- A compassionate approach to wellbeing: from the Principal
- Learning to Thrive: Strategic Plan launch events
- Being Seen and Heard: the Importance of Listening to Teens
- Directors' Notes: Almost, Maine
- Almost, Maine is almost here! Tickets available for 24 and 25 August
- Increasing habitat on Schools Tree Day
- Bandicoot Tales from the Brian Henderson Reserve
- Youth World Sailing Championships
- FDBA Basketball Derby - U16s
- Clothing Donations Needed for Year 9 Community Project
- Wear it Purple on 26 August
- Screenprinting Activity Reflection: Unit 5 Activity
- Creative Chillax: Unit 5 Activity
- Falls Creek Snow Camp Prep: Unit 5 Activity
A compassionate approach to wellbeing: from the Principal
In recent weeks, I've had several discussions with staff, students and parents that have pushed me to ensure I was actively listening and developing a deep understanding of different issues or concerns that people may have been having. As a Principal, active listening doesn't come easily, having spent most of my career telling people what to do; an issue many school Principal's face. In each case, the art of active listening has produced a better outcome, developed my sense of empathy and also activated my desire to act compassionately.
At the start of this term, I showed all of our staff a video that has been produced by Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann. Miriam-Rose is an elder from the Daly Waters community; an aboriginal activist, educator, school Principal and the 2021 Senior Australian of the Year. In the video Miriam-Rose speaks about dadirri, the act of inner deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri is an approach to wellbeing that has been embedded in aboriginal culture for over 60,000 years and promotes a sense of self awareness, awareness of others and awareness of the environment. Dadirri is the deep inner spring inside all of us. We call on it, and it calls on us. Miriam-Rose presents dadirri as a gift for our nation as a way to move forward; to develop understanding; to slow down and open ourselves for healing. When I first heard Miriam-Rose speak about dadirri, I was drawn to its simplicity yet also its depth and possible impact on people across our country.
As a school, we look to a compassionate systems approach to wellbeing. This approach is based on a sense of self awareness, insight, purpose and connection. Knowing and understanding ourselves, knowing what our purpose in life is and knowing and nurturing our connections with others, and with country.
Yet again, these are simple questions. However, when I asked these of our staff, they were complex and quite challenging to answer, particularly when you add 'what is your purpose in life?' If we can all answer these questions, have a strong sense of our innerspring, self-awareness, and great insight into why we often feel and act in a certain way, we can begin to thrive as human beings.
As mentioned in earlier Messenger articles, we will be launching our 2022-2030 strategic plan 'Learning to Thrive' later this term; first as a document sent to all Woodleigh families in the coming weeks, followed by informal launch events held on each of our three campuses later this month, and early September.
As part of this plan, we highlight that we wish to support all members of our community as they thrive; this includes our staff, our parents and the broader community. If they thrive, then we have a much greater chance of succeeding as we bring this way of thinking to our students. For our students to thrive, the adults surrounding them must also thrive. Otto Scharmer refers to this process as creating the optimal source conditions or soil conditions for our community to thrive.
The first day of this term we focused on our staff and how to create the perfect soil conditions on which they can thrive, and how we can move forward as a school. This approach is already having an impact on many parts of the school and we have many staff who have been and will be involved in retreats at the Woodleigh Institute. Through these retreats they are learning how to thrive, and how to bring the tools and practices of the Compassionate Systems Framework into the classroom so that our children can thrive at Woodleigh.
This is an exciting and incredibly purposeful journey upon which we are about to embark and I look forward to sharing our progress with you over the coming months and years.
DAVID BAKER
Principal
Learning to Thrive: Strategic Plan launch events
Principal, David Baker and Chair of the Woodleigh Board, Vanessa Gabriel, warmly invite all parents and staff to join us as we take a close look at Learning to Thrive, Woodleigh School's Strategic Direction for 2022-2030.
The plan - which will be issued in hard copy to the entire community in the coming week - describes our commitment to a holistic education that equips young people with the knowledge, skills, and capabilities they require to find personal success, build compassionate relationships with others, and positively contribute to the communities in which they live. We understand that to achieve these goals, we need to work together as a community to help our young people learn to thrive at three interdependent levels: Self, Others, and Human and Natural Environments.
Launch events are planned at each of our three campuses.Come along for a drink, some nibbles and the opportunity to informally engage with senior leadership and board members.
Please RSVP for catering purposes at one of the three links below:
Being Seen and Heard: the Importance of Listening to Teens
It was once expected and accepted, that 'children should be seen and not heard'. Thankfully, this mindset is outdated and fails to recognize the knowledge young people’s lived experience offers.
In Australian Indigenous culture, there is a word that describes 'deep listening' which is known as dadirri. Dadirri is an inner, quiet, or still awareness that is available to everyone (Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann). It is a practice based upon respect, and extends to the interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental landscapes we traverse. In this context, it also pertains to 'being present' and determines how we 'show up' in life.
Listening to Teens: Ignore the Impulse to Tell Them What to Do
Imagine for a moment that your young person starts to share with you their perspective about something important to them. As they speak, you immediately hear the flaws in their logic. The next natural step for you as a parent might be to point out the flaws with their reasoning, followed by an overwhelming urge to give advice, even though it was not asked for and you know that the conversation will end in frustration and disappointment.
Albert Einstein once said something to the effect of, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.”
