Wellbeing and Mental Health

Kii TPS Families,

My name is Anna Baker and I have recently joined the team at TPS as the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader. This role is part of the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) program. MHiPS was developed in response to the 2019, Royal Commission into Mental Health which identified schools as a key location for promoting children's mental health, identifying signs and symptoms for those at risk of poor mental health, and supporting referrals to community services for those students who require extra support. In this role, my goal is to help build the capacity of the school to better support student mental health and wellbeing. 

What a wonderful start to the year! I have very much enjoyed getting to know students, staff and families over the first few weeks. Whether we are young or old, starting school or returning for another year, our feelings about this transition can be mixed and varied. We might feel anxious, excited, energetic, overwhelmed and exhausted all in the same day! This is the nature of new beginnings, and the intensity of these feelings tends to dissipate as we settle in. 

Now that we have successfully completed the first 4 weeks, our next task is to build stamina. 

Here are some simple things you can do to help these first few weeks go smoothly: 

• Being enthusiastic and letting your child know that you think they’ll go well at school, sends a positive message that school is exciting and that they’ll cope and have fun.
• Try to drop off your child at school before the bell goes in the morning and pick up your child up on time in the afternoon, as being late can be the source of anxiety for children. 
• If your child is worried about being separated from you, look for ways to distract your child at school drop-off. For example, you could try meeting a friend at the gate or walk to school with another child and parent.
• Be patient if your child wants to blurt out every little detail about school or clams up completely. You could try saying something like, ‘Tell me one good thing about your day’, rather than asking a lot of questions.
• Remember that it’s common for children to play with many different children and also to play on their own sometimes. It takes a while before they settle into a group of friends.
• Make after-school time a bit special, with a snack and time for you and your child to chat.

Ngoongodgin,

Anna