Wellbeing

At St Luke's, student wellbeing remains at the heart of all we do. Throughout Term 1, we have continued to strengthen and expand our wellbeing programs to ensure every child feels supported, safe, and empowered to flourish in all aspects of their school life. In addition to the ongoing academic and pastoral care support offered through our counselling services and our very own classroom teachers, diversity teachers, AP’s, we also provide tailored wellbeing initiatives that cater to the diverse needs of our students, regardless of age, gender, or ability.

Term 1 Highlights:

• Police Liaison Officer Visits: Students in K–4 participated in sessions covering personal safety, making safe choices, and identifying trusted adults. Year 8 students engaged in an important session focused on cyberbullying and the dangers of sharing inappropriate content online.
• Active Achievers Program (Stage 2): A weekly social-emotional wellbeing initiative that uses sport and physical activity to build confidence, resilience, teamwork, and strong peer relationships.
• Alpha Crew (Year 7): Meeting weekly, this group provides a supportive space for students navigating the transition to high school. 
• Wellbeing Hub (Stages 1 & 2): A morning program that offers selected students a calm and guided start to the day, promoting emotional regulation, confidence, and readiness to learn.
• Peer Companions Program: Year 8 leaders support Year 5 students through sessions exploring resilience, friendships, and emotional wellbeing. Leaders meet every three weeks to plan and deliver guidance-based sessions.
• Skodel: A fortnightly wellbeing check-in tool that helps students reflect on their emotions and allows staff to proactively identify and support students in need.
• Open Parachute: Delivered in mentor classes, this video-based mental health program provides engaging lessons on topics like self-awareness, resilience, and relationships.
• Mentor Classes: These sessions offer students the chance to build strong relationships with their mentor teachers while addressing key wellbeing topics in a safe and supportive environment.
• Wellbeing Workshops: Each mentor class participated in a workshop exploring the school’s core values of respect—for self, others, and the environment—to promote a values-driven, inclusive culture.
• House Spirit Activities: Fun and inclusive events like the paper plane and poster competitions were held during recess and lunch to enhance playground engagement and house pride.
• New Kids on the Block: This program supports new students in understanding the school’s environment, routines, and making connections with peers to ease their transition.
• Parent and Student Tours: Offered to new families, these tours provide insight into the school's vision, values, and daily life—helping families feel connected and welcomed.
• Shine and Excel Day (Year 7): A wellbeing initiative supporting students' growth, confidence, and community. It includes the Girls Shine Program (focused on inner strength and confidence) and the Boys Excel Program (focused on resilience and responsible online behaviour).
• Safer Internet Webinars: Year 5 and 6 students explored how to spot fake information and friendships online, while Years 3 and 4 participated in the eSafety Commission’s 'Be an eSafe Kid' program.
• MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) is a comprehensive framework in which teachers assess, monitor, and provide targeted academic, behavioral, and social-emotional interventions at varying levels (Tier 1, 2, and 3) to meet the diverse needs of students, with educators dedicating themselves to offering personalised support and collaborating with specialists and families to ensure every student succeeds
• SchoolTV: A valuable online platform offering expert resources to parents on a wide range of wellbeing topics, including mental health, screen time, and relationships. Access it here.

What’s Coming Up:

• Mental Fitness (Years 9 & 10): A Black Dog Institute program promoting resilience, emotional regulation, and proactive mental health strategies.
• Life Education (Year 11): Students will explore essential topics like relationships, decision-making, and personal wellbeing in preparation for adult life.
• Healthy Harold: All primary students will take part in this fun, engaging program that teaches key lessons around health, friendships, and safety.
• House Leadership Program: Equipping student leaders with the tools and confidence to represent their houses, organise events, and foster an inclusive school culture.
• House Assemblies (Term 2 Launch): Held at the beginning of Term 2 to build house spirit and teamwork ahead of the Athletics Carnival.
• Brainstorm Productions – Thursday 14 August 2025:
  • Verbal Combat (Year 9): A powerful performance addressing bullying, social media, and misinformation.
  • The Protectors (Years 3 & 4): A program focusing on resilience, empathy, and safe choices both online and offline.
• Bstreetsmart (Year 10): A road safety initiative featuring crash re-enactments and survivor stories to raise awareness about responsible driving.
• Top Blokes Program (Years 9–12): A mentoring program designed to help young men develop emotional resilience, respectful relationships, and confident decision-making.
• House Initiatives: Events such as Crazy Hat Day, R U OK? Day, and MacKillop Feast Day will continue to promote wellbeing, house pride, and a sense of belonging across the school.