Yet, as parents, we live with the faint hope that this time it may be different; that our young person will listen and understand. However, the odds are not in our favour; past experience suggests there's a high probability that the outcome will be the same. You may tell yourself that some of what you said might have sunk in to make yourself feel better. It may feel hopeless sometimes, but like most parents (myself included) you just keep repeating the same cycle.
Let’s flip the script.
Do Parents Know Best?
Author Miguel Brown believes that trying to get through to your teenager stems from both narcissism and fear.
The narcissism: the assumption that you know what’s best for your teen.
The fear: if they don’t do what you say, they may end up hurt or failing.
The remedy: to intentionally pause, be there, be present and listen.
When Not To Give Advice
What if your teen does occasionally know what is best? What if struggling, on occasion, is a good thing? And what if your teen manages to solve the problem in their own way, despite ignoring your advice; that may be the most frustrating situation of all.
Instead of giving advice to your teenager immediately, press pause and just listen. In fact, listen very carefully, deeply, and try to understand where they are coming from. This approach has much more power than you realize. Listen, and then repeat their thoughts back to them to clarify your understanding from their perspective.
It is helpful for teenagers to hear their thoughts and feelings reflected back to them so they can try to solve their own problems. This is how we can support their development into becoming independent, resilient, and compassionate young adults.
What Happens When We Listen to Our Teens?
Parents are often challenged and surprised to learn that if you avoid giving advice and lecturing, listen closely and encourage teenagers to talk about what is happening, they often come to their own reasonable conclusions.
In fact, the experience of being 'seen and heard' is vital to developing many life skills including, but not limited to:
- social skills
- processing information
- expanding vocabulary
- practicing assertive, respectful and clear communication. This can lead to increased self-confidence and self-worth.
Parents are often in a tough position, between a rock and a hard place so to speak. After years of life experience, we often assume to already know the deal and can think of several possible solutions.
But for teenagers, the experience is new and difficult, so watching them struggle through it can be tedious and excruciating. However, this is their story, not ours: what matters most to them may not be the same for us. But keep watching.
If you give them enough time to process the problem, they too can get to a solution. Trust them to learn what they need, and from whom. They may choose to speak to another trusted adult (who is not a parent) as part of this process. They may falter or fail before they succeed, but this is the stuff that fosters resilience. Trust them to ask for your help if they need it. Don’t rush in to 'fix' what they may not have recognized as a problem. Pay attention to what they share on social media, try connecting with them through text messages, or sharing social media that is of mutual interest or amusement, they are digital natives after all.
And ask them often how they are doing. Give your teenagers the gift of time and patience, meet them where they are, and not where you want them to be.
In kindness,
Donna
DONNA NAIRN
Director of Counselling
Acknowledgements & further reading
Listening to young people
https://www.wellbeingpeople.com/2021/07/08/8-ways-to-improve-your-sense-of-digital-wellbeing/
https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/communicating-relationships/communicating/active-listening
Didirri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8&feature=emb_imp_woyt
https://yourteenmag.com/family-life/communication/listen-to-your-teenager
Resources from our Term 3 Woodleigh PEP talk with Dr Joanne Orlando who spoke with us on the topic: Digital Wellbeing: How to stay focused in an age of distraction.
https://www.joanneorlando.com.au/
https://www.techclever.education/courses/techclever-parents
Latest book:
Life Mode On: How To Feel Less Stressed, More Present and Back in Control With Technology
Directors' Notes: Almost, Maine
Activities Week is always an exciting time. For staff and students working on the Senior Production of Almost, Maine this is a week of technical and dress rehearsals. The cast, crew and musicians finally bring the play together into a performance. Tickets are selling well, but there are still some seats available for both nights of the show. BOOK NOW and don’t miss out!
Theatre was decimated by Covid. Across the world, productions fell over in 2020 and then again in 2021. Now, in 2022, for the first time in three years, we have worked hard to get a Senior School Production onto the Woodleigh stage.
We had to be creative about how we could successfully stage a school play 3 years into a pandemic. We knew we would need to film the work, so it could be streamed, or used as a hybrid theatre/film performance in the event of a Covid disruption. We knew that this meant that we would need to work on two versions of the play; one for the stage and a back-up to camera.
We identified that we needed a text that had multiple roles, but scenes that were contained or separate, so that we could work with small groups of students at a time. This way we would have a better chance of managing and scheduling rehearsals around inevitable illness and absence. Following the last couple of challenging years, we also wanted to work on a play with themes and content that was positive and uplifting for our students. We read multiple scripts, networked, researched, began brainstorming an original theatre piece … and then Stuart Hendricks from Music Theatre International suggested we have a look at Almost, Maine.
It is a cold, clear night in the middle of winter. The northern lights hover in the sky above the residents of ‘Almost’, a fictional remote town in Maine.
Under these lights, nine couples find themselves falling in and out of love, through a series of loosely connected stories.
Almost, Maine is funny, touching and moving. We immediately knew that it would engage our students. More importantly, we could see that the structure of the play had the potential to navigate its way through a pandemic affected rehearsal schedule.
A further challenge with a school play is finding a vehicle that can accommodate a large cast. Almost, Maine is an ensemble piece with 19 substantial roles. With permission from John Cariani, the playwright, we have also added the role of ‘The Narrator’, who voices some of the evocative stage directions.
We were determined to get a head start on the production to ensure that we had the maximum chance to work around any curve balls thrown up by the pandemic. Auditions took place at the end of last year, and students were asked to learn their lines over the summer break. Our first rehearsal took place in the first week of Term 1 and weekly rehearsals have been scheduled since then.
