Lowanna College

Wellbeing Report

Introducing our Secondary School Nurse – Emma Hughes

My name is Emma Hughes, and I am delighted to be working as the Secondary School nurse as a part of the Wellbeing Team at Lowanna.  I live in South Gippsland and I attended Monash University in Churchill to gain my Bachelor of Nursing.  I have been nursing for 25 years in various settings.  I have travelled and worked in the UK, worked with an expedition company as the medical support in Belize Central America, worked in Arnhem land with the Yolngu Aboriginal people managing healthcare, and in the acute sector in Medical, Urgent Care, emergency, theatre and at Moe After Hours Care with LCHS.  I have also gained a certificate in sexual and reproductive health.

 

I have worked with young people in many different capacities but most recently I set up a youth program, organised discos and ran community events for the young people of our town. 

 

I am very passionate about young people’s health and wellbeing.  As a medical professional, I take pride in being able to support young people to become the very best versions of themselves.  I look forward to meeting everyone over the coming weeks.

 

Breakfast Club Update

A reminder that Breakfast Club is available to students each Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7.45am to 8.20am. We encourage students who have not had a bite to eat to come along and get some toast and a hot milo.

The breakfast club team of helpers are also looking for anyone who would like to volunteer their time, one or both of the days we provide breakfast club. Please let the Wellbeing team know if you can help out. 

We also love donations to go towards breakfast club – Margarine, Cheese Slices and Milo are the things we would greatly appreciate 😊  

Respectful Relationships Update

Some of our Lowanna College staff have been engaging in Respectful Relationships (RR) professional learning. A new strategy that the school has implemented is the opportunity within some of our staff meetings to develop focus groups; RR is one of these groups. This group will allow staff to discuss current statistics and data and focus on areas of professional interest. This will place the school in a strong position using this learning to strengthen the students understanding of this important work.

This term, some staff will also be attending a whole day RR Induction training so we will be well equipped to promote the work through a Whole School Approach.

A key element of the Respectful Relationships work is about supporting a person's mental health. This can be through respectful and open conversations …. Checking in to see how others are feeling. Our current circumstances have placed a great deal of stress on families and anxiety & depression are major factors in the lives of many young people.

Thursday, 9th  September is RUOK? Day. This is a great opportunity to build on our respectful interactions with each other as a school community 😊. It is also an opportunity to really check in with each other and support each other where possible.

On the 9th September we will be having an out of uniform day for a gold coin donation. A free BBQ lunch will be provided on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th September there will be lunch time activities and music for students to enjoy. There are 4 important steps in having a conversation to see how someone is going –

  1. ASK – the person clearly …. RUOK?
  2. LISTEN – to what they say ….. it’s an opportunity to pick up on whether they aren’t doing well.
  3. ENCOURAGE ACTION – they may benefit from seeing a professional to assist them to work through their problems …… suggest professionals if you know of them or offer help to find support.
  4. CHECK IN – so we don’t just forget about them. Following up shows the power of care and support.

Achievement Program Update

After being officially notified that Lowanna successfully reached the SunSmart Benchmark last term, we have received our certificate and benchmark sticker to be placed on the Healthy Together sign. Watch out for this in the coming couple of months near the main entrance gate 😊

We have been working with Claire Watts on our second benchmark which is Mental Health. We have been looking at policies, processes and the different types of support in place to support the mental health of all our students. Lowanna is committed to providing a strong service to support mental health. The wellbeing team have been out and about in classrooms recently doing presentations on Mental Health …. What it is, normalising it, discussing what happens to our brains when our mental health is poor, identifying strategies and much more. Watch for future changes that will see Lowanna raise the bar in the area of Mental Health.

Bullying 'Part 2' - Taking Action...How Can You Help?

In an earlier newsletter we started the conversation about bullying. We defined bullying and mentioned the importance of respect towards each other.

Lowanna College is working hard to demonstrate our commitment to  zero tolerance of bullying. Some important factors for all people involved to remember are:

 

If bullying is occurring, we encourage students to –

  • Tell a parent/carer or another trusted adult as soon as possible.
  • Continue reporting to an adult If bullying continues after efforts have been made to address the issue.
  • Report bullying that occurs through electronic means so this can be followed up by the school.
  • Not retaliate physically. We encourage students to use their words appropriately ie: Please stop that, it makes me feel uncomfortable. Or, I don’t like it when you do that, it upsets me, please stop.

 

To support the school in addressing this serious issue, we ask parents and carers to –

  • Encourage young people to discuss relationships with other students with you. Open discussion will allow them to raise any issues.
  • Encourage young people to feel confident that they have the right to report the bullying and have the report acted on.
  • Help the young person to collect information that may be helpful to the staff following up the report.
  • Refrain from becoming involved in bullying incidents through direct action or electronic means

 

In addressing the issue of bullying Lowanna College will –

  • Have ongoing conversations with all students about our school values and the need for respectful interactions.
  • Provide education about the impact bullying has on a person’s mental health.
  • Incorporate the Respectful Relationships Initiative within a Whole School Approach.
  • Explore professional development for staff and interactive programs for students to participate in addressing the impact of bullying on a person’s mental health.
  • Provide wellbeing support to students who have been exposed to bullying behaviour.
  • Continue to provide information to the Lowanna community through newsletters and parent meetings.

Thank you to our school community for your support of the wellbeing work we are doing at Lowanna College 😊

 

Paul Fry 

Wellbeing Team Leader