Mental Health & Wellbeing

Mental Health & Wellbeing News

R U OK? Day - Thursday, 10 September 2026

R U OK? Day is a reminder that a simple conversation can make a big difference. We encourage our school community to take the time to check in with friends, classmates, teachers and family members by asking, 'Are you OK?' Let’s listen without judgement, show kindness and support one another, not just today, but every day. Together, we can create a caring and connected school community where everyone feels heard and valued.

Strategies for Parents of first-time School Campers

School camps, slumber parties and sleepovers are important steps to your child gaining their independence, but for some kids and their parents, this potentially positive experience can be riddled with anxiety. Thankfully, effective strategies resolve some of the most common concerns around sleeping away from home or without the comfort of family.

Overall, the main goal for parents is to focus on positives. Think about what your child has to gain from this experience. It is very likely to be a great opportunity to establish new friendships, participate in hands-on learning experiences and, importantly, gain a sense of independence outside of the family network. The following considerations and tips may be helpful for parents:

• Homesickness chat. This is a big one! You may have experienced some separation anxiety with your child in the early years when beginning preschool. This experience is quite relatable in that it is an unknown situation. If your child is worried they may miss home too much to enjoy themselves; an easy fix can be to have your child bring with them an important item from home that can easily be popped in their bag.
• Pack together. Make it fun! Often camps will provide you with a list of required items. For a sleepover, you can call the other parent and jot down a list. Then turn packing into a game, such as collecting the required items as if on a scavenger hunt. Further to this, make sure you do not leave packing to the last minute! Think of the classic saying ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’; packing ahead of time will allow you to make any last trips to the shops if required.
• Reduce the sense of the ‘unknown’. Talk about what to expect and perhaps see if you can get a rough schedule for the camp. 
• Share your own positive experiences. Simply talking with your child about your good experiences on camp may help to ease the fear of the unknown further. It is okay to talk about experiences that also didn’t turn out too well. However, it is important to emphasise the learning that came out of that experience!
• Normalise that some anxiety is okay. It is always important to emphasise that all feelings we experience are normal and good, and part of our body looking after us. Holding onto anxious feelings is not helpful in the long term, however. Help your children to recognise when they don’t feel good, and to challenge an unhelpful feeling with a helpful thought or saying to themselves, for instance, “I’m feeling nervous, but I know I’ll have a great time with my friends on camp”.

https://www.childpsychologist.com.au/resources/keeping-cool-for-school-camp

PARENT SUPPORT AND EDUCATION SESSIONS TERM 4, 2026

The Loddon Children’s Health & Wellbeing Local offers free weekly education sessions that address mental health and wellbeing. The sessions are run by a mental health or allied health clinician at the Local.

Sessions are open to any parents or carers of children aged 0-11.  

Why join in?  

· Talk to Local staff about your child.   

· Ask any practical questions you have about parenting now.  

· Gain support for yourself as a parent.  

Where: The Loddon Child and Health Wellbeing Local, 19 Helm St KANGAROO FLAT 3555. Enter via the green porch at the back of the site. 

Dates and topics: Wednesdays (Face to face) please call us if you want to attend online to see if we can accommodate that.

Book in via email icfhwlocals@bchs.com.au. Please state your name, your child’s name and the session(s) you wish to attend.