Throughout the rehearsal process, our student musicians have been working alongside our actors. Student Musical Director, Amelia Evenden and her team have composed and arranged all the original music for the performance. This has been no mean feat! The five-piece band has crafted fourteen pieces that beautifully underscore and link the scenes.
Woodleigh students have been encouraged and supported to undertake every role needed to realise this production. From back-stage manager, set and prop designers, to costume design, sound effects, marketing, poster design, animation, and so on. We have students stage managing the show, overseeing all the technical operations (lighting, sound, microphones) and running the front-of-house. In this way, Almost Maine is a truly collaborative student experience with over 40 students from Years 7 to 12 involved.
Prepare to have your hearts opened, warmed, and touched. We are thrilled to bring live theatre back to Woodleigh, with our 2022 production of Almost, Maine.
CAREY SAUNDERS and LUCY WHARINGTON
Directors Almost, Maine
Almost, Maine is almost here! Tickets available for 24 and 25 August
There are now less than 2 weeks before opening night for our 2022 production of Almost, Maine, the first Woodleigh senior school production to make it to the stage in three years.
Set in an 'everywhere town' in northern Maine, Almost follows 19 small town characters across one moonless night. Told in 9 interconnected vignettes, the play is an earnest portrayal of love in all its guises; love-found, love-lost, misdirected love, hopeful love, same-sex love. Described as a cleverer version of Love, Actually, the show is a fitting way for the whole family to reconnect with the magic of live theatre on the Woodleigh stage.
There are limited seats available for Wednesday 24 August, and greater availability for Thursday 25 August. Come along and show your support!
BOOK NOW
Increasing habitat on Schools Tree Day
Friday 29 July was Schools Tree Day, a national event where schools across Australia are invited to plant native species for use in bush tucker gardens, natural playscapes and for the provision of natural habitat for wildlife. At Woodleigh School Senior Campus, we took great pride in focusing on the former.
Earlier this year we were successful in obtaining a grant from Planet Ark’s seedling bank initiative which enabled us to order over 900 native seedlings from the Conservation Collective Nursery in Hastings. These seedlings were to be used in a revegetation project within the Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve and the gardens of our Sustainability Centre on the Woodleigh Farm.
A major reason for this planting was not only to revegetate recently weeded areas of the reserve, but also to provide habitat for our new Southern Brown Bandicoots. The grasses, shrubs and other plants will provide suitable shelter for small marsupials; not only bandicoots but also the other small denizens of the reserve such as bettongs.
Planting began with the Activities group on Friday 29 July, commemorating Schools Tree Day with the establishment of a revegetation zone on the borders of the reserve lake in the west.
On Tuesday 2 August we received a huge amount of support and contribution from the Spring Park Primary groups and the Year 8 Community Partnerships program. We look forward to continuing our planting in the Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve and to start our planting in the Sustainability Centre during Activity sessions and lunchtimes during the remainder of Term 3.
THOMAS HENNESSY
Land and Animal Management Assistant
Bandicoot Tales from the Brian Henderson Reserve
A topic of great excitement for us all at Senior Campus has got to be our new Southern Brown Bandicoots who are living in the Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve. It has been over a month since the little marsupials were released into their new home, and we are pleased to announce that they have taken to their new surroundings with gusto.
In the space of only 5 weeks their presence is being felt across our four-hectare reserve in all habitat zones, from the open land in the east to the dense heathland in the west.
The Southern Brown Bandicoot was once widespread across the Mornington Peninsula and 20 years ago you could still see them on the grounds of the Senior Campus. Now they’re endangered and only found in select sites such as the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens and other small reserves across the top of Western Port Bay. Other populations throughout the state have sadly fallen into extinction. This makes their return to Woodleigh a wonderful event as they are safe behind our predator-proof fence.
The Bandicoots have taken the school community by storm with students and staff eager to see them and help in efforts to provide more habitat for our growing population. We currently have 9 adults roaming the reserve and 3 others in our captive breeding enclosures.
A great way to identify if they’re nearby while walking through the reserve is to observe the ground for their conical diggings. Bandicoots are known as ecological engineers they assist in turning over the soil and enriching the growth of native seedlings while limiting the spread of weeds, a welcome form of assistance to our dedicated Field Gnat volunteers who help look after this special place.
Perhaps the most exciting of all news related to our bandicoots has to be the arrival of three joeys in our captive breeding enclosures. Bandicoots are fast breeders with joeys fully weaned at an age of 60 days. They are also capable of breeding after only another 60 days. We will hopefully see a substantial increase in our bandicoot population in the coming months. For now, we regularly check in on the little bubs and their mother, ensuring they're well looked after.
We look forward to sharing our bandicoot stories with you all as we continue to watch and record them through night vision cameras.
THOMAS HENNESSY
Land and Animal Management Assistant
Brian Henderson Reserve
Youth World Sailing Championships
On July 17, I embarked on a journey to compete in the ILCA 6 Youth World Sailing Championships and to test my skills against the world's best.
A few months prior, I had sealed a spot in the Australian ILCA 6 Youth Team to go over to Houston, Texas. We arrived a week prior to the start of the competition to get our boats ready and test the conditions that we would be facing in the upcoming week. Texas was different; it was hot every day, and it was a busy part of town, and it took a little while to get over the jet lag and get used to Texan culture.
