Year 9 Retreat

The Year 9 Retreat was entitled Connection and ran over two days in Week 1.

The Retreat was an opportunity for students to participate in engaging sessions that challenged them to learn more about themselves, connect with their inner person and understand compassion which leads them to Acts of Kindness. This Retreat enables students to have a real connection between Head, Heart and Hands.

The Youth Mission Team (YMT) joined part of the Retreat to run a range of activities that helped the students to reflect on and look at Self Image.

Our students also focused on Compassion through Kindness led by Catherine from Soul Gestures. In this session, students learnt about the brain and how it works and the impact kindness acts can do to our brains. It was challenging, fun and rewarding. Our presenter Catherine from Soul Gestures, was an inspiring presenter and made the following comments about the Year 9s:

‘They were a phenomenal bunch of students who engaged with every minute of the day, put themselves outside their comfort zone and met the day with humour, beautiful connections and gratitude. Really blessed to have spent the Year 9 retreat with them.’

The other two components of the Compassion through Kindness were run by our own staff, Paul Cranley and Melissa Kelly, who ran a Mindfulness session, looking at the impact of COVID on young people and the isolation many experienced. As part of the session, the students made Mindfulness art resources that will be made into booklets and sent to Ngalangangpum School, Warmum.

Other College staff members, Katrina Thomas, Cheryl-Lynn and Alyssa Cutler, presented the session ‘Why Education is Important’, which looked at education around the world. The outcome of the session was that each student designed and coloured a pencil case. The students over the next few weeks then collect stationery to fill their pencil cases and packs which are then donated to St Vincent Paul Society and Give Write.

Thank you to our wonderful Year 9 Religious Education teachers, Homeroom teachers and Head of Year 9 Mark Barron for assisting to make this experience worthwhile.

Gemma Wooltorton
Deputy Principal Ministry