A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF LACEY HOUSE, DAMIEN THOMPSON
Lacey House is committed to improving the connection between the Mentors and students, Senior boys and Junior boys and all boys and the Head of House. The focus on each boy being known within each group has led to improvements in Mentor group meetings with conversation being the key ingredient in improving the mix. Seniors leading the Wellbeing activities is now mandatory on a Wednesday with many boys grabbing hold of this initiative and stepping up to the challenge.
Fourth Term has been packed with activities with the Year Twelve Retreat and the Year Ten Camp being the major offsite adventures. The Retreat was a reflective and intense experience with our Lacey boys taking the opportunity to step back from their lives to dream about what is to come. The major themes included their own life map, experiences of hurt and healing, the possibilities of their own lives and the purpose and meaning of their lives. The role that family plays in each one of these areas was explored with each of the boys having the opportunity to express their thoughts in small group conversations.
The Year Ten Camp was exhausting, exhilarating and exciting. I joined the lads for the 14km hike straight up a mountain. I felt very old for the first time in my life as I struggled to keep up. My thanks go to Daniel Pomes and Alex Woods for occasionally checking that I was still alive as I trailed from behind. Every time I caught up, the boys took off again as they had already had a long rest. It was great to finish each day and enjoy the gourmet cuisine prepared by the boys.
Year Ten also had more opportunities to be the Big Brother to the Year Five Lacey boys and they threw themselves into connecting and joining in the activities at Waterford Campus. A combined portrait of each boy(Yr 10 & Yr 5) produced some interesting combinations. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly these boys grow and the physical difference between the younger and older boys. The dividends of these meetings will pay off as the entire House begins to bond over Yr Twelve to Year Five in the next few years.
The exams have come and gone and each boy should take the opportunity to reflect on how they prepared, revised and applied themselves in each class. In Lacey, we are very proud that we value each boy and their ability to perform to their own capability. Where further support is needed, the partnership between parents, House and the learning support team can seek to provide a better pathway to success.
The new Prefect Leadership team has quickly built on the solid foundations of the previous year’s team to establish mental health and connectedness between the boys as top priorities for each House meeting. Our own morning wellbeing time has focused on delivering positive messages on kindness, inclusiveness and action plans designed to improve each boy’s wellbeing. Specific information on sleep patterns, diet and exercise have been well received by the boys. Some groups have taken the quick, intense physical start to each day to heart and planks and pushups are often part of the morning welcome.
As I walk among the various Mentor groups each morning I am struck by the growing bonds that are developing between boys across the year groups and between the Mentors and the boys. The Mentors have continued to provide the first port of call for many boys and parents and their support and encouragement of the wellbeing program has resulted in a number of important initiatives for Lacey House. Next year’s weekly program will involve the Monday convo, the Tuesday Wellbeing activity, the Wednesday Student led experience, Thursday interest activity and the Friday paired advice and wrap up time. We hope that this routine will drive the continuity and familiarity of each day . Our boys will feel very comfortable about speaking and directing others by the time they finish school as they will have practiced this every day.