I took the first day of training off because I was tired and dehydrated, so I wouldn't get a good session out of it. This was the first little hurdle: I reset my goals for that day and ensured everything was ready for the next day to ensure I wouldn't miss any more hours. The next few days were filled with little sessions to not tire us out before the event but still see the conditions.
On July 23 we had measurement and a practice race. Measurement involved making sure your boat was legal and making sure it was even competition for the 213 sailors. Measurement is similar to the parc fermé concept in Formula 1. The practice race was the first time we got to see everyone together, and it would give us an idea of the routine for the next week. The mindset going into the race was 'no regrets' which was good and bad. After all, we couldn't get a clean start away because everyone was pushing the limits. The opening ceremony began, and now we were ready as we could be to roll into tomorrow for a big week of racing in a consistent 17 knots of wind forecast every day.
Day 1
I felt consistent and a little surprised by my pace. It was nice to see I could battle in the top end of the fleet since we had been stuck in Australia for two years. My upwind speed was good, consistently being top 10 to the top mark in a fleet of 50, but lacked pace on the downwind, which cost me places each time. I managed a solid result in the two races that day, but was in a good place.
Day 2
The breeze was still up, and I was just trying to get into a rhythm to carry through the week. I was a little tired and missed a few opportunities here and there but still managed a consistent result which was nice to see. The breeze was consistent so you can fluke results. My results were consistent over the four races, so that meant I had a good pace.
Day 3
On the final day of qualifying, I was sitting right on the edge of gold fleet and managing to keep in front of the other Aussies. I put in a good performance again, getting top 20 results and top 10 to the top mark, but the goal of getting into gold fleet kept me pushing. I was really tired, but I was so close so it was worth pushing this hard.
In the first race of the day, I got a black flag as I was over the line when the gun went. I was angry and annoyed. This meant I had to carry a score of 53 points, and that cost me a spot in gold fleet. By the end of that day, I was equal on points with the guy ahead of me in 52nd. The top 52 went through to gold. In my head, it wasn't worth it. The black flag had cost me my chance to race at the very top.
I had put all my energy into getting that spot, and to be so close and miss it by a small margin threw me off. In that moment I had lost my hunger to perform. But we were only halfway: I needed to try hard to reset, but that kind of mindset takes years to perfect. That night I couldn't sleep and kept thinking about what I had just lost, but then I had to switch. I was now top-ranked in silver, but this expectation would fail me in the end. I now set out to win.
Day 4
This would be my worst day of sailing in the regatta. I just wasn't in the race, and I wasn't focused like the other days, yet I still expected to get better results. Statistically, I should be able to beat everyone I was racing against, but that day I couldn't even pull a top 20. I felt like quitting, but I had to remind myself that I was there to learn. Before going, I had never raced out of Australia, and I went there for the experience and to learn. Still, seeing the pace I had on the first few days, I knew that I could race competitively and set myself expectations to achieve that. But in that mindset, I had lost what I set out to do.
Day 5
The tropical weather set in, and we sat all day waiting for the rain and lightning to clear; it never did. This gave us all a chance to rest and reset by talking to everyone and just having a laugh, something that I had been struggling to do in those past few days. Looking back, this was probably one of my favourite days, because I'd forgotten the expectations I had set for myself. It meant I could just relax and appreciate what I was doing here.
Day 6
No regrets. All of my original goals had been thrown out the window, so today was a day just to see if I could get over my expectations and get back onto the foot I started the regatta on. I felt better within myself but still couldn't get the races I had liked. My starts were poor, and I wasn't a hero in the races, but I felt better and found that I had some much-needed pace. My upwinds were better, and I found a rhythm that I could use on the downwinds. The last race was a good feeling; being able to cross in front of most of the fleet was nice, but it didn't last too long with a shift coming from the opposite side of the course. It ended up being one of the better results of the finals series but nothing compared to the start. The other Aussies also struggled to come up with the pace on that last day but had a better end to the regatta than I did.
The feeling I felt sailing was the relief of what I had done and achieved; whatever the result was, my hands and my body could get a well-deserved break, and I could go back home and see everyone. I didn't need to wake up tomorrow, get back into the baking sun, and get back into that same rhythm. It is a bit sad that it is done now and that I can't add to what I've done, but in a way it's nice, and I can step back and reflect.
Round Up
Overall it was a good experience, and the things I learned weren't something you could learn back at home, so in that sense I am happy. My coach didn't care about the results, which comes with experience. He would say you need to focus on the process and areas you think you can optimize, and that will bring results; something I have now got ingrained in my head and something I can bring to my upcoming events.
Final Results
- 71st Overall - Youth Men's
- 14th - U17 Men's Athlete
- 3rd placed Australian in Youth Men’s
PATRICK CUMMIN
Year 10
FDBA Basketball Derby - U16s
On Wednesday 10 August, we had the second Woodleigh Derby of the season in the FDBA U16s: Woodleigh Wombats v Woodleigh Whirlwinds. After the Wombats took the honours earlier in the season, the Whirlwinds (coached by Liam Doyle-Toombs) narrowly got up 32-31 over the Wombats (coached by Tom Angelico) to square the ledger across the season.
We got a photo with our third team, the Woodleigh Waves, who played afterwards.
TOM ANGELICO
Assistant to the Director of Sport
Clothing Donations Needed for Year 9 Community Project
We are 3 students in year 9 that need your help. As part of our MYP community project we are collecting donated clothes for an organisation named Clothes4U.
Clothes4U is a volunteer group operating on the Mornington Peninsula that provide free clothing to people in need. We need your help to donate any clothes you have grown out of or are not using to this great cause.
