The Thistle - An E-Newsletter of Scotch College, Perth, Western Australia

From the Head of Middle School

If you haven't read it elsewhere in this edition of The Thistle, or via the College's Facebook page, Scotch College came third in the JPPSA Inter-School Athletics last Thursday and then won the PSA Inter-School Athletics, the Alcock Shield on Friday.  Both are wonderful achievements representing the combination of talent, training and commitment by our boys and their coaches.  Notable amongst many personal best achievements by Middle School boys was Lucas Woolf  (Year 7) setting a new U/13 200m Inter-School record.  As I watched the boys through Quads and then at Inters, I was excited as everyone in the stand at a winning performance, but I was as equally proud of the boys who ran their hearts out and finished back in the field but pushed to the end because they were wearing their Scotch colours and proud of it.  Below I borrowed an excerpt from a letter to me by another Scotch student who has just returned from the Pipe Band performances at the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo.  It seems to sum up the sense of pride I have seen in our boys during the Athletics season:

"I believe I can speak on behalf of all the boys when I say that we all felt truly honoured to don the Scotch College crest on our bonnets, and march out and perform to the grandest scale the pipes and drums can deliver.  To cement the blue, maroon, and gold in the heart of Scotland was a memory I'm sure the boys will never forget."

Being proud of who you are, who you are with, being proud of your effort regardless of result and grateful for the platform provided by the efforts of those who have gone before you; for us as teachers that is a "Gold" and speaks more about character than results.  Congratulations to all boys who have donned the maroon, gold and blue this year and represented our College with pride.

RUOK? Week in Middle School is next week. It is a week where we highlight the importance of looking out for each other, of building the habit of monitoring and being alert to our own and your mate's mental health.  During the week we will look at how we can maintain a positive mental state even at the most stressful of times. RUOK? Week is about changing attitudes and building some helpful habits.  Any conversation you can have along these lines will be very helpful too.

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Congratulations to the boys who had their work on display at the Inspirations Art Exhibition last week.

Mr Richard Ledger
Head of Middle School