We look forward to continuing to support our students’ wellbeing as we move into the next term, ensuring that every student is known, valued, and cared for at St Luke’s.

Many students are turning to vaping, often seeking that initial energy boost. What they may not fully understand, and what we need to address, is the insidious cycle that vaping creates. While they might feel a temporary surge of energy, the nicotine in e-cigarettes disrupts their sleep patterns, ultimately leading to more fatigue and a greater reliance on vaping. Essentially, the very habit they're using to combat tiredness is actually exacerbating the problem, creating a harmful sleep-vape habit loop.

How Vaping Affects Sleep: Beyond the Temporary Boost

Vaping doesn’t just affect your body; it can also have a significant impact on mental health, particularly when it comes to sleep. Let’s break down how this works:

• Stimulant Effects of Nicotine: When students vape, the nicotine in e-liquid acts as a stimulant. It increases heart rate and triggers the release of adrenaline, leading to a short-lived feeling of alertness and energy.

• Disruption of Sleep Patterns: However, this stimulant effect comes at a cost. Nicotine interferes with the production of melatonin, a hormone crucial for regulating sleep. Reduced melatonin levels make it harder for the body to achieve restful, deep sleep.

• Impacts on Sleep: The resulting sleep deprivation leads to daytime fatigue, which can prompt students to vape again in an attempt to combat tiredness. 

• The Destructive Cycle: This creates a destructive cycle: vaping for energy, followed by sleep disruption, which in turn fuels further vaping. Over time, this loop can negatively impact mental and physical health, affecting focus, mood, and overall well-being.

The Sleep-Vape Loop

This is what we call a “causality loop” — a self-perpetuating chain of events. In the case of nicotine, the short-term energy gain is outweighed by long-term health consequences and increased difficulty in breaking the addiction.

Dear Parents/Carers 

At Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) we see parents and carers as partners in your child's learning journey. In partnership with the eSafety Commissioner, CSPD would like to invite you to join the following free webinars for parents and carers:

1. Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online
2. Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know
3. eSafety 101: how eSafety can help you

About the webinars

On Friday, 4 April, our Year 7 students participated in a dedicated wellbeing day titled Shine and Excel—a key initiative designed to support their personal growth, confidence, and sense of community as they continue their journey in secondary school.

As part of our commitment to nurturing the whole person, we were proud to introduce two tailored programs that focus on the unique needs of our students: the Girls Shine Program and the Boys Excel Program.

The Girls Shine Program encouraged our young women to embrace their full potential and radiate confidence in all areas of life. Using the metaphor of light, students explored ways to overcome challenges and recognise their inner strength. Through guided activities and meaningful discussions, they were inspired to support one another and let their brilliance shine.

The Boys Excel Program focused on guiding our young men on their journey towards responsible manhood. Students engaged in workshops that explored important topics such as gaming and online activity, equipping them with tools to navigate the digital world safely and confidently. Led by experienced mentors and educators, the program encouraged reflection, resilience, and respectful decision-making.

Both programs form an integral part of our holistic approach to education, providing students with opportunities for self-discovery, personal development, and connection with peers. We believe that by investing in the empowerment of our students, we are helping to build a school culture where every individual feels valued, supported, and encouraged to reach their full potential.

We are incredibly proud of the way our Year 7 students engaged with the day and look forward to seeing the positive impact of their learning in the months ahead.

To Continue the conversation with your child, we urge you to access our School TV resources:

Girls: https://stlukesmarsdenpark.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-girls

Boys: https://stlukesmarsdenpark.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/pornography

For boys and young men, the internet can be a place where they seek connection, validation and guidance as they explore what it means to be a man today. However, it also exposes them to risks like harmful content, online exploitation and the growing influence of misogynistic ideologies.

This 45-minute webinar will help parents understand:

• the social and cultural influences shaping boys and young men
• how boys engage online, build relationships and how they may be vulnerable to manipulation or exploitation
• the impact of social media, gaming, and influencers on their attitudes, behaviours and sense of identity.

This presentation will share practical strategies to build critical thinking, challenge harmful narratives, and create open conversations that empower boys and young men to navigate the online world safely and respectfully.

Term 2 (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

• 27 May, 12.30pm
• 30 July, 12.30pm

Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/3097197158603562592

Students across various year levels had the opportunity to learn about staying safe in the real and digital world through informative sessions led by our local Police Liaison Officer.