At the moment they are in specific need of warm winter wear however all clothes are welcome. Please submit all donations to the basket near the staff office at Homestead 1 from Monday 8 to Friday 26 August.
Thank you so much,
LACHIE RAY, THOMAS McKEE and TOM MATHEWS
Year 9
Wear it Purple on 26 August
Wear it Purple Day was founded in 2010 in response to bullying and harassment of LGBTQIA+ youth due to sexuality and/or gender identity. The focus of the day is to show support for LQBTQIA+ youth and to ensure that schools are safe and inclusive.
On Friday 26 August senior campus students will be holding Wear it Purple Day. We encourage all students to show their support by wearing purple.
On Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 August (after Activities Week) the Woodleigh LGBT Committee will have a stall running near the canteen. You can buy purple items, or even tie dye your own white garments purple. Funds raised will go to the Wear It Purple Foundation.
So get your purple gear out and on, and go purple on Friday 26 August.
ALLEGRA MOLONEY
Year 8
Screenprinting Activity Reflection: Unit 5 Activity
For Unit 5 Activities, I took part in Screenprinting. Overall this was an amazing experience and I loved it.
Screenprinting is when you find or design an illustration you like and then use silk screens and ink to transfer the illustration onto clothing, shirts, hoodies, jackets, or bags. Anything is free reign if it’s mostly cotton!
We went through and learned the entire process, ending up with a sick new skill and some clothes. I definitely recommend this activity to everyone.
KOTA CHADWICK
Year 10
Creative Chillax: Unit 5 Activity
Here are some senior campus students reaching a state of flow as they let their imaginations run wild in the relaxed but productive atmosphere of the art room.
For their unit 5 activity, they chose Creative Chillax. They were given the option of using drawing and painting media, exploring ink, acrylic paints, pencils, pastels and digital media. The only limit was their imaginations.
LISA McDONALD
Teacher
Falls Creek Snow Camp Prep: Unit 5 Activity
It might sound like a holiday, but a week of skiing is hard work! Skiing demands peak fitness; we're talking stamina, and strength in the core and legs.
Here is Ms Kesterson preparing students for their upcoming Activities Week Camp at Falls Creek.
DEBS KESTERSON
Teacher
Principal, David Baker and Chair of the Woodleigh Board, Vanessa Gabriel, warmly invite all parents and staff to join us as we take a close look at Learning to Thrive, Woodleigh School's Strategic Direction for 2022-2030.
The plan - which will be issued in hard copy to the entire community in the coming week - describes our commitment to a holistic education that equips young people with the knowledge, skills, and capabilities they require to find personal success, build compassionate relationships with others, and positively contribute to the communities in which they live. We understand that to achieve these goals, we need to work together as a community to help our young people learn to thrive at three interdependent levels: Self, Others, and Human and Natural Environments.
Launch events are planned at each of our three campuses.Come along for a drink, some nibbles and the opportunity to informally engage with senior leadership and board members.
Please RSVP for catering purposes at one of the three links below:
It was once expected and accepted, that 'children should be seen and not heard'. Thankfully, this mindset is outdated and fails to recognize the knowledge young people’s lived experience offers.
In Australian Indigenous culture, there is a word that describes 'deep listening' which is known as dadirri. Dadirri is an inner, quiet, or still awareness that is available to everyone (Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann). It is a practice based upon respect, and extends to the interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental landscapes we traverse. In this context, it also pertains to 'being present' and determines how we 'show up' in life.
Listening to Teens: Ignore the Impulse to Tell Them What to Do
Imagine for a moment that your young person starts to share with you their perspective about something important to them. As they speak, you immediately hear the flaws in their logic. The next natural step for you as a parent might be to point out the flaws with their reasoning, followed by an overwhelming urge to give advice, even though it was not asked for and you know that the conversation will end in frustration and disappointment.
Albert Einstein once said something to the effect of, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.”
Yet, as parents, we live with the faint hope that this time it may be different; that our young person will listen and understand. However, the odds are not in our favour; past experience suggests there's a high probability that the outcome will be the same. You may tell yourself that some of what you said might have sunk in to make yourself feel better. It may feel hopeless sometimes, but like most parents (myself included) you just keep repeating the same cycle.
Let’s flip the script.
Do Parents Know Best?
Author Miguel Brown believes that trying to get through to your teenager stems from both narcissism and fear.
The narcissism: the assumption that you know what’s best for your teen.
The fear: if they don’t do what you say, they may end up hurt or failing.
The remedy: to intentionally pause, be there, be present and listen.
When Not To Give Advice
What if your teen does occasionally know what is best? What if struggling, on occasion, is a good thing? And what if your teen manages to solve the problem in their own way, despite ignoring your advice; that may be the most frustrating situation of all.
Instead of giving advice to your teenager immediately, press pause and just listen. In fact, listen very carefully, deeply, and try to understand where they are coming from. This approach has much more power than you realize. Listen, and then repeat their thoughts back to them to clarify your understanding from their perspective.
It is helpful for teenagers to hear their thoughts and feelings reflected back to them so they can try to solve their own problems. This is how we can support their development into becoming independent, resilient, and compassionate young adults.
What Happens When We Listen to Our Teens?
Parents are often challenged and surprised to learn that if you avoid giving advice and lecturing, listen closely and encourage teenagers to talk about what is happening, they often come to their own reasonable conclusions.
