On Tuesday 24 November we have Time & Space facilitating an evening for our Class of 2027 and their families. OLMC have worked with Time & Space over many years. These evenings are designed to look at ways parents, carers or mentors can support the journey of our young people through secondary school and they also assist the College in building our partnership with our families.
This night is also designed to increase a sense of belonging for our students to their College community. In a recent research paper from Monash University, it was stated that belonging has been declining in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries over the past two decades (OECD, 2017, 2019, 2021).
The paper from Monash University highlights that research consistently links school belonging to lower rates of mental health problems (Allen, Kern et al., 2018; Allen, Greenwood et al., 2024; Arslan et al., 2020), greater academic motivation (Allen, Kern et al., 2018), improved wellbeing (Arslan et al., 2020; Rincon et al., 2024), and positive life outcomes that extend well into adulthood (Anderman, 2002; Boston & Warren, 2017). At the same time, the evidence indicates that wellbeing and flourishing are not only outcomes of belonging, but also conditions that shape it.
Allen, K.-A., & Dong, S. (2026). The science of belonging: Exploring the concept, drivers, barriers, and evidence-based solutions to cultivate belonging in K–12 education. Monash University, Faculty of Education, in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate® (IB).
These nights are always well received by the families that attend. Here is some feedback we received from participants from the Class of 2026 evening:
It was good as a student to hear what the parents had to say as it really displays that both the students and the parents are in this together for the whole year.
Year 12 student
Great opportunity for honest conversation. To have a night to talk about and talk to our young person is highly valued. Great initiative and opportunity.
Parent of Year 12 student
Booking details have been emailed to our current Year 11 families, but please find further information on the night below:
Real Schools Partnership
Last week, our facilitator from Real Schools, Jemma Rust, joined us for our in-class support days. During her visit, Jemma interviewed some of our students in regard to their experience of restorative practices here at OLMC, worked with Learning Area Leaders and House and Year Level Coordinators, met with the 2027 Student Leadership Team and held conversations with staff about how circle architecture can be used in a secondary school setting. This visit helped shine a light on what is working well and what can be areas of future focus as we move into our third and final year of our partnership next year.
Jemma’s visit also included hearing stories from both staff and students of situations where our restorative practices are working well. These stories are mentioned here as a recent post about our College by the founder of Real Schools, Adam Voigt:
More information about Real Schools can be found at the link below:
Student Leadership Day
The Student Leadership Day for our 2027 Year 12 leaders will be held on Friday 20 November. This day provides an opportunity for our Year 12 leaders to explore how the scriptural theme for 2027 will inform their work next year. The day also gives them the chance to look at what kind of leader they would like to be and what is required to be an effective team. The role of the Restorative Practices model from Real Schools will be explored and the students will look at their responsibilities to their particular portfolios. We wish our Year 12 leaders well for this day.