Edition Three 10 MARCH 2023
THE DRAGON FORTNIGHTLY NEWS AND EVENTS FOR ST GEORGE’S PARENTS
From the Principal Tina Campbell
Last week saw an excited group of Year 8 students head out after school to go bowling with the Head of Year 7 and 8, Ms Sephton. Tonight, we have the eagerly awaited Year 10 and 11 River Cruise with our Head of Year 9 and 10, Miss Wilkinson. These two wonderful social opportunities are a fabulous way to unwind together as a St George’s School Community and the positive relationships built through both of these shared experiences are an important part of ‘school connectedness’.
day. They enhance their sense of self, build confidence within a social setting, and confirm their relations with the people and groups around them – both other St George’s students and, equally and just as important, with St George’s staff. These social events provide a chance to connect on a different level for students and bring with them a sense of belonging, which in turn leads to heightened engagement and then hopefully greater enjoyment at school.
Whilst events like these have nothing to do with academics, they are equally as important in a student’s overall learning experience throughout their life at school. Social gatherings such as these benefit students in ways that no book, classroom activity or study session can ever fully replicate.
At St George’s such positive experiences pepper our students’ school calendars throughout the year. School camps, excursions, carnivals, concerts, school productions, co-curricular experiences and other such celebrations provide an ever-increasing range of opportunities for St George’s students to build cohesion and create that important sense of belonging and connectedness to the School far beyond the classroom.
School connectedness is an important factor linked to one’s overall success. The interactions and conversations occurring at such events help students to build better relationships, to understand different perspectives, to broaden their friendship circles and to socialise as a whole group outside of the confines of the school
A focus solely on academics has been shown to clearly diminish ultimate productivity and whilst we will always continue to promote strong academic performance for all our students, this sits 1
St. George's Anglican Grammar School – THE DRAGON