In fact, the experience of being 'seen and heard' is vital to developing many life skills including, but not limited to:
- social skills
- processing information
- expanding vocabulary
- practicing assertive, respectful and clear communication. This can lead to increased self-confidence and self-worth.
Parents are often in a tough position, between a rock and a hard place so to speak. After years of life experience, we often assume to already know the deal and can think of several possible solutions.
But for teenagers, the experience is new and difficult, so watching them struggle through it can be tedious and excruciating. However, this is their story, not ours: what matters most to them may not be the same for us. But keep watching.
If you give them enough time to process the problem, they too can get to a solution. Trust them to learn what they need, and from whom. They may choose to speak to another trusted adult (who is not a parent) as part of this process. They may falter or fail before they succeed, but this is the stuff that fosters resilience. Trust them to ask for your help if they need it. Don’t rush in to 'fix' what they may not have recognized as a problem. Pay attention to what they share on social media, try connecting with them through text messages, or sharing social media that is of mutual interest or amusement, they are digital natives after all.
And ask them often how they are doing. Give your teenagers the gift of time and patience, meet them where they are, and not where you want them to be.
In kindness,
Donna
DONNA NAIRN
Director of Counselling
Acknowledgements & further reading
Listening to young people
https://www.wellbeingpeople.com/2021/07/08/8-ways-to-improve-your-sense-of-digital-wellbeing/
https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/communicating-relationships/communicating/active-listening
Didirri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8&feature=emb_imp_woyt
https://yourteenmag.com/family-life/communication/listen-to-your-teenager
Resources from our Term 3 Woodleigh PEP talk with Dr Joanne Orlando who spoke with us on the topic: Digital Wellbeing: How to stay focused in an age of distraction.
https://www.joanneorlando.com.au/
https://www.techclever.education/courses/techclever-parents
Latest book:
Life Mode On: How To Feel Less Stressed, More Present and Back in Control With Technology
Activities Week is always an exciting time. For staff and students working on the Senior Production of Almost, Maine this is a week of technical and dress rehearsals. The cast, crew and musicians finally bring the play together into a performance. Tickets are selling well, but there are still some seats available for both nights of the show. BOOK NOW and don’t miss out!
Theatre was decimated by Covid. Across the world, productions fell over in 2020 and then again in 2021. Now, in 2022, for the first time in three years, we have worked hard to get a Senior School Production onto the Woodleigh stage.
We had to be creative about how we could successfully stage a school play 3 years into a pandemic. We knew we would need to film the work, so it could be streamed, or used as a hybrid theatre/film performance in the event of a Covid disruption. We knew that this meant that we would need to work on two versions of the play; one for the stage and a back-up to camera.
We identified that we needed a text that had multiple roles, but scenes that were contained or separate, so that we could work with small groups of students at a time. This way we would have a better chance of managing and scheduling rehearsals around inevitable illness and absence. Following the last couple of challenging years, we also wanted to work on a play with themes and content that was positive and uplifting for our students. We read multiple scripts, networked, researched, began brainstorming an original theatre piece … and then Stuart Hendricks from Music Theatre International suggested we have a look at Almost, Maine.
It is a cold, clear night in the middle of winter. The northern lights hover in the sky above the residents of ‘Almost’, a fictional remote town in Maine.
Under these lights, nine couples find themselves falling in and out of love, through a series of loosely connected stories.
Almost, Maine is funny, touching and moving. We immediately knew that it would engage our students. More importantly, we could see that the structure of the play had the potential to navigate its way through a pandemic affected rehearsal schedule.
A further challenge with a school play is finding a vehicle that can accommodate a large cast. Almost, Maine is an ensemble piece with 19 substantial roles. With permission from John Cariani, the playwright, we have also added the role of ‘The Narrator’, who voices some of the evocative stage directions.
We were determined to get a head start on the production to ensure that we had the maximum chance to work around any curve balls thrown up by the pandemic. Auditions took place at the end of last year, and students were asked to learn their lines over the summer break. Our first rehearsal took place in the first week of Term 1 and weekly rehearsals have been scheduled since then.
Throughout the rehearsal process, our student musicians have been working alongside our actors. Student Musical Director, Amelia Evenden and her team have composed and arranged all the original music for the performance. This has been no mean feat! The five-piece band has crafted fourteen pieces that beautifully underscore and link the scenes.
Woodleigh students have been encouraged and supported to undertake every role needed to realise this production. From back-stage manager, set and prop designers, to costume design, sound effects, marketing, poster design, animation, and so on. We have students stage managing the show, overseeing all the technical operations (lighting, sound, microphones) and running the front-of-house. In this way, Almost Maine is a truly collaborative student experience with over 40 students from Years 7 to 12 involved.
Prepare to have your hearts opened, warmed, and touched. We are thrilled to bring live theatre back to Woodleigh, with our 2022 production of Almost, Maine.
CAREY SAUNDERS and LUCY WHARINGTON
Directors Almost, Maine
There are now less than 2 weeks before opening night for our 2022 production of Almost, Maine, the first Woodleigh senior school production to make it to the stage in three years.
Set in an 'everywhere town' in northern Maine, Almost follows 19 small town characters across one moonless night. Told in 9 interconnected vignettes, the play is an earnest portrayal of love in all its guises; love-found, love-lost, misdirected love, hopeful love, same-sex love. Described as a cleverer version of Love, Actually, the show is a fitting way for the whole family to reconnect with the magic of live theatre on the Woodleigh stage.
There are limited seats available for Wednesday 24 August, and greater availability for Thursday 25 August. Come along and show your support!
