Echuca Twin Rivers Primary School 

Student Wellbeing 

Upcoming Wellbeing events in Term 4: 

  • Buddies Program (Week 11)

Wellbeing Structure:

Tegan is our Mental Health and Wellbeing Leading Teacher. She is full time in this role. 

 

Nicole is our Primary Wellbeing Officer. She works Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week. 

 

Kimmie is our Wellbeing Support Education Support Staff member. She works Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. 

 

I CAN Transition program:

The I CAN Transition Program finished on Wednesday the 4th of December. Thank you to Laura and Miki for facilitating these sessions. They were awesome mentors for those heading to Secondary School in 2025 and worked hard to ensure any and all questions our select Year 6 students had could be answered by staff at their respective Secondary Schools. 

 

The ‘I CAN transition program’ is a program for students who are Autistic, or who have learning differences / experience social anxiety to help prepare them for high school. Students don't have to be neurodivergent to be invited to the program. It is a leadership style program. More information can be found at https://icannetwork.online/

 

See below for a Tip Sheet from the I CAN team that supports those with Autism in their transition to Secondary School. 

 

 

Cultural Celebration Day:

On Friday the 6th of December we held our Cultural Celebration Day here at ETRPS. Our Cultural Leaders Jkhia, Sierra, Emma, Reign & Dreeks supported the running and organisation of the day. They facilitated the games and supported our stduents in participating. We thank them for all of their hard work! 

 

Our celebration included Multi Age games where we played a variety of games including:

  • Weet Weet (Aboriginal Game)
  • Cat and Mouse (Vietnamese Game)
  • Duck, duck, goose (Scottish Game)
  • Fruit Salad (Italian Game)
  • What's the time Mr Wolf? (Scottish Game)
  • Octopus (Italian Game)

We finished our morning with a short Cultural Parade, showcasing a small sample of the many wonderful cultures we have here at ETRPS. 

 

 

 

LifeChanger

On Thursday the 5th of December our Year 5 students had a Leadership session with the team from LifeChanger. The focus for the session was determining what we think a leader is, what they look like, leaders we see in our community and the qualities a leader has. 

 

We played a variety of games throughout the session and worked together to discover what kind of leader we might be. This included discovering whether we lead from the front, the side or the back. Some of us discovered that we lead in ways we didn't think we could, by modelling and supporting others and being respectful in a quiet and helpful manner. 

 

 

Positive Behaviour Support Celebration Day:

On Friday the 6th of December we hosted a PBS Celebration Day here at school. The team from "It's Party Time Jumping Castles" came to our school with 4 huge inflatables- The Mighty Red Dragon, A Cricket Bowling Tank, Super Slide Fun House and a Shark Obstacle Course. They were awesome! Despite the terrible heat we all had a blast. 

 

Students enjoyed some water play activities as well, including spray bottle tag and sponge tag. Finally, our students made some bubble art in the art room. 

 

A huge thank you to our local CFA for their support in filling up the Dunk Tank for the day! :D

 

 

 

 

Buddies- Week 11

This Term we will have 3 Buddies sessions. They will continue to focus on Bullying... No Way in which we learn about being an up-stander or a bystander and having positive connections in the school environment. We will also discuss topics such as 'banter vs bullying'.

 

The Phone Pledge

This is a local organisation that is advocating for delays around the age & time that Children are able to access smartphones and social media. If you are interested, please see the contact information below. 

 

 

 

Bullying Fact Sheets:

 

SAFEMinds

 SAFEMinds training is "a comprehensive professional learning and resource package that enhances the capacity of educators and school communities to; effectively identify children and young people with early signs of mental health concerns, implement school-based interventions and refer to other support services as needed." 

 

This training presented information about the 'NIP it in the bud!' whole school approach to recognising and responding to early signs of Anxiety, Depression and emotional distress, communicated through self harm. 

 

NIP it in the bud provided tools for us as educators to Notice, Inquire and Plan. 

 

SAFEMinds: At Home provides parents and carers with information and resources to assist them to support their child and take appropriate action to reach out for support if they are concerned about their mental health and wellbeing.

 

 

Be You

Throughout 2024, ETRPS will be working alongside Be You to support the Mental Health and Wellbeing of our community. 

 

Be You builds on the success and learnings from five existing programs aimed at promoting social and emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people in the education space: KidsMatter Early Childhood, KidsMatter Primary, MindMatters, Response Ability and headspace School Support. Be You is building on the evidence base and ten years of experience of these programs. These programs are now integrated into Be You – one single, national initiative delivered through early learning services, primary and secondary schools.

 

Through the partnership with Be You, staff will further develop knowledge about Mentally Healthy Communities and build our Mental Health Literacy understanding. 

 

Fly2Health

By way of introduction, at Fly2Health Victoria we fly experienced (no new grad) Speech Pathologists and OT's to Traralgon, Sale, Horsham, Swan Hill and Echuca every fortnight to serve participants of the NDIS and also private participants. If your school has NDIS participants that are unable to be seen in Echuca we have immediate availability for Speech and OT with our team. Our clinic in Echuca is based at the Echuca Neighbourhood House at 261 High St. We run the fortnightly clinic from 9am - 4pm every second Thursday (this Thursday the 18th of April). 

 

If you are an NDIS participants waiting for this service, please send this online referral through and we can commence services immediately. 

 

https://flyhealthgroup-2.snapforms.com.au/form/new-client-referral-form

 

Please see below for further details. 

 

Community Supports for our Parents 

Taking a moment to offload, let go and be heard   

 

  Just having a chance to offload and let go of what is currently overwhelming us. Parentline is one of those supports. Connecting you with trained counsellors for a completely confidential conversation. Available 8am-Midnight 7 days a week. 

 

Definitely a number worth keeping on the fridge! 

 

Breakfast Club

Our Breakfast Club continues to run every morning at the Centre from 8.35am to 8.50am. We are so grateful to Foodbank Vic and Moama Bakery who generously provide food items for our students to enjoy. 

 

   Anglicare Early Help Services at ETRS