We all live in different communities, and we know from personal experience that communities are a complex web of interactions and emotions that can provide positive and negative experiences.
Positive communities provide places to meet others and have a sense of belonging. They provide emotional support and feelings of safety and allow members to be inspired and flourish.
At William Carey, we aim for a school community that is kind, compassionate, shows empathy and lives at peace with one another. The Carey Attributes help focus and support students in thinking and learning these important skills. This week we are looking at the “Show Respect and Compassion” attribute. We want to foster a community that values compassion for others and encourage everyone to work together so that we can build one another up in all areas of life.
Unfortunately, there can be relationships in communities that cause friction for various reasons. This can lead to increased bullying, resulting in emotional distress. Sometimes the young person bullied can become a bully themselves and pass on this learned behaviour. Cyber bullying has also increased with the rise in social media and smartphones. This has been widely publicised by the media and is something that has positive and negative consequences.
This week, our Student Leaders led the way and presented to our high school students for “Bullying No Way day”. This is one of the many ways we aim to equip students with tools and enable them to seek support and make a positive change in our community. Empowering individuals to be upstanders and not just bystanders.
Bullying and poor word choices bring up negative emotions such as anger, sadness, upset, depression and often loneliness and isolation. This is not the environment or community that we want or aim for at William Carey.
Paul in the Bible writes to his community in Rome about their life together and this provides some great advice to us all. Romans 12 (The Message)
Love from the centre of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle…
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t quarrel with anyone. Be at peace with everyone, as much as possible. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do.
Scripture tells us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if they are thirsty, get them a drink. Your generosity will surprise them with goodness.
Please pray for our community as we continue to work towards being respectful and compassionate, displaying empathy, being kind and living in peace with one another.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr Anthony Hudson
High School Deputy Principal
From Year 7 to Year 12, The science faculty often complete some interesting and engaging in-class experiments. Here is a small insight into what they have been up to these last few weeks.
Year 12 Biology are learning all about DNA and how technology has advanced to be able to use DNA for DNA profiling (fingerprinting) and DNA sequencing. Last week they conducted a model DNA Gel Electrophoresis investigation where they used dyes with different sized molecules to model DNA profiles or DNA fingerprints. Amazing!
Our Year 7 students have been enjoying learning about science and participating in some fun experiments. Recently, they were learning about density and how liquids with a higher density sink below liquids with a lower density. Practical lessons are always so much fun!