STUDENT WELLBEING

Tina Doyle

Social Worker/Student Wellbeing Coordinator (SWC), Team Leader

 

Georgie Hunter

Student Wellbeing Coordinator 

Rachel Tonu

Social Worker/Student Wellbeing Coordinator (SWC)

Trish Guy

Mental Health Practitioner (MHP)

Bridgette Van Der Zee

Student Wellbeing Assistant

 

Jessi Muir 

Chaplain/Artist  

 

Vic Downey

Secondary School Nurse

Student Wellbeing Services

The Student Wellbeing Hub is in A Block next to the Junior Sub School Office. The Student Wellbeing Team provides initial support and referrals to external services for students and their families. As well as individual support for students, the team offers lunch time activities, small group work and participates in whole school events. Student Wellbeing facilitate several different external professionals who come onsite and can also support students who may need to have an OT/Speech Pathologist appointment at school. 

Additionally, we have Catholic Care Youth Refugee Case Manager Nestor Estampa who is based in the SW Hub on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Nestor supports EAL students with pathways and facilitating the CALD Women’s Group, in partnership with Student Wellbeing.

Vic Downey is our Secondary School Nurse and is based in Student Wellbeing on Mondays and Tuesdays. Vic’s role is predominantly focused on health promotion and support across various aspects of school. Vic is also available to see students who may have health related questions. Students can contact Student Wellbeing or drop down to the Wellbeing Hub on these days.

Students can self-refer to Student Wellbeing as needed. Parents/Carers can contact Student Wellbeing by calling the Main Office on 5240 5800.

Doctors in Secondary Schools

The Doctors in Secondary Schools (DiSS) program is still operating at NGSC each Thursday. The clinic is staffed by Nurse Kate and Dr Bianca. Students can see the nurse or doctor for a wide range of reasons and referrals can be made online https://bch.org.au/contact/youth-referral/ or by contacting one of the Student Wellbeing Coordinators. Parents/carers can also contact Student Wellbeing for enquiries.  

We also have Bec Confoy (Psychologist) who is based at school on Wednesdays. Referrals and enquires about an appointment with Bec are managed through the DiSS Clinic. 

The Geelong Project

The Geelong Project (TGP) are a program ran by Barwon Child Youth and Family (BCYF) that are focused on early intervention and supporting young people to remain engaged in education. NGSC are supported by three youth workers who come in multiple days across the week- Nova, Cassie and Will. Referrals to the Geelong Project are provided through the SW Team.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club is supported by volunteers and is held in B Wing each morning from 8:00 am. All students are welcome to attend for a social breakfast with their friends. There is no cost involved.

Lunchtime Activities 

Lunch time groups offer a variety of activities for students, free of charge. Please check the Student Wellbeing noticeboard and Compass for what is on each day. Students are invited to make suggestions for lunch time activities that they would like. Lunch time groups are a great opportunity to build peer connections and have positive experiences at school. These groups are facilitated by a member of the Student Wellbeing Team or teaching staff. 

Some of these groups include: Dungeons & Dragons, Anime Club, Mindfulness, Arts/Crafts, Jewellery Making, Karaoke, Cultural Appreciation Club and  Chess Club.We also have an art lunch time group on Fridays and an LGBTQIA Support Group each Tuesday at lunchtime. Students can see a member of the Wellbeing Team if you have any questions.

Financial Support

Secondhand School Supplies

All families are encouraged to contact Secondhand School Supplies. They have used uniform items and textbooks at reasonable prices.

Stock changes frequently so if they do not have what you need check with them again as it may have come in.Address9 Star Street, Geelong

Uniform Support

Student Wellbeing provides uniform support through the State Schools Relief program. Please contact the team if you need assistance or students can come down to Wellbeing and see a staff member.

Food Assistance

The Student Wellbeing Team can be contacted if you need urgent food assistance or to talk about other support options.

Good Shepherd No Interest Loans

No Interest Loans (NILs) for individuals and families on low incomes allows access to safe, fair and affordable credit. Loans are available for essential goods and services such as fridges, washing machines, car repairs and medical procedures for up to $1,500. Repayments are set at an affordable amount over 12 to 18 months.

NILs is offered by 170 local community organisations in over 600 locations across Australia. Chances are there will be a local NILS provider near you or one who can help over the phone. For more information please go to    https://goodshep.org.au/services/nils/

Some local NILS providers:

Salvation Army - Corio & Northern Suburbs Community Support Service

92 Cox Road, Corio

03 9388 5500

Vinnies NILS Geelong

(St Vincent De Paul Society)

Pakington Street, Geelong West

03 5334 2844

Uniting Care

272 Torquay Road, Grovedale

03 4210 1108

Accessing Centerlink 

Accessing Centrelink can be difficult. Below are a couple of links that will help.

The first link is to information about Youth Allowance for students:

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/youth-allowance-students-and-australian-apprentices

The links below provides information for those who have been affected by Covid-19:https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/subjects/affected-coronavirus-covid-19

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/mental-health-resources-coronavirus-covid-19

Centrelink can be very difficult for people to navigate, particularly if English is not your first language.  Students who would like to access the Centrelink Interpreter Service can call 131 202 and will need to state their preferred language twice. They will then be transferred to an interpreter who will assist them with their inquiry. This service can also provide students with their CRN (customer reference number) over the phone which will enable them to apply for payments.

This service is available from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday.

Key Support Contacts 

Youth Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800

Family Violence: 1800 015 188

Lifeline: 13 11 14

13Yarnsafe: 13 92 76

eHeadspace: headspace.org.au/eheadspace

Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub (North Geelong) 

Address: 12-14 Thompson Road North Geelong Website: https://www.ermha.org/wellbeinghub/Contact: 0498 566 674

A free service that offers one-on-one and group support for people in the community and to build strengths within themselves. Areas include:

  • connection to the community
  • the benefits of healthy routines and choices
  • developing skills to cope with uncertainty and change
  • explore alternatives to substance use
  • practical support for changes in employment
  • general mental health and wellbeing
  • linkage to local services, and
  • a whole lot of self-care

NGSC Website

We invite you to visit the Student Health and Wellbeing webpage, on the NGSC Website, to look around and explore its contents. Go to https://ngsc.vic.edu.au, from the main menu select 'About' and then select 'Student Health and Wellbeing'.

Information within the Student Health and Wellbeing portal outlines services we provide here at NGSC to support student Health and Wellbeing.  There are also 'Resource Rooms', for parents and students. Within these rooms, there is a host of links to relevant websites, supportive services, and popular free Apps to try.

The NGSC Student Health and Wellbeing webpage includes Barwon Health's 24/7 support line for young people and families. This triage service is for mental health crises and can be accessed by calling 1300 094 187. The Barwon Health Triage Team is equipped to deal with emergencies and to facilitate referrals to appropriate services for ongoing support.

Of course, our site also lists online supports, phone numbers and recommended apps to further support students and families during times of difficulty.