Kindergarten to Year 4: Learning About Safety and Making Good Choices

Our youngest students from Kindergarten to Year 4 engaged in age-appropriate conversations with the Police Liaison Officer, who covered a range of important topics such as personal safety, making safe choices, knowing right from wrong, and how to seek help from trusted adults.

These sessions aimed to empower students with the confidence and knowledge to navigate everyday situations safely and respectfully.

Year 8: Keeping Our Students Safe Online

Our Year 8 students also had a valuable session with Senior Constable Rob McFarlane, who spoke about the serious issues of cyberbullying and the dangers of sharing inappropriate material online. His talk emphasised the importance of responsible online behaviour, highlighting the potential legal consequences of misusing social media and digital platforms.

As parents, it’s vital to stay informed and maintain open communication with your child about their online activities. 

To support these ongoing discussions, we recommend visiting the SchoolTV Parent Website, which offers helpful resources and advice: 🔗 https://buff.ly/RkA6a3D

Together, we can guide our young people to navigate both the real and digital world with responsibility, safety, and respect. 💻📱💙

Understanding how influential our thoughts are in responding to challenges is crucial.This week students recognise the choice to respond with open or limiting thoughts. A difficult or new situation may require hard work, perseverance, courage or support from others. Open thoughts allow us to make the most of any situation feeling optimistic about the possible outcomes. Limiting thoughts still allows us to work through challenges. However, they prevent us from stretching our abilities and exploring positive outcomes to bring about change. 

For ways of assisting parents with helping their children becoming more resilient, please see our School TV page: https://stlukesmarsdenpark.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/resilience

Over the past month, students across all year levels participated in our House Poster Competition, designed to promote school spirit and get everyone excited for our inaugural Athletics Carnival.

Throughout the week, student entries were proudly displayed around the Marketplace. Our Student House Leaders took on the important role of judging each poster, carefully considering creativity, presentation, and house pride.

We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to the prize winners and a heartfelt thank you to every student who submitted an entry. Your enthusiasm and effort made this a truly vibrant and memorable event.

All posters contributed points toward their respective houses, so every entry made a difference!

We’re looking forward to carrying this energy and spirit into our Athletics Carnival. Go Houses!

Lest We Forget 

On ANZAC Day, we pause to remember and honour the bravery, sacrifice, and resilience of the Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women who have served — and continue to serve — our nation in times of war, conflict, and peacekeeping.

ANZAC Day holds a special place in our hearts as it reminds us of the courage and mateship shown by the original ANZACs who landed at Gallipoli in 1915. Their legacy continues to inspire generations to live with compassion, unity, and a sense of service to others.

We are incredibly proud of our St Luke’s students who represented our school community at the Riverstone-Schofields Dawn Service. Y

Thank you for being ambassadors of our school values and for showing that the spirit of the ANZACs lives on through your actions.

Lest we forget.

After an exciting first term packed with House Spirit activities, the leaderboard is looking fierce! The competition is heating up as each house brings their A-game in every challenge.

But it’s only just begun... This term is set to be huge with even more initiatives coming your way — including our very first School Athletics Carnival!

Let the spirit soar, and may the best House win! 

#HousePride #LetTheGamesBegin #AthleticsCarnival2025

Students gathered in their house groups for special assemblies in preparation for our first ever Athletics Carnival.

During the assemblies, students were informed about what to expect on the day, including event details, expectations, and how they can participate and support their house. The highlight of each session was undoubtedly the house chanting practice—a fun and energetic way to build team spirit and unity.

It was wonderful to see students engaging enthusiastically, learning their chants, and proudly representing their house colours. The atmosphere was full of excitement and anticipation as we edge closer to what promises to be a memorable day for our school community.

We are excited to extend a very warm welcome to the newest members of our St Luke’s community who have commenced with us at the start of Term 2. Students have joined us across various year levels in both primary and secondary, and we are thrilled to have them – and their families – as part of our school.

Starting at a new school during the year can be both exciting and a little daunting, but our students have already shown great courage, positivity, and a willingness to get involved. With the support of staff, peers, and our inclusive school culture, they are settling in beautifully.

At St Luke’s, we are committed to ensuring every student feels a strong sense of belonging and connection. We look forward to seeing each of our new students flourish academically, socially, and spiritually as they take their place within our vibrant and caring school community.

To our newest students – welcome! We are so pleased to have you with us and can’t wait to see what this term brings.