Wellbeing News
WELLBEING TERM 4
Term 4, the final term of the 2023 school year and what a term it’s been! Firstly, we welcomed a new Student Wellbeing officer, Jess Taranto to the team. Jess will be a familiar face to some, having worked with our Learning Support Team for the last few years. Jess comes to us with a background in psychology and has worked as a counsellor in primary schools within the Mornington Peninsula area. Welcome Jess, we are very excited to have you join our team!
For more on programs and events, please keep reading to see what’s been happening in Wellbeing during Term 4 at Patterson River:
We kicked off Term 4 with World Teacher Appreciation Day. A massive shout out to all our AMAZING teaching staff at the College, who continue to work so hard to give our students such positive, creative and engaging learning experiences and who manage to develop such meaningful and impactful connections with our students. We very much appreciate all that you do! Here’s a snapshot of what some of the students appreciate about our staff:
Breakfast Club – Michael and Jess have continued to run the Breakfast Club program on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings this term for all students. This program runs from 8am-8:35am, where students can attend to make themselves breakfast prior to class. This program is held in Community Room, located at the front of the school. A HUGE thank you to Max Spurgeon and Lisa Van Hattum, our generous ES staff members who continue to attend weekly to support the running of this program. We could not do it without you! Here’s what Ciera from Year 8 had to say about Breakfast Club this year
“Breakfast Club has been wonderful this year. The staff running it are friendly and welcoming. Breakfast Club is good for eating before school, and even if you don't want to eat, it is a good place to relax before school” - Ciera Yr.8
RESPECT Student Action Group - Our RESPECT team is a student lead team that has been running for many years at the College with the aim of creating safe spaces for all students and staff. The group advocate for inclusion, equality and LGBTQIA+ rights at Patterson River. Weekly Respect meetings are held on Thursdays in the Community Room, led by Erika our Social Worker, and are open to any students wanting to come along. This term we farewelled our Yr. 12 Respect Student Leaders, Koda, OJ and Charlie. We would like to thank them for their continued contributions throughout 2023 and wish them all the best for their future.
World Kindness Day-
This year for World Kindness Day the Wellbeing Team organised a ‘pay it forward’ community kindness event on Friday 10 November. A handful of students from Year 7-9 were selected by Coordination teams to participate in this activity. The activity involved students packaging and delivering sunflower seeds to residents in our local community. Here’s what Louella from Year 7 had to say about the event:
“I was excited to be invited to participate in the World Kindness Day activities in November 2023. We signed and delivered 500 letters and sunflower seeds to our College neighbours. I had fun spending time with students I don’t usually hang out with and it was a good feeling knowing we were doing something nice for our wider community” - Louella Yr.7
Artful Intentions – Erika has finished off the Artful Intentions Program this term. Artful Intentions focuses on skill-based engagement over the course of 8-9 weeks. Selected students in Year 7-10 have been provided with the opportunity to develop new friendships/connections at school; develop their self-care/coping strategies and add to their individual ‘tool kits’ by progressing through a range of creative activities, which promote the exploration of students self-care practices. Here’s what Aimee from Year 9 had to say about the program:
“I enjoyed attending Artful Intentions as it was a good opportunity to connect with others whilst practicing self-care through arts and crafts. The activities I liked included gathering things from outside and putting them into an artwork and making vision boards” – Aimee Yr. 9
Mental Health Awareness Month –
This October, Patterson River Secondary College recognised Mental Health Month.This month encouraged all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether or not we may have a lived experience of mental illness. It also gave us the opportunity to understand the importance of good mental health in our everyday lives and how to reach out for support.
Mental Health Awareness Month was an important opportunity for us to check in with ourselves, our friends and colleagues, and to think about what we can do to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in our schools.
Each week of Mental Health Month, the wellbeing team put out a tip sheet to all students and staff on how you can support positive mental health. These covered how nutrition, sleep, physical activity and stress can impact mental health and strategies we can use to support our wellbeing.
To celebrate Mental Health Month the wellbeing team made smoothies at lunch on the 20th of October. These tasty treats were a hit with staff and students alike. On Wednesday 25th of October, Kingston Youth visited us at lunch. Students challenged each other to some friendly competition with the lawn games provided, and a great time was had by all!
Summer Holiday Supports- Please see the attached flyer from the Department of Education for support options for your child over the school holiday break.
Wellbeing in 2024 – We look forward to continuing to work with and support our students in 2024. We have lots of exciting whole school wellbeing events planned for the coming year, with exciting opportunities for students to become Wellbeing Ambassadors across a range of whole school events. Here’s what one of our R U OK? Ambassadors Rosie from Year 9 had to say about being a Wellbeing event ambassador:
“Being an R U OK? Ambassador at Patterson River Secondary College has been a total game-changer for me! I've had the chance to dive into meaningful conversations about mental health, amp up school spirit, and supercharge my leadership skills alongside an awesome team. It's like being part of a supportive family within our school community. I genuinely believe this experience is something everyone should try. It's not just about personal growth; it's about spreading good vibes and making a positive impact on our school together. Trust me, giving it a shot as an R U OK? Ambassador is an adventure worth taking!” - Rosie C Yr. 9
Final Note- Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the wonderful Student Wellbeing Team members for their hard work and support over 2023. To Erika, Michael, Amanda, Jess, Michael P & Taela, thank you for always providing a positive first experience in accessing individual support to our students and for continuing to provide targeted and specialised support to meet the ever-changing needs of our school community. I look forward to continuing working with you in 2024 as we strive to make further positive contributions in the wellbeing space at our College.