Year 8

The Year 8 cohort has adjusted superbly to the many challenges faced throughout the year. The boys have come to realise that the best course of action to face a hectic year is to become more organised and throw themselves whole-heartedly into the Four Pillars of the College: spiritual, academic, cultural and sporting.

Mr Andrew Osnain Head of Year 8

As a result, the boys have learnt to become independent – particularly in the area of organisation, developing key competencies and skills necessary to help them achieve to the best of their ability. Boys further developed friendships and an increased sense of belonging in the year group, and they are all part of the spiritual and learning journey together. Early in the year each pastoral care group elected two student councillors. Each councillor has been at the forefront of student activities and providing positive leadership. I thank them for their earnest contribution throughout the year and encourage other students to seek out leadership opportunities in the years to come. The Quest retreat further ingrained a sense of belonging and brotherhood at Trinity College. Over the long weekend, more than 60 Year 11 students ‘adopted’ three Year 8 ‘little brothers’. Throughout the weekend the boys were introduced to the notion of being part of a brotherhood. Students were challenged to aspire to greater heights throughout their time at Trinity. The Year 11 peer ministers became older brothers for the Year 8s, and hopefully aided in the development of healthy relationships with girls as well as strengthening relationships with their Trinity brothers and family relationships. Throughout the year it was obvious what sort of impact the Quest retreat had on the students, with many maintaining the relationships with the big brothers and taking the opportunity to discuss daily life at Trinity with a responsible role model who has experienced what the boys will encounter over the coming years.

In March, as both groups will be working side by side over the coming years, the boys were involved with two socials with the Year 8 Mercedes College girls. The first social was an afternoon picnic at Mercedes, whilst the second was a more traditional evening social at Trinity College. Both events provided the opportunity to socially engage with the girls in a mature and positive way.

The first social event involved an afternoon at Mercedes College, where the boys engaged in some activities organised by the Mercedes staff. The students were great ambassadors for the College and have certainly come a long way with their social skills in their short time at Trinity.

The social held at Trinity was driven by the Year 8 pastoral care group councillors and was centred on a black and white theme. Throughout the evening the councillors sold glow bands and drinks to raise funds for charity. The food was provided by Donatos Event Catering and was a big hit with the students, especially our boys! The social raised over $350 for charity.

Another innovation to the year was the pastoral care group indoor soccer challenge. Each member of the eight pastoral care groups was encouraged to participate in the knockout tournament which was aimed at creating a climate of inclusiveness and cohesiveness amongst the year group. The pastoral care group councillors ran the tournament and raised further funds for charity. The winning group was 8.5, and they were duly rewarded with Stuzzico’s pizzas – there were no leftovers!

Student mental health has been at the forefront of pastoral care group activities over the past two years. The students have experienced visits from a number of guest speakers who have worked with the boys on topics such as resilience, bullying, cyber safety and developing safe, healthy relationships. The feedback from the students has been extremely positive and we will continue to offer similar opportunities in the future.

In addition to the guest speakers, the boys have been involved in the first year of the Climate Schools Combined (CSC) Study into student mental health and wellbeing. The surveys, conducted by Curtin University and the University of New South Wales, will continue over the next two years and will help develop resources designed specifically to aid mental health for students. As a result of our involvement in the study these invaluable resources will be made available to our students free of charge, which, I believe, is a significant investment in the health and wellbeing of our boys.

I take this opportunity to thank the eight pastoral care teachers for making 2014 a successful year for the students. Ms Kathryn Down, Mr Paul Presser, Mr John Overton, Mr Andrew Jenkin, Mr Ian Hailes, Ms Rebekah HarrisMiller, Mr Chris Brennan and Mr Michael Murphy have provided guidance and support to students in a selfless way. Students do not often see how much time and effort the pastoral care group teachers put into the year and I certainly congratulate them on their work with the boys throughout the year.

Mr Andrew Osnain Head of Year 8