Supportive Friends

The Supportive Friends Leadership program is made of Year 11 students whose overarching aim is to support any students in Years 8-12 who are attending their first year at MSJ in 2025.

The program uses the existing students' knowledge and experience of school life at MSJ - such as attending classes, involvement in extracurricular activities, volunteering for school events, and taking on leadership roles - to help the new students adjust.

So far, we have participated in Orientation Day, helping new students prepare for success in 2025, offering advice from our own experiences, and encouraging the new students to reach out if they need anything.

Recently, we met with the students, enjoying a shared lunch, and had an informal check in, asking what they needed from the Supportive Friends and seeking feedback as to what we can do to help them in the most effective way.

Furthermore, the Supportive Friends often volunteer to participate in school events, such as Open Day, Shrove Tuesday, and help organise school activities that the broader MSJ community can participate in, such as the R U OK Day events taking place in Term 3.

The Supportive Friends meet once a fortnight to discuss our ideas, while seeking feedback from our peers and striving to achieve our goal of supporting the MSJ community.

The 2025 Supportive Friends team includes:

Tara Madden, Emilie Blight, Amalia Brocas-Reti, Mia Munro, Chloe Whelan, Erin Godfrey, Joyce Apaac, Arden Roache, Maddie Thomas, Bella Munro, Abbey Norden, Piper McCluskey, Alexandra Fotopoulous.

Peer Support Leadership

The Peer Support Leadership program is a program where selected Year 10 students have the opportunity to be mentors to the Year 7 students. These Peer Support Leaders (PSL) act as a support group for the Year 7 students in their transition from primary to secondary school. Groups of PSL work with each Year 7 class, and at the beginning of the year, they help them get to know their classes, the school, and their fellow classmates. They offer firsthand experience and knowledge about MSJ, helping the Year 7 students to feel welcome and accepted in the MSJ community.

In the next few weeks, the PSL will be visiting the Year 7 students during Learning Mentor time and discussing issues such as learning habits, friendships and organisation. The PSL will be attending the Year 7 camp, to support the Year 7 students in their friendships and relationships with fellow peers and teachers and developing connections with each other. They will also be hosting lunchtime activities for the Year 7 students to compete in with their classes, to promote teamwork and belonging in the MSJ community.

The Peer Support Leaders of 2025 include: