VIRTUES From the Director of Wellbeing & Positive Education
work, businesses and family life. We know that the strain of the uncertainty has taken a toll on many people, and it was not necessarily the event of the lockdown, but the consistency and duration of the uncertainty surrounding it. Because the event was on a national and worldwide scale, wellbeing and resilience became a focus for many schools, businesses, families, and communities. What was reinforced during this time was the need for social interaction, as although Zoom served a purpose it did not replace the ability to connect face to face. We know strong relationships provide a buffer to help us all to manage when life gets tough. College is looking to build on this with the mentor groups that boys attend within their Houses. Using this time for the mentors to connect with the boys in a small group is a great opportunity for each boy to build healthy relationships with their peers as well as their mentor. Take time to discuss with your son who they have in their lives as a mentor. Who is someone they can go to for support, advice, knowledge or just to use as a sounding board? This year we continued to focus on and build into the boys’ lives: • Character strengths • Growth mindset • Mindfulness This was achieved through the Health programme, as well as through initiatives such as MINDfit,
MANifesto and the Immerse & Inspire programme. There is something for students at all year levels at various times throughout the year. The Student Wellbeing Committee led by Lachie Kitchen was again great in promoting messages to the boys around their own wellbeing. Lachie shared messages in assembly around the need to get regular exercise, even initiating a game of cricket on the Quad; he talked about developing a healthy mind and body, and organised teacher Lisa Trundley-Banks to run a special yoga session on the Quad for the boys; and he promoted the message about the importance of connecting with each other and checking in, giving the boys ice blocks and encouraging them to connect with each other. Next year will be another exciting one, as the Wellbeing team continues to grow. We look forward to welcoming two new counsellors to College, Dr Sarah Anticich will share the role of Director of Wellbeing with me, and counsellor Emily Baird will take time to focus on her own family while on maternity leave. I think we are all looking forward to 2021 being a year where we take the things that were good about the old normal and make our new normal a positive one. John Quinn Director of Wellbeing & Positive Education
I am sure for many of us 2020 will go down as a year that challenged us all, in particular when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. After a great start to the year and everyone excited about what Term 1 would bring, things came to a big stop when the country went into lockdown. For all of us, lockdown was a unique experience and one that no one had planned for. It was a new game no one wanted to play and a game where the rules kept changing all the time. After speaking to lots of people during this time it became clear everyone’s experiences really varied. For some people it became a great time to reconnect with family and slowdown from the hustle and bustle of what their life usually is. It gave them time to catch up on work, family, eat better and exercise more. They were able to use lockdown as a positive experience and do things they may not usually have time to do. On the other side of the coin, for others lockdown was a very stressful time, with uncertainty surrounding
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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