RUOK?

Welcome back to another exquisite rendition from the Sandringham College Wellbeing Team.

As we progress throughout the year, at times we often feel like we are just keeping our head above the water, it is nearly that time of the year where the water itself begins to drop and we can breathe a little bit easier. 

With head-start fast approaching, new life is breathed into members of the community, not only the students, for a fresh start and new challenges. Amongst this anticipation, is confronting the ‘now’ which includes ALTS, SAC's and the sheer scamper for completion of work tasks. This indicates the importance of students establishing healthy routines and prioritising sleep to ensure memory retention is at its peak and focus/attention levels are primed to give their ALT’s their ALL.

Here at the wellbeing team, we cannot highlight enough the importance of SLEEP. Sleep is important for adolescents as it aids cognitive development, emotional, physical and mental health. During teenage years sleep benefits brain functioning which therefore enhances attention span – pivotal for focus within class times. A good baseline for adolescents is getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night,  due to the fact they are in a developmental phase of their lives.

Other than highlighting the importance of SLEEP, I would like to note that managing a healthy lifestyle through consistent physical activity and a nutritious diet can prepare adolescents for the best possible success during the end of term and end of year examination time.

Remember, “poor preparation prevents poor performance”.

Seeking support for your child

“Happy, calm children learn best,” is not only said by internationally renowned Psychologist, Daniel Goleman, but by the teachers and community of Sandringham College. We recognise that our students’ wellbeing is not only paramount to their happiness but to their capacity to learn and grow. This is why we place such importance on not only teaching various aspects of wellbeing through our curriculum and programs, but on individual wellbeing support provided to our students. 

The wellbeing team identify various wellbeing needs of students, offer individual sessions and link them to external support services. Oftentimes we find that students have been facing some challenging issues for an extended period of time (especially post-lockdowns), such as ongoing low mood and anxiety, that may not have resolved with time or through discussion with family or friends. In order to help manage this, therapeutic support can come from those trained in mental health care, including; Psychologists, Counsellors, Mental Health Social Workers, or Psychiatrists. 

So if you find that your child has been experiencing ongoing issues and may benefit from therapeutic support, there are various support options available, especially locally. Here are the steps that you could follow to start the process of obtaining support for them: 

• Try and open the discussion with your child to talk about the issue, the impact it has had on them and how much they would like to change it. If they would not like to discuss it with you, you are welcome to remind them of wellbeing support at school and advise them to speak to their Year Level Leader. 
• If they are open to discussion, ask your child if they would be open to speaking with someone who is trained to assist them to manage such issues. 
• Take your child to their GP and explain the ongoing issue that they have been struggling with. 
• Discuss the possibility of your child receiving therapeutic support to manage this issue. 
• The GP can provide a mental health care plan which allows for a rebate for sessions through Medicare. Firstly, four sessions are provided followed by a review by the GP, who can then provide another six sessions. Following, another review, another ten sessions with rebate can be provided. 
• The GP can then make a referral to a private or public service.

RUOK? Day

-September 8th-

RUOK Day is a nationally celebrated day which encourages people to ask Are You Okay? It promotes meaningful connection and starts conversations for people who may be struggling. 

This years theme is 'No Qualifications Needed'- confirming that you don't need to be an expert to check in with a friend, family member or colleague to create a safe space for someone to share their true feelings.

RUOK day is about raising awareness for the need to check in with others, and ensuring that this conversation continues and is incorporated into everyday life. 

The RUOK website can support you on learning how to ask the question, as well as some follow up steps on what to do after you ask Are You Okay? 

https://www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask 

At Sandringham College, we will be celebrating this fantastic day with lunchtime festivities including musical performances, an ice cream van and fun activities which promote connection and conversation. It will be a casual clothes day, with a gold coin donation going to the RUOK Foundation.  We look forward to celebrating RUOK Day on September 8th and continuing the conversation to best support our community. 

TEEN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (TMHFA) TRAINING DELIVERED TO YEAR 10 AT SANDRINGHAM COLLEGE

During August, a course designed to support the mental health of adolescents  - Teen Mental Health First Aid - was delivered to all Year 10 students at Sandringham College. The Teen Mental Health First Aid training course was developed by Mental Health First Aid Australia and was delivered by 3 of their accredited trainers – Jola, Gail and Denise (with therapy dog Cayley as support as well). Students learnt about the signs and symptoms of mental health problems that may be experienced by young people, and how they can support a friend who may be experiencing a mental health problem. 

This initiative to bring this educational course to the Year 10 students was a joint collaboration between Sandringham College and the Rotary Clubs of Hampton and Brighton North, supported by Mental Health First Aid Australia. A big thanks to the College Wellbeing team and the project teams from Rotary for organising this specialist training to help support the mental health of young people.