BOOK NOW
Friday 29 July was Schools Tree Day, a national event where schools across Australia are invited to plant native species for use in bush tucker gardens, natural playscapes and for the provision of natural habitat for wildlife. At Woodleigh School Senior Campus, we took great pride in focusing on the former.
Earlier this year we were successful in obtaining a grant from Planet Ark’s seedling bank initiative which enabled us to order over 900 native seedlings from the Conservation Collective Nursery in Hastings. These seedlings were to be used in a revegetation project within the Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve and the gardens of our Sustainability Centre on the Woodleigh Farm.
A major reason for this planting was not only to revegetate recently weeded areas of the reserve, but also to provide habitat for our new Southern Brown Bandicoots. The grasses, shrubs and other plants will provide suitable shelter for small marsupials; not only bandicoots but also the other small denizens of the reserve such as bettongs.
Planting began with the Activities group on Friday 29 July, commemorating Schools Tree Day with the establishment of a revegetation zone on the borders of the reserve lake in the west.
On Tuesday 2 August we received a huge amount of support and contribution from the Spring Park Primary groups and the Year 8 Community Partnerships program. We look forward to continuing our planting in the Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve and to start our planting in the Sustainability Centre during Activity sessions and lunchtimes during the remainder of Term 3.
THOMAS HENNESSY
Land and Animal Management Assistant
A topic of great excitement for us all at Senior Campus has got to be our new Southern Brown Bandicoots who are living in the Brian Henderson Wildlife Reserve. It has been over a month since the little marsupials were released into their new home, and we are pleased to announce that they have taken to their new surroundings with gusto.
In the space of only 5 weeks their presence is being felt across our four-hectare reserve in all habitat zones, from the open land in the east to the dense heathland in the west.
The Southern Brown Bandicoot was once widespread across the Mornington Peninsula and 20 years ago you could still see them on the grounds of the Senior Campus. Now they’re endangered and only found in select sites such as the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens and other small reserves across the top of Western Port Bay. Other populations throughout the state have sadly fallen into extinction. This makes their return to Woodleigh a wonderful event as they are safe behind our predator-proof fence.
The Bandicoots have taken the school community by storm with students and staff eager to see them and help in efforts to provide more habitat for our growing population. We currently have 9 adults roaming the reserve and 3 others in our captive breeding enclosures.
A great way to identify if they’re nearby while walking through the reserve is to observe the ground for their conical diggings. Bandicoots are known as ecological engineers they assist in turning over the soil and enriching the growth of native seedlings while limiting the spread of weeds, a welcome form of assistance to our dedicated Field Gnat volunteers who help look after this special place.
Perhaps the most exciting of all news related to our bandicoots has to be the arrival of three joeys in our captive breeding enclosures. Bandicoots are fast breeders with joeys fully weaned at an age of 60 days. They are also capable of breeding after only another 60 days. We will hopefully see a substantial increase in our bandicoot population in the coming months. For now, we regularly check in on the little bubs and their mother, ensuring they're well looked after.
We look forward to sharing our bandicoot stories with you all as we continue to watch and record them through night vision cameras.
THOMAS HENNESSY
Land and Animal Management Assistant
Brian Henderson Reserve
On July 17, I embarked on a journey to compete in the ILCA 6 Youth World Sailing Championships and to test my skills against the world's best.
A few months prior, I had sealed a spot in the Australian ILCA 6 Youth Team to go over to Houston, Texas. We arrived a week prior to the start of the competition to get our boats ready and test the conditions that we would be facing in the upcoming week. Texas was different; it was hot every day, and it was a busy part of town, and it took a little while to get over the jet lag and get used to Texan culture.
I took the first day of training off because I was tired and dehydrated, so I wouldn't get a good session out of it. This was the first little hurdle: I reset my goals for that day and ensured everything was ready for the next day to ensure I wouldn't miss any more hours. The next few days were filled with little sessions to not tire us out before the event but still see the conditions.
On July 23 we had measurement and a practice race. Measurement involved making sure your boat was legal and making sure it was even competition for the 213 sailors. Measurement is similar to the parc fermé concept in Formula 1. The practice race was the first time we got to see everyone together, and it would give us an idea of the routine for the next week. The mindset going into the race was 'no regrets' which was good and bad. After all, we couldn't get a clean start away because everyone was pushing the limits. The opening ceremony began, and now we were ready as we could be to roll into tomorrow for a big week of racing in a consistent 17 knots of wind forecast every day.
Day 1
I felt consistent and a little surprised by my pace. It was nice to see I could battle in the top end of the fleet since we had been stuck in Australia for two years. My upwind speed was good, consistently being top 10 to the top mark in a fleet of 50, but lacked pace on the downwind, which cost me places each time. I managed a solid result in the two races that day, but was in a good place.
Day 2
The breeze was still up, and I was just trying to get into a rhythm to carry through the week. I was a little tired and missed a few opportunities here and there but still managed a consistent result which was nice to see. The breeze was consistent so you can fluke results. My results were consistent over the four races, so that meant I had a good pace.
Day 3
On the final day of qualifying, I was sitting right on the edge of gold fleet and managing to keep in front of the other Aussies. I put in a good performance again, getting top 20 results and top 10 to the top mark, but the goal of getting into gold fleet kept me pushing. I was really tired, but I was so close so it was worth pushing this hard.
