St. Joseph’s SWPBS (School Wide Positive Behaviour Support) Framework

Respect, Commit, Be Grateful.

Best wishes for a safe and happy festive season!

Masterful Art Murals

Congratulations and thank you to our Year 9 Masterful Art class, Mrs Allison O’Brien and our fabulous support and maintenance staff, for the incredible murals in our bathroom areas at St. Joseph’s.

The bathroom areas are often used as the place where students take a break from other people and the busyness of their day. They are also an area that we wished to be more welcoming, inviting, comfortable and safe.

We utilised student voice around the messages and look they would like for these areas, and we are absolutely ecstatic with the results! They provide beautiful colour and images, and strong messages of encouragement and support that can help students re-set and move forward with their day.

You are what you post!

A reminder as we head into the holiday break and festive season to be mindful of the power of social media. At times our messages could be misconstrued or misunderstood if it is via social media, as emotion and context may not be fully present or evident with this forum. Remember to be kind and PAUSE before you post.

Is it Positive, Accurate, Useful, Supportive, Ethical?

Social Media is a wonderfully positive resource, let’s use it the best way we can, to communicate and engage with others learn, grow and thrive!

Thank you!

SchoolTV

https://sje.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/surviving-christmas-au

As families around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas by decorating their homes, singing carols, buying gifts and planning feasts, often the true meaning of Christmas can be lost due the commercial exploitation of this time of year.

Many people see it as a joyous occasion to spend with family and friends, but for others it is viewed as a stressful and challenging time attributed by a combination of things such as financial pressures, relationship issues, and quite often, loneliness.

During the Christmas period, there is a huge increase in the number of calls to support organisations. Many of these callers are considered to be in a high-risk category and sadly, this is the ugly side to Christmas.

Should you, or a loved one, ever feel that the pressure of Christmas becomes too much, it is important to seek help. Reach out to a trusted friend, talk to your doctor or counsellor, or phone one of the many support organisations available to you 24/7.

The BRAVE program

Anxious feelings and worries are a normal part of life. Sometimes they can become unhelpful and it can feel as though we have no control over those worries. The school holidays could be a good opportunity to better understand and build strategies around some of these unhelpful worries and anxious thoughts.

The BRAVE program is an online program that provides young people with information and skills to help cope with worries and anxiety This program is funded by Beyond Blue and includes 10 sessions that a young person can work through in their own time, and at their own pace.

See the link below for a short video which outlines the program for 12-17 year olds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD7NQI_uEzg

There is also a FREE 7 session program for parents who are supporting a young person with worries or anxiety.

https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au/teen-program

To complete the program for FREE, follow this link:

https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au/teen-program

Student wellbeing support over school holidays

While the school is closed over the holidays, please keep in mind that staff will not be accessible, and emails will not be checked regularly. We are looking forward to seeing all of our students in term 1 of 2020, so please email ‘safety’ if you would like for us to arrange to see you when you return to school. In the meantime, there are other supports listed below that are available to students, friends and families.

Merry Christmas, stay safe and take good care of yourselves.

Immediate Support:

Local Mental Health Triage 1300 363 788 Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Lifeline 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au

Support Lines and Websites

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 https://www.beyondblue.org.au

Headspace 1800 650 890 https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/connect-with-a-clinician/

Online Chats

Beyond Blue 3pm-12am https://online.beyondblue.org.au

Headspace https://headspace.org.au/log-in/?redirect=%2Fmy-account%2F

Phone Apps

Niggle Capture niggles and do something about them

Mindshift Anxiety support tool

Happify Stress and worry

Check-in Supporting friends

St Joseph's College, Echuca

Issue 20 · 11 Dec 2019

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