Term 1, Week 5 2026

Wellbeing Spotlight: Embracing Imperfection at Home

Many families may be familiar with The Imperfects, a podcast hosted by Hugh van Cuylenburg alongside Ryan Shelton and Josh van Cuylenburg. The podcast features honest, often vulnerable conversations about mental health, identity, shame, mistakes and the very human experience of not always getting things right. At its heart is a powerful message that our imperfections are not something to hide. They are what connect us.

This message strongly aligns with the work we do with students through The Resilience Project. At school, students regularly practise the pillars of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness, often referred to as GEM. While these practices are embedded in our Foundation lessons and everyday interactions, they are even more powerful when reinforced at home.

One simple way to build gratitude as a family is by sharing three good things from the day, focusing on small, specific moments that brought joy or comfort. This shifts the focus from what went wrong to what went well and helps train young minds to notice positives even on challenging days. Empathy can be strengthened when we slow down and truly listen. 

When a child shares something difficult, responding with “That sounds really disappointing” or “I can see why that mattered to you” helps them feel heard and understood before solutions are offered. Mindfulness can be as simple as taking a few slow breaths together before homework or after a busy afternoon. A short reset can help calm the nervous system and refocus attention.

One of the most valuable ideas explored on The Imperfects is that struggle is part of being human. When adults model vulnerability by sharing that they felt nervous, made a mistake or are still learning, it gives young people permission to do the same. It teaches them that belonging is not built on perfection but on authenticity. Our children are growing up in a world that often highlights polished outcomes and curated success. They need consistent reminders that it is okay to be a work in progress.

This week, consider having one intentional conversation about imperfection. You might ask, “What was something challenging this week?” or “What did you learn about yourself?” Often, children are far kinder to their friends than they are to themselves. Helping them practise that same compassion inwardly builds true resilience.

By embracing imperfection and practising GEM at home, we strengthen our children’s sense of identity, connection and confidence. Together, as a school and family community, we can continue nurturing young people who are grateful, empathetic, mindful and comfortable being beautifully imperfect. 

Listen to The Imperfects podcast here:

Year 8 Classroom Insights – Science: Food Chemistry 

I enjoy food chemistry because we get to do hands-on fun experiments with food, like making ice cream in a bag and creating s’mores. This makes understanding complicated science questions easier because you get to experience the science in real time. Some things we have learnt are exothermic and endothermic reactions through the ice cream in a bag experiment and we have just learnt enzymatic browning processes by leaving cut fruit out on a plate to study how different treatments prevent browning. Overall food chemistry is an awesome way to be hands on, have fun and learn something new.
-- Zander

In Science we are doing Food Chemistry, and I really enjoyed doing all the experiments and how we do lots of hands on learning. One of the experiments we did was dipping cut up apple, pear and a banana into oil, orange juice and salt water to observe what would stop the browning of the fruit. It was really fun and interesting to see how they help stop the browning, and gave me skills to use when storing food at home. 
-- Matthew

Upcoming Due Dates (Weeks 6-7)

Year 7

Upcoming Due Dates (Weeks 6-7)

Year 8

Celebrating Students

Congratulations to the following students who received an award at our Term 1 assembly:

Zooper-Dooper Awards

Our Zooper-Dooper Awards celebrate students who have been nominated by their classroom teachers for going above and beyond in living out our values, showing kindness, effort and positivity in a truly Super-Duper way. 

A big shout-out to the following students who have been nominated this fortnight:

7A – Ruby Ostrofski
7B - Maddison Lawrie
7C - Jake Haynes
7D - Aaliyah Doyle
7E - Ashlee Bowe
7F - Noah Smith

8A - Eliana Neale
8B - Danielle Rickuss
8C - Stella Kluck
8D - Josie Wendt
8E - Kobie Bunnett
8F - Mahli Weedon