Wellbeing Update

Inclusiveness at Lowanna College                   

Our LGBTIQA+ Community 

I am continuing to liaise with the Department of Education in the hope that we will have a new College Nurse early next year. The College Nurse has traditionally led the work in supporting our students from the LGBTIQA+ community and once this role is in place, this work will continue to happen.

In the meantime, as we work through the recruitment process, the Wellbeing Team will continue to support all students at the school with an inclusive approach to everyone we work with.

General Wellbeing Information

Live4Life Wrap Up for 2024

It has been a big year in the Live4Life space. We introduced this initiative to our school community with several activities. Earlier in the year we held a mini Live4Life launch which was incorporated into our Domestic and Family Violence Awareness Day. In Term 3 we introduced the Teen Mental Health First Aid Course to our Year 8 students and in Term 4 we introduced this course to our Year 10 students.

We also continued to train our staff (along with staff from other schools and community service organisations) in the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training. We are thrilled to let you know that we now have more than 50% of our staff trained in Youth Mental Health. This is an amazing effort from all staff, students and community members who have been patient with us as we have navigated the challenges associated with bringing this initiative to life.

A reflection of 2024 ... I had the pleasure of attending the final Live4Life Strategic Planning Meeting a few weeks ago with our Acting Principal, Ms. Julia Niamh. It was great to reflect on the work we have started, the challenges we faced, the way we overcame the challenges and the goals we reached. It has inspired me as the Wellbeing Leader to continue this work as strongly as we started it.

Moving forward to 2025 – All Year 8 and 10 students will again be trained in Teen Mental Health First Aid. This will be an annual expectation which means all students will participate in formal mental health training twice in their time at Lowanna College. In May 2025, all Year 8 students will participate in a major Live4Life Launch event, which will be held offsite. More details to follow as we come closer to that time. We will also continue to train our staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid – our goal is to come as close to 100% of staff trained as possible.

Wellbeing Fact Sheet

Please find below valuable Mental Health supports for students and families as well as a Wellbeing Factsheet. 

Mental health supports for students over school holidays | vic.gov.au.  

Mental health and wellbeing toolkit | vic.gov.au

Students: Students - mental health and wellbeing toolkit | vic.gov.au

Parents: Parents and carers – mental health and wellbeing toolkit | vic.gov.au

Adolescent Mental Health Supports

• HEADSPACE, Morwell – 5136 8300 OR  1800 650 890
• LIFELINE – 13 11 14
• LIFELINE TEXT – 0477 131 114  (6pm to midnight)
• KIDS HELPLINE – 1800 551 800

Parent Engagement 

At Lowanna College we encourage parents and carer feedback. As the Wellbeing Leader, I also welcome feedback about the service we provide to your young people. This helps us to consider ideas and look for new ways of doing things and to keep the level of support we offer our students as high and inclusive as we can.

During 2025, I will be inviting parents to participate in a short survey. The idea of this will be to hear from you about what you think wellbeing are doing well at the school, where you think things could be a little different and any other ideas you have. More information to come in 2025.

Blue EDGE Program- 2025

Blue EDGE will be returning in 2025!!!

There will be a change to the program next year. It will run over 8 weeks instead of 16 weeks and each session will run for a longer period. If your child has expressed interest in participating, you will have seen consent forms come home. Please return these to the office as soon as possible.

Blue EDGE (Educate, Develop, Grow, Empower) is a well-established fitness based experiential learning program run by Blue Light Victoria in partnership with Victoria Police, combining physical training, personal growth, and life skills. The program covers a range of topics including:

• Communication and Teamwork
• Diversity
• Healthy Decision Making
• Mental Health & Wellbeing
• Alcohol and Other Drugs
• Safety in the Community

The program ends with a reflection about what the students have gained from participating.

Breakfast Club 

A reminder that Breakfast Club is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 8.30am during the school term. We encourage students who have not had a bite to eat to come along and get some toast and a hot milo. A healthy breakfast is just the thing we need to help us start the day well 😊

The Breakfast Club team are looking for anyone who would like to volunteer their time to help on the days we provide Breakfast Club. Please let the Wellbeing Team know if you’d like to help. We are also looking for donations of Milo and cheese. Any donations can be given to the General Office or Wellbeing. Thank you.

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

On behalf of the Wellbeing Team, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a happy and safe new year.

If you are travelling, please drive safely and look after each other. Take the time to rest, spend time together and most of all, have fun!!!

We look forward to leaping into 2025 with our new Year 7 students and all of our current students.

The Wellbeing Team 

Paul, Donna, Larnia, Glenda, Emily & Michael