A chilly Friday morning marked the first session for Year 11 and 12 Peer Support. Peer Support Leaders act as big brothers and sisters to the Year 7s and 8s so that their start at Sancta Maria College is warm and welcoming.
Year 11 Peer Support Leaders oversee the new Year 7s and the Year 8s are led by Year 12s.
Some leaders were eager to get to know their homeroom students while others were nervous to enter the room. However, once the class got situated, the session was off to a great start.
The main focus of Year 11 Peer Support for the first session was ‘Introductions and Getting to Know Each Other,’ where the key message of ‘Everyone is different, so everyone is interesting’ was highlighted.
The theme for the first Year 12 session was ‘Friendship’, showing respect towards each other so that relationships can be formed with our peers. The Year 8s were to split off into their allocated groups so that the connection with their Peer Support Leaders could be heightened. In these small groups, activities involving the theme allowed for a greater understanding of the purpose of Peer Support.
Briann Aragon, a Year 12 Peer Support Leader, was keen about his first session. “It was a new and exciting experience to be able to mentor our younger peers within the school,” he said.
Jennifer Payne, another Year 12 Peer Support Leader provided insight into her experience. “The Year 8s were well-behaved and interactive during our first session of Year 12 Peer Support. I’m feeling excited to get to know them better throughout the rest of the year,” she smiled.
Year 11 Peer Support Leader, Jersey-Leigh Gallardo summed up her first time experiencing a homeroom visit as a Peer Support Leader. “Our first session went pretty well. At first, we were a bit nervous, but as soon as we got started everything was fine and running smoothly. For our first session, we were able to communicate well with our class and barely had any struggles at all. Overall, we hope the bond with our class continues to grow and that we may become great Peer Support Leaders in the future,” she said.
This first Peer Support Session of the year is the start of a thriving relationship between the Year 7s and 8s and their Peer Support Leaders. We hope to continue learning about each other and maintaining these relationships throughout the rest of our time at Sancta Maria College.
Nasya Chin
