Wellbeing 

Ben Kilby - Wellbeing & Engagement 

Joining the school over the last few weeks I've been very welcomed by all members of the community who I've met so far. Thank you to all for such a warm welcome, and if I haven't met you yet I'll look forward to doing so very soon! 

We are nearly complete with the upgrading of the wellbeing office at school, with the final touches to be completed any day now. We are looking forward to using this space to support all students with their wellbeing, engagement, and connectedness to the school community. Students are able to access this space and access me if they're feeling overwhelmed and are in need of a conversation and decompress. Students are able to pop in to see me if I'm available, or, if I'm not available, they can drop a message to ask me to come and grab them for a chat when I'm free. We'll have physical notes for students to request this chat in the coming weeks, as well as a digital form that students can submit if they want to chat that's currently available here. Feel free to send me a note asking to talk if there's anything on your mind (positive or negative) 😺 

This week we also opened up the application process for Student Leadership positions in 2023. Student leadership roles are a fantastic way for students to contribute to the school community, build practical leadership skills, and be able to have their voice heard on important issues. We hope to see many students applying for these positions. 

See the leadership roles available here

Apply for leadership roles using this form

Finally, one of my specialties is philosophy, and I've been lucky to engage with a wide variety of students in philosophical inquiry, from Year 12 VCE all the way down to Foundation, and even a couple of early childhood programs doing philosophy. Over the coming weeks, some students in the middle years will be invited to engage in an introductory experience in philosophy that will broaden their thinking, perspective, and reasoning skills.

You may like to check out this article I wrote a few years ago on the value of philosophy in schools:

Who am I? Why am I here? Why children should be taught philosophy (beyond better test scores)

Or, if that’s too long, here’s a philosophy meme:

Thanks,

Ben Kilby