From Head of O’Connor House, Matthew Barr
O’Connor House welcomed new students to the senior campus on the 31st of January, 2018. Students from Year 7 partnered up with their ‘Big Brothers’ in Year 12. Our Year 12 students were able to gently guide their new ‘Little Brothers’ around the school, and engaged in a number of activities aimed at making positive connections early.
To extend on the Big Brother/Little Brother Program in 2018, our Year 5 students were also partnered up with Year 10 students. This was designed to assist in building stronger relationships between our senior and junior students, with the intention of giving our younger members confidence in making the transition to high school as well as giving our senior students leadership opportunities.
Our new Year 7 started their journey into Senior School with a 3 day camp at Broken Bay Sport, Life and Recreation in Term 1. It is a great venue with personal and team building activities that provided the students and staff a flexible learning environment and an opportunity to form and build relationships.
In Week 3 of the Term we had the Senior College Swimming Carnival at Homebush Pool and the Junior School Carnival at the College Pool. The boys and staff of the O’Connor House demonstrated great enthusiasm and participation throughout both days. There was a lot of strong performers, however, the best performance of the day was out of the pool, where the boys demonstrated great spirit and passion, winning the House chants.
House assemblies each Friday morning have been beneficial in bringing the House together to build on the Year 12 theme of ‘Speak through Action’. I would like to congratulate and thank the House Prefects Tadgh Murphy, Reece Thorn, James Bodkin and Patrick Kossenberg who have displayed outstanding leadership in their roles and presented. Congratulations must also go to Joseph Moroney, Jerome Mendez and Harvey Papastamos who were elected mid-year Prefects. These assemblies provide time to build on our culture and recognise the great achievments by our students, particularly the large amount of students receiving Gold Awards for their great efforts and positive attitudes in class.
The Wellbeing Interviews took place on Monday 26th February. This was an opportunity for students and parents to catch up with our very supportive O’Connor House Wellbeing Mentors to review the individual student effort of 2017 and set important goals for the new year.
Throughout Term 1 our Fundraiser for the College Lent Charity was “The Ruben Centre”. O’Connor House also fundraised and organised Solar Buddies for the Ruben Centre to help assist young students living in energy poverty to complete homework and various tasks. We constructed the Solar Buddies during House Assembly and Wellbeing time and this allowed the students to work together to create the finished product.
The O’Connor House Mass in Term 2 was also a significant occasion for students in Years 5-12 to come together in prayer and reflection. The key theme of our Mass this year was “Speak through Action”. O’Connor House Prefect, James Bodkin, gave a thoughtful reflection on how students in O’Connor should focus on what good they can do for the community.
The 108th May Procession took place on Sunday the 6th of May. I would like to thank all O’Connor student’s and parents for their attendance, respect and reverence on display. It is a great tradition and one that remains very important and central to College life.
Good luck to the Year 12 students who will be sitting their Trial HSC Examinations exams in early Term 3. We will have our House Breakfast next term and I welcome all parents and students to join us at this informal gathering. I will email everyone when a date is finalised.
I would like to congratulate all students in O’Connor House for the positive start to the school year. I would especially like to thank the O’Connor Wellbeing Mentors for their wonderful support of students in O’Connor.
Thanks again for a great Semester and I wish everyone a restful and relaxed Holiday break.
Looking forward to seeing everyone next term.
