Student Wellbeing

The Wellbeing Team: Louise Rogers, Isabella Farrar, Caitlin Elliott, Pat Pekin & Suzanne Trease

RYPEN Youth Program of Enrichment

RYPEN is a Rotary service project that provides a personal development weekend camp designed to help young people reach their potential.

Three Sandringham College students were fortunate enough to attend the RYPEN Camp on the Weekend of Fri 24th March - Sunday 26th March at DOXA, Malmsbury-

Eddie Curphey, Archie Lowe and Jasper Hird.

RYPEN is an experience of ideas, problems & social experiences. Students are encouraged to learn to understand themselves and others, while also learning to manage their relationships, lives & work. Activities are a combination of physical, problem solving, collaboration and team work.

If you would be interested in attending a camp in the future, please contact a member of the wellbeing team.

The Anxious Age - Supporting You Child Manage Stress and Anxiety

We know that worry, stress and feeling anxious is something that we all experience from time to time. Sometimes these feelings can help us perform better by helping us feel alert and motivated. This experience is our body’s way of preparing us to manage difficult situations.

Worry, stress, and anxiety can come and go – but for some of us, it can stick around for a long time and end up having a big impact on daily life.

As a parent, you can support your child to cope with day-to-day stress and worry by; encouraging organisation and planning, supporting routine, supporting your child to identify their concern and practice coping ahead if necessary and importantly, validate and normalise stress and big emotions.

If you are concerned that feelings of stress and anxiety sticking around for your child and this is having an impact on your child's everyday life, consider the below options for support:

Continue to support the everyday worries
Contact your child's Year Level Leader regarding options for support at school
See your GP
Seek further mental health support from a psychologist, counsellor etc.- There are local subsidised options available including Headspace and Family Life.

Further Resources:

For parents:

Headspace:https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/supporting-a-young-person/anxiety/

https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/supporting-a-young-person/how-to-support-a-family-member/

Beyond Blue: https:/www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/anxiety

Family Life: https://www.familylife.com.au/support/individuals/individual-counselling/

For students:

KidsHelpline1800 55 1800

Eheadspace: https://headspace.org.au/online-and-phone-support/create-account/

Headspace: https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/anxiety/

For parents and students:

Brave: https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au/

Wellbeing Dogs at Sandringham College

"The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog."- M.K Clinton.

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the incorporation of therapy and wellbeing dogs in schools. According to 'Dogs Connect,' a mental health and wellness program supporting the integration of wellbeing dogs into Australian schools, "the benefits of wellbeing dogs in schools have been remarkable, not just with mental health but with improved student learning outcomes." They have found that students:

Often report a reduced sense of stress and anxiety when in the presence of a dog.
Tend to feel more relaxed during teaching and learning time when there is a dog in the classroom.
Experience a greater willingness to be active in the school environment when there is a school dog, which has seen attendance rates increase.
Learn responsibility by looking after and caring for a dog.
Learn empathy through understanding the direct correlation between a student's behaviour and the behavioural responses from the dog.

"The best therapist has fur and four legs"- Caitlin Elliott

Here at Sandringham College, we are fortunate enough to experience the benefits firsthand. We have 'Tilly,' the beautiful chocolate brown Labrador, who is a certified therapy dog. Her owner, Miss. Scharer, brings Tilly into her Science classes and Tilly calls the junior campus's Discovery Centre home. Students love to have her in the classroom and come to visit her when they want a pat, play or feel they are needing emotional support.

Our senior campus has also been graced with the presence of four paws. Term 1 has seen Patrick the whippet take over our Student Wellbeing Centre and call it his. Caitlin and Isabella once thought students came to visit them, only until Patrick made an appearance. Patrick has accompanied Caitlin during wellbeing sessions and has shown the impact of wellbeing dogs on students' emotional state in a very short time. Caitlin saw students who were feeling distressed or sad, quickly find comfort and laughter just through walking or patting him or being in his presence. Similarly, it has been found that the benefits have not only been felt by our students, but have extended to our staff. Patrick has enjoyed meeting students and staff alike and putting a smile on their face this term.

Therapy Dogs for Schools | Wellbeing Dogs | Dogs Connect

One of our year 11 students with Patrick

What's On in the Easter Holidays?!

As we head into the Easter holidays, the Wellbeing staff wish to outline some exciting events and activities happening in the Bayside area over the Easter holiday. At the Wellbeing team we wish you a joyous Easter and hope you enjoy a restful break from the always crazy and busy, term one!

If interested here are some wonderful school holiday activities and details listed below during the break:

Peterson Youth Council – FriYays

FriYays at Peterson Youth Centre is your space to chill out, catch up with friends or make new ones and join in weekly wellness activities with our friendly and supportive Youth Workers.

Activities and snacks happening every Friday afternoon between 3:30pm - 5:30pm at Peterson Youth Centre (find us @ the corner of Peterson Street and Highett Road). Come down and kick back this FriYay!

Date: Friday 14 of April & Friday 21 April

Time: 3:30pm - 5:30pm

Age range: 10 - 25 years

Location: Peterson Youth Centre, corner of Peterson Street and Highett Road Highett

Cost: FREE!

This event is a drop-in event, no need to book!

Adrenaline Day: Rock Climbing | Caving | Trampolining

Get ready for an epic day of adrenaline rushes! Two hours of indoor rock climbing and caving, then off to the indoor trampoline centre for an hour to double bounce with your new mates. You should sleep well after this adventure!

Date: Tuesday 11th of April

Time: 9.50am – 2:00pm

Age range: 12 – 17 years

Pick up/drop off: Moorabbin

Food: BYO lunch/snacks

Cost: $40

Makers Day: T-Shirt Art Design Workshop | Tortilla Toasties

Design your own artwork to spray-paint onto a bag (provided) and bring along a couple of T-Shirts to improve your design skills. Then warm up your Autumn hands with a tortilla toasty, made by you!!

Date: Thursday 13 April

Time: 1:00pm - 3:45pm

Age range: 12 - 17 years

Pick up/drop off: Highett

Food: Snacks provided

Cost: $10

This is a wheelchair friendly venue.

Dance Day: Hip Hop Dance Workshop & Movie

Have you got Tik Tok moves? Did Ri Ri’s Superbowl halftime show get you crazed?

We will kick off the morning with snacks and a dance movie to get you pumped, then head over to a nearby dance studio for a 2-hour Hip Hop Dance workshop. NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!

Date: Tuesday 18 April

Time: 10:00am - 3:00pm

Age range: 12 - 17 years. Note: The movie will be PG13, so we recommend that participants are over 13 years old.

Location: Highett

Food: Snacks provided, BYO lunch

Cost: $35

Wheelchair friendly venues, however we will be travelling 900m by footpath.

Games Day: Games | Gaming | Snacks

Come along and join in on physical games, gaming games, and even for the physical gaming games like virtual reality. There will be champions made on this day… will it be you?

Some of our games will include: Virtual Reality, Table Tennis Tournament, Mario Kart & Mario Party on our fresh Switch, Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4, Foosball, Pool and many more.

Date: Thursday 20 April

Time: 1:00pm - 3:45pm

Age range: 12 - 17 years

Location: Highett

Food: Snacks provided

Cost: $5

Wheelchair friendly venue