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Dear members of the Mount Lilydale Mercy College community

It is that time of the year when our attention turns towards final assessments and even in the junior year levels exams are becoming a topic of conversation. Parents are starting to ask questions about resilience and the sustainability of doing homework and study and how it may be stress inducing. Some may even question whether MLMC remains concerned with the overall mental health of students and if we have an over emphasis on rules, expectations and the MLMC way we expect our students to interact. Others ask how do we support our children in the pursuit of academic success and in their overall development.

As with all things resilience, good mental health and academic or any other success do not just happen and they cannot be sought, yet they are realised through a routine where good practices are learnt and practised. Routines and commitment to processes are essential in this.

I have been interviewing students who wish to enter our College and find myself continuing to discuss with them the importance of daily reading. It is a routine that must be taught and practised from an early age and continually encouraged. Reading for 15 to 20 minutes every night before sleep is one routine that should be a life-long one. It is an important routine.

I have for a long time been a fan of the speeches and writings of Admiral William H McRaven, who is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from 8 August 2011 to 28 August 2014. From 2015 to 2018, he was the chancellor of the University of Texas.

I have included some of his speeches in newsletter articles before, but my favourite is his speech and book Make your Bed, Little Things that Can Change Your Life And Maybe The World.

McRaven offers 10 lessons that may be summarised:

If you want to change the world:

  1. Start your day with a completed task.
  2. Don’t go it alone.
  3. Grit and determination trump talent.
  4. Life is not fair; get over it.
  5. Don’t fear failure; embrace it.
  6. Take calculated risks.
  7. Stand up to bullies.
  8. Rise to the occasion when life gets hard.
  9. Give people hope when times are tough.
  10. Never quit.

Source: www.ricklindquist.com/notes/make-your-bed

But it is well worth listening to his overall speech on YouTube, if you find the time. I listen to it about once every 12 months. Click HERE to listen.

(2) Your support of school learning at home

Recently I also came across a great article by Dr Bruce Robinson: ‘Your Support of Learning Impacts Your Child’s Results at School’ in The Fathering Project (February 2022), which I thought was of interest and well worth sharing with you:

Supporting School Learning at Home

Study image

When parents support school learning at home, this shows our children that we truly value education and the school. Your job as a parent is to encourage them, support them and challenge them to learn and do their best. If you can instil in them the mindset that learning is a process, that is positive and enjoyable, they will grow up to be lifelong learners who thrive on challenges.

  • Parent involvement in educational activities with their children is associated with improved educational outcomes for all students
  • Children at all ages with parents interested and involved in their learning have a clear academic advantage
  • Children do not stop needing their parents because they get older, or because lives get busy.
  • You don’t have to be strong academically yourself to have an impact on your child’s education. Evidence shows you just have to be supportive and positive about learning.

Top tips

  1. Read with your child from an early age and encourage a positive attitude to learning from reading – both books and online.
  2. Promote a positive mindset in your children to help them see the benefits and enjoyment that can be found in learning and improvement.
  3. Don’t put too much pressure on them. Encourage them to be as good as they can be and help them plan how to improve.
  4. Be willing to help with homework, even if that just means asking them questions.
  5. Let them be independent learners and be there to support if they want to do the home learning themselves.
  6. Encourage them to see mistakes as an important part of the learning process and help them to see how to use their mistakes to learn.
  7. If homework is causing stress or arguments, put it aside and take a break. Try again later and if there are still problems, contact the teacher to discuss solutions.

(3) Community Forum Group

The next meeting of the Community Forum Group is scheduled for Tuesday 15 November at 7.30pm. The venue will be decided on once numbers are finalised. The group consists of three permanent parent members, but up to 10 more interested parties are welcome to attend. Thus far, intended discussions include:

  • the College SSS (Supervise Study Sessions)
  • detention at MLMC
  • scholarships at MLMC.

If you would like to attend and if you have other suggested agenda items please email me at principal@mlmc.vic.edu.au

In the spirit of Catherine,
God Bless each and every one of you

Philip A Morison