we will all be able to move forward. Working together means that we can further develop all aspects of the school, allowing it to be a place that we all grow to love, as it remains a crucial part of us forever.
Grand Final Showdowns
RGS students played in season deciders across cricket, rugby union and water polo in Term 1.
Cricket Rugby Union
The RGS Open Girls team won their Rugby 7s premiership in the Rockhampton District Secondary Schools rugby union competition with a 10-7 win over Emmaus College. RGS U13 Boys, U15 Boys, First XV Boys and U13 Girls finished runners-up. Results/ RGS players of the final:
U13 girls:
TCC d RGS, 20-7/ Milleah Fulford
U13 boys:
St Brendan’s d RGS 27-7/ Tom Geddes
U15 boys:
St Brendan’s d RGS 31-5/ Cormack Werner
Open girls:
RGS d Emmaus 10-7/ Alenna Whipp
First XV boys:
St Brendan’s d RGS 15-12/ Ryan Francis
RGS Red won the Rockhampton Cricket Association Division 1 premiership with a 106 run win against Cap Coast. Batting first, RGS made 5-224 off their 35 overs with Rory Connor unbeaten on 107 runs (off 81 balls). Riley McDonald (38) and Charlie Hewitt (21) were also among the runs. In reply, Cap Coast finished at 7-118 with Euan Austin taking 4 for 12 (7 overs) and Jack Simmonds taking 2 for 6 (4 overs). In the Division 2 grand final, Grammar Black lost to Norths by 91 runs. Norths batted first making 6 for 167 with five RGS bowlers taking a wicket each. In reply, RGS finished at 8 for 76 with Vidath Wedisinghe top scoring with 25 runs. In the Division 3 grand final, Brothers defeated RGS. Lachlan Lewis finished with three wickets while Axel Allen top scored for RGS. RGS Year 12 students Henry Dingle and Brad Taylor also featured in grand finals action, joining the Frenchville team that won the A grade premiership against Gracemere.
Water Polo
RGS students competed in the Term 1 Rockhampton District Secondary Schools Water Polo Grand Finals at the RGS Pool. Final Scores: (Senior Boys Grand Final) RGS d St Brendan’s 10-6 (Senior Girls Grand Final) St Ursula’s d RGS 9-6 (Finals play-offs) (Senior Boys) TCC d RGS Goats 5-3 (Junior Mixed) St Brendan’s d RGS 10-7 The inter-school water polo competition resumes at the RGS Pool in Term 4.
AROUND THE GROUNDS
Cricket
The RGS First XI cricket team progressed to the next round of the StreetSmarts Secondary Schools statewide cricket competition, next playing the Mackay district winner in Term 3. The First XI had a win over TCC while the Year 7 – 9 team lost their Rockhampton regional final against TCC.
Primary Gala Day
RGS Year 5 and Year 6 students had their chance to resume Friday Sport late in Term 1 at the Primary Friday Sport Gala Day. Students participated in football and Australian Rules Football, competitive and noncompetitive, along with tee-ball.
Rugby Union
The RGS First XV rugby union team finished runnersup to Downlands College (Toowoomba) in the Regional Rugby Championships at RGS Rugby Park. The RGS U15s missed out on their division final. RGS players of the championship were brothers Dominic (First XV) and Henry Kallquist (U15s).
