THE VILLAGE

The Village: Supporting Students to Focus and Thrive 

Welcome back to Term 3! It has been fantastic to see our students and staff return with such a positive start to the term. Across the College, our classes have settled back into routines, students have reconnected with friends and teachers, and there has been a really positive feel around the school. It has been great to see so many students returning ready to learn and making a strong start to the semester.

As we begin a new term, we also want to remind our students that asking for help is a strength. At different points throughout the school year, everyone will experience challenges. These might relate to learning, friendships, relationships, mental health, or simply feeling like things are becoming a little difficult to manage.

Developing strong help-seeking behaviours means recognising when we need support and knowing who we can turn to. We want our students to feel confident that they don't have to work through challenges on their own. Seeking help early can often make a significant difference and can help prevent smaller concerns from becoming bigger ones.

How Students Can Access Support

Following the holidays, students who need additional support can access our Wellbeing and Inclusion Team through a number of pathways.

Students can make a Wellbeing request through Compass, which provides a direct way for students to let us know that they would like some support. Students can also speak with their relevant Sub School, who can help connect them with the right person or service.

Students can also speak with a trusted adult at school, such as their classroom teacher, Year Level Coordinator, Sub School Leader, or another staff member they feel comfortable approaching.

Our goal is to make sure students know that there is always someone they can talk to and that asking for support is a normal and important part of looking after ourselves.

A Positive Start to Term 3

The positive start we've seen across the College is something to celebrate, and we want to continue building on this throughout the term. We encourage our students to keep looking out for one another, to recognise when they or their friends might need some extra support, and to remember that it's okay to ask for help.

Sometimes, the first step is simply letting someone know that things aren't quite right. From there, we can work together to figure out what support might be helpful.

Tyson Biffin

Assistant Principal - Wellbeing and Inclusion

tyson.biffin@education.vic.gov.au