Wellbeing

Family Wellbeing Resources

1. Raising Children Network – Managing Anxiety in Your Family (On demand)
2. eSafety Commissioner - Navigating Screen Time: Tools for Today’s Families (29 April, 17 June, 12.30pm)
3. Headspace – Self-guided activities (On demand)

Resilience: A Skill That Can Be Learned

In Week 9, students across the school participated in a wellbeing assembly focused on an important message: resilience is not something you either have or don’t have – it is a skill that can be deliberately developed over time.

Australian research strongly supports this view. The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) defines resilience not as a fixed personality trait, but as a dynamic and learnable capacity that develops when young people strengthen personal skills (such as emotional regulation, problem‑solving and planning) alongside external supports like positive relationships and routines. Similarly, the federal government‑funded Be You initiative emphasises that resilience grows through the intentional teaching and practice of social and emotional skills in everyday school contexts, rather than through one‑off interventions. More recently, the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has identified self‑efficacy, coping strategies, attention control and help‑seeking as high‑impact, evidence‑based practices that support student resilience and learning. 

During the assembly, students were encouraged to move away from common myths about wellbeing - such as the idea that wellbeing means being happy all the time, or that people are simply “good” or “bad” at coping. Instead, students explored the idea that challenges, setbacks and stress are a normal part of growth, and that learning how to respond effectively to difficulty is central to long‑term wellbeing.

This work is grounded in the Visible Wellbeing SEARCH framework, which underpins the school’s Compass program. SEARCH identifies six pathways that support resilience: Strengths, Emotional Management, Attention & Awareness, Relationships, Coping, and Habits & Goals. Research reviewed by AIFS shows that interventions targeting these protective factors are most effective when they focus on skill development and repeated practice over time, particularly in school settings where skills can be applied in real‑world situations. 

To support this, students were invited to take part in a 48‑Hour Resilience Challenge, choosing small, practical actions aligned with each SEARCH pathway to practise over two days. Actions included pausing before reacting, improving focus during study using methods such as Pomodoro, reaching out for support, or strengthening daily routines. These small steps reflect research findings that micro‑changes, rather than grand goals, are more likely to build confidence and persistence over time. I encourage families to discuss what challenges their children attempted and reflect on the experience.

By approaching wellbeing as a set of learnable skills, the Compass program aims to equip students with strategies they can draw on across academic, co‑curricular and personal challenges - now and into the future.

References

Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO). (2025). Evidence‑based practices in school settings for student wellbeing. https://www.edresearch.edu.au/research/research-reports/evidence-based-practices-school-settings-student-wellbeing

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). (2025).Building resilience in children and young people. https://aifs.gov.au/resources/policy-and-practice-papers/building-resilience-children-and-young-people

Australian Government – Department of Education. (2024). Australian Student Wellbeing Framework. https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/educators/framework/ 

Be You (Australian Government initiative). (2024). Learning resilience: Evidence‑based professional learning. https://beyou.edu.au/courses/learning-resilience