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On Friday, 5 March, the Year 7 and 8 students worked with guest speakers from Elevate and the YMCA. The Elevate session assisted students in improving their study habits, skills which can be implemented throughout the year in all subjects. The session conducted by the YMCA, specifically the Resilience for Women Project, taught students the power of self-awareness, determination and resilience.

Both presentations were overall received quite positively with the students, who are looking forward to the opportunity to investigate the areas covered in greater detail this semester.

Zoe Triantafillis, Leona Jobin and Prabhsimran Singh have all provided their views of the presentations, as well as detailed what they all learned:

Ever felt overwhelmed by school work? In a seminar hosted by Elevate last week, the Year 8s learnt about the importance of setting effective study habits and strategies for successful reading, note-taking, and memorisation of information. We experienced creating condensed, highlighted notes and scanning through texts for key information – tips I know I will be using to better my work and note-taking. It was crucial to review the basics of effective studying to ensure we are on the right track, working effectively, and achieving our best as learners. Overall, we learnt many helpful tips and enjoyed the interactive, engaging presentation.  Zoe 8D – Review of Elevate Session

On Friday, 5 March the Year 8s had the Resilience for Women workshop in periods 4 and 5. People had come from the organisation to explain their story to us and how they overcome their challenges and how we could overcome our challenges to. In different classrooms, we discussed what mental and physical resilience was within or out of our minds. We then asked each other what resilience was to them and discussed. What I learnt in this presentation is that resilience plays a huge role in our lives. Resilience is not something you realise quickly, but we need to understand what it means to us. It helps us overcome our problems and our fears. Last year was not the best year we expected but through resilience we overcame COVID-19 and looked after ourselves and each other. Leona 8A – Review of YMCA Session

Many valuable lessons were rediscovered and learned in the Elevate presentation. Although this varies from person to person, I personally learnt how to study effectively and time management. The main points of how to read dynamically and understanding articles and anything you read were covered and I got a lot out of the information shared. In the second presentation by the YMCA, I learnt how to remain resilient throughout the rollercoaster of life and to face any challenges in your way. This shared information could be applied to our lives be implementing it and always keeping it in our subconscious mind, by doing this, it will always remain in the back of our minds. Another way we could apply it is by practising it repeatedly. If we do this, it will become an instinct. This information presented is important because it teaches us lessons that could be vital in our future lives and it comes from people who have experienced these things and could tell us the tiny things that matter a lot. Prabhsimran 8B – Review of Elevate and YMCA Sessions

The Years 7 and 8 Homeroom teachers and Coordinators are very much looking forward to reiterating the messages shared in both presentations throughout the 2021 school year.

Deborah Rakatairi - Year 7 Coordinator

Ellen Farrugia - Year 8 Coordinator