Remembrance Day

Every year on 11 November at 11am we pause to remember those men and women who have served and those who have died in all wars and peacekeeping operations. This year four of our Student Leadership Team represented the college at this important community event in Batemans Bay.  After reading the names of the fallen during the ceremony our leaders laid a wreath at the Honour Stone. Thank you to William, Ruby, Zac and Tara.

Student Leadership Team (SLT) training day

Our new Student Leadership Team participated in the LEAD Student Formation Day facilitated by the Catholic Student Youth Ministry Team from CE Canberra. During the session delivered by Nathan, Luke and Tommy students delved deeper into the concept of leadership, the role model of Jesus as a leader and their own leadership in a catholic setting.

The second part of the SLT training saw our leaders spend a planning day together at Moruya Race Club. Taking time to get to know each other through some challenging activities and conversations helped to bond the team. Valuable time was devoted to planning a range of activities and events for the college in 2023. It is hoped that these events benefit not only House and school spirit but the wider community. Thank you to our leaders for creating a wonderful sacred space and opening prayer. Thank you to Mr Mullaly for his organisation of the day and to Mrs Heffernan for joining the group to share her insights on leadership.

2022 Year 12 Graduation Dinner

Words like glamorous, elegant and sharp help to describe our Year 12 students when they attended the 2022 Graduation dinner held on Tuesday 8 November at the new Bay Pavilions in the Yuin Theatre. Our College was the first to hold a large event of this kind at this venue and the night was a wonderful success. Many people worked behind the scenes to bring this event to life and all efforts are greatly appreciated.

How to have a difficult conversation

Having conversations with our children can often be difficult. Our college Counsellor Naomi Bee has offered the information below as support to our parents.

At times, we all find ourselves in a position where we feel upset by something a friend has said or done, a family member may have very different views from us, and we might feel misunderstood, or realise that a relationship needs to end. It’s natural to want to avoid these conversations because they are difficult, and they bring up uncomfortable feelings for us and the people we care about. It’s normal to feel nervous and stressed at the thought of bringing things up in conversation, and it might even feel like it’s impossible to do.

The thing is, avoiding the problem usually doesn’t help and it can lead to feelings of resentment toward the other person and cause further damage to the relationship. It can also leave the other person feeling confused if they realise that you are avoiding them, and they don’t know what they have done to upset you. By tackling difficult issues right away by bringing them up in conversation, it can help the other person understand your point of view and can improve your relationships. Each time you practice a difficult conversation, you will get better at doing it. So, how do we have a difficult conversation? There are some things that you can do to make sure that the conversation goes as smoothly as possible:

1. Active listening 

Try to really listen to what the other person is saying, and to understand their point of view. You can ask them questions such as ‘tell me more about that’ or ‘how does that make you feel?’. Try not to start thinking of your response while the other person is talking, so that you can make sure to take in what they are saying.

2. Be clear about how you feel and what you want

Take some time before the conversation to plan what you want to say and what you want out of the conversation – an apology? Different behaviour in the future? State your feelings clearly, and use ‘I’ statements – this means avoiding saying things like ‘you always/never ___’ . Instead, try to use statements like ‘I feel upset when__’ or ‘I want___’.

3. Put yourself in their shoes

It can be easy to get caught up in how you feel, especially if you’ve been hurt or are feeling awkward about something. Before you jump to any conclusions, though, try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and see the situation from their perspective.

4. It’s ok to take a break

If emotions are running high and the conversation isn’t going well, it’s ok to press pause and try again another time. Remember that you can only control your responses. The other person might not be ready to have a constructive conversation with you.

5. Agree to disagree

Not all conversations like this are going to have a happy ending. There will be some people, situations or behaviours that you just can’t talk through – and that’s ok. Agreeing to disagree doesn’t mean you agree with their perspective. You’re just protecting yourself by choosing which battles to fight.

6. Look after yourself

Having difficult conversations can bring up some feelings that are hard to sit with. It’s important that you take care of yourself as a priority. You don’t need to stay in a conversation that isn’t going well or if you are feeling too overwhelmed. Make sure you do some nice things for yourself before and after the conversation and reach out for support if you need it.

More information: https://au.reachout.com/ have some great resources for navigating relationships of all kinds and taking care of your well-being.

Kind regards

Louise Ibbett

Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care