To the Somerville House Community

If you would like to attend our very first Literary Lounge event for 2013, please contact Ms Joanna Gardiner
(jgardiner@somerville.qld.edu.au). Parents are also most welcome to come along.
HEAD OF LANGUAGES
Mr C Forno
LANGUAGES TWILIGHT EVENT
A letter is being emailed later this week to parents of all students in Years 7 to 9 who study any of our four
languages here at Somerville House, regarding the Languages Twilight Event to be held in VPAC on Thursday
28 February from 6.00 to 8.00pm. The event, which is for students and members of their families, will showcase
Languages study at Somerville House, and will include student performances in each of the four languages.
Parents are requested to complete the slip attached to the letter, and return by email to Mr Forno by Thursday 21
February.
CHIBA GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL VISIT: REQUEST FOR HOST FAMILIES Mrs S-J Feely, Japanese Teacher
This year from 21 July to 30 July, Somerville House will welcome twenty girls and two accompanying teachers from
our Japanese sister school, Chiba Girls’ High School. For many years this has been a successful homestay
experience and our students of Japanese look forward to welcoming the Chiba girls every secondo year. During
their stay, the girls from Chiba study English, under the direction of an English-as-a-second-language teacher,
participate in excursions and Japanese classes. I am currently seeking families willing to host a Japanese student.
Host families are required to provide transportation to and from school, meals and accommodation for the duration
of the home-stay. This real-life international Exchange is a truly valuable experience for students of both Somerville
House and Chiba Girls’ School. An Information Evening will be held for host families to apply for Blue Cards and to
provide more detailed information regarding the home-stay program. If you are interested in hosting a student,
please contact Mrs Feely by email 0903@somerville.qld.edu.au or call 3248 9220.
DEAN OF STUDENTS
Mrs K Graham
Well it’s official, words really can hurt us. Lisa Raffensperger’s recent article in the New Scientist, ‘Words can
never hurt me?’, confirms what most people already know, that taunting and cruel words actually hurt us in a
physical way as well as psychological way. (Raffensperger: 2012, 37). Researchers like Naomi Eisenberger at the
University of California have discovered areas of the brain – the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) to be
precise – surges with activity when we are physically hurt. As Eisenberger notes, ‘this is an important part of the
pain network, determining how upsetting we find an injury’. The more distressing we find an injury, basically the
more the dACC lights up.
Does our brain and body react to insults and social rejection as much as physical pain? It seems so. Researchers,
Ethan Kross at the University of Michigan, and Nathan DeWall of the University of Kentucky, found that the parts of
the brain’s sensory centres reflect similar physical discomfort as a result of a wound, as that of heartbreak. In other
words, ‘heartache can literally hurt’. Some people, on the other hand, are more resilient and are able to deal with
emotional upsets more pragmatically and take setbacks in their stride. Young people who have experienced more
traumas in their early years tend to have a more heightened sensitivity to emotional upsets which continues most of
their lives and these people feel more physical pain than others.
Adolescents, particularly, can be sensitive to a whole range of social emotional issues and to social rejection.
Psychiatrists believe that as the brain of a young person is still developing, it has a more exaggerated response to
any perceived slights or injustices. This will come as no ground-breaking news to most parents of teenagers.
Is there anything we can do to alleviate this type of pain? The answer, luckily, is a resounding ‘yes’. Giving
emotional support and comfort to those people experiencing painful social rejection can ease the physical pain felt,
according to the researchers. As parents and educators we can:
• Support young people through difficult emotional times and surprisingly it helps us to become more resilient
to setback in our own lives
• Listen empathetically to our students when they share emotional upsets
• Acknowledge the upset and offer advice if your child asks for it
• Comfort young people in times of need and suggest some strategies with other friends
• Seek medical help if necessary, some short term medication may assist – even panadol has been found to
help reduce the effects of psychological pain; and
• Seek help and support from the Heads of Year, the Dean of Students and the trained psychologists at
Somerville House.
[Bibliography: Raffensperger, L. (2012). Words can never hurt me?. New Scientist. No.2893, December 1, pp37-
39.]
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