In the first race of the day, I got a black flag as I was over the line when the gun went. I was angry and annoyed. This meant I had to carry a score of 53 points, and that cost me a spot in gold fleet. By the end of that day, I was equal on points with the guy ahead of me in 52nd. The top 52 went through to gold. In my head, it wasn't worth it. The black flag had cost me my chance to race at the very top.
I had put all my energy into getting that spot, and to be so close and miss it by a small margin threw me off. In that moment I had lost my hunger to perform. But we were only halfway: I needed to try hard to reset, but that kind of mindset takes years to perfect. That night I couldn't sleep and kept thinking about what I had just lost, but then I had to switch. I was now top-ranked in silver, but this expectation would fail me in the end. I now set out to win.
Day 4
This would be my worst day of sailing in the regatta. I just wasn't in the race, and I wasn't focused like the other days, yet I still expected to get better results. Statistically, I should be able to beat everyone I was racing against, but that day I couldn't even pull a top 20. I felt like quitting, but I had to remind myself that I was there to learn. Before going, I had never raced out of Australia, and I went there for the experience and to learn. Still, seeing the pace I had on the first few days, I knew that I could race competitively and set myself expectations to achieve that. But in that mindset, I had lost what I set out to do.
Day 5
The tropical weather set in, and we sat all day waiting for the rain and lightning to clear; it never did. This gave us all a chance to rest and reset by talking to everyone and just having a laugh, something that I had been struggling to do in those past few days. Looking back, this was probably one of my favourite days, because I'd forgotten the expectations I had set for myself. It meant I could just relax and appreciate what I was doing here.
Day 6
No regrets. All of my original goals had been thrown out the window, so today was a day just to see if I could get over my expectations and get back onto the foot I started the regatta on. I felt better within myself but still couldn't get the races I had liked. My starts were poor, and I wasn't a hero in the races, but I felt better and found that I had some much-needed pace. My upwinds were better, and I found a rhythm that I could use on the downwinds. The last race was a good feeling; being able to cross in front of most of the fleet was nice, but it didn't last too long with a shift coming from the opposite side of the course. It ended up being one of the better results of the finals series but nothing compared to the start. The other Aussies also struggled to come up with the pace on that last day but had a better end to the regatta than I did.
The feeling I felt sailing was the relief of what I had done and achieved; whatever the result was, my hands and my body could get a well-deserved break, and I could go back home and see everyone. I didn't need to wake up tomorrow, get back into the baking sun, and get back into that same rhythm. It is a bit sad that it is done now and that I can't add to what I've done, but in a way it's nice, and I can step back and reflect.
Round Up
Overall it was a good experience, and the things I learned weren't something you could learn back at home, so in that sense I am happy. My coach didn't care about the results, which comes with experience. He would say you need to focus on the process and areas you think you can optimize, and that will bring results; something I have now got ingrained in my head and something I can bring to my upcoming events.
Final Results
- 71st Overall - Youth Men's
- 14th - U17 Men's Athlete
- 3rd placed Australian in Youth Men’s
PATRICK CUMMIN
Year 10
On Wednesday 10 August, we had the second Woodleigh Derby of the season in the FDBA U16s: Woodleigh Wombats v Woodleigh Whirlwinds. After the Wombats took the honours earlier in the season, the Whirlwinds (coached by Liam Doyle-Toombs) narrowly got up 32-31 over the Wombats (coached by Tom Angelico) to square the ledger across the season.
We got a photo with our third team, the Woodleigh Waves, who played afterwards.
TOM ANGELICO
Assistant to the Director of Sport
We are 3 students in year 9 that need your help. As part of our MYP community project we are collecting donated clothes for an organisation named Clothes4U.
Clothes4U is a volunteer group operating on the Mornington Peninsula that provide free clothing to people in need. We need your help to donate any clothes you have grown out of or are not using to this great cause.
At the moment they are in specific need of warm winter wear however all clothes are welcome. Please submit all donations to the basket near the staff office at Homestead 1 from Monday 8 to Friday 26 August.
Thank you so much,
LACHIE RAY, THOMAS McKEE and TOM MATHEWS
Year 9
Wear it Purple Day was founded in 2010 in response to bullying and harassment of LGBTQIA+ youth due to sexuality and/or gender identity. The focus of the day is to show support for LQBTQIA+ youth and to ensure that schools are safe and inclusive.
On Friday 26 August senior campus students will be holding Wear it Purple Day. We encourage all students to show their support by wearing purple.
On Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 August (after Activities Week) the Woodleigh LGBT Committee will have a stall running near the canteen. You can buy purple items, or even tie dye your own white garments purple. Funds raised will go to the Wear It Purple Foundation.
So get your purple gear out and on, and go purple on Friday 26 August.
ALLEGRA MOLONEY
Year 8
For Unit 5 Activities, I took part in Screenprinting. Overall this was an amazing experience and I loved it.
Screenprinting is when you find or design an illustration you like and then use silk screens and ink to transfer the illustration onto clothing, shirts, hoodies, jackets, or bags. Anything is free reign if it’s mostly cotton!
We went through and learned the entire process, ending up with a sick new skill and some clothes. I definitely recommend this activity to everyone.
KOTA CHADWICK
Year 10
Here are some senior campus students reaching a state of flow as they let their imaginations run wild in the relaxed but productive atmosphere of the art room.
For their unit 5 activity, they chose Creative Chillax. They were given the option of using drawing and painting media, exploring ink, acrylic paints, pencils, pastels and digital media. The only limit was their imaginations.
LISA McDONALD
Teacher