Newsletter of The Riverina Anglican College

WELLBEING 

The Wellbeing Hub   

Mission Australia Youth Survey and Youth Mental Health Issues

Please note: the following newsletter article may contain data and information that is confronting or distressing. We want to acknowledge that behind every number is a human life. We also want to address the importance of these issues and provide information that may help or assist. Please carefully consider your needs when reading the following information. If you are in need of any support services, please find these in the image below.

 

Mission Australia 2021 – Youth Survey      

The Riverina Anglican College has participated in Mission Australia’s Youth survey for a number of years now. The time has come and it is open again for 2021. For those parents who may be unaware, the Youth Survey is Australia’s largest annual survey of young people. It provides a platform for young people to have their voices, opinions and perspectives heard. The online survey is open to young people between the ages of 15 and 19, and takes 15-20 minutes to complete. Whilst it helps the College in further understanding issues for our own students, it is widely used by Governments, NGOs and community groups to develop policies and youth programs, a fantastic initiative to contribute to! If you are looking to encourage your young person to participate, the survey can be completed here: Youth Survey 2021 (alchemer.com). Just hit the button Take the Survey! and enter the College code (77713) when asked to enter your school or organisation code.

 

Youth Mental Health Issues - Self Harm and Suicide

The Wagga community has been rocked recently by the deaths of two school aged young people. It is of utmost importance to talk about mental health and wellbeing issues that young people face in order to ensure we are better able to identify young people who need help or support and to intervene early wherever possible. Self-harm and suicide rates are increasing for young people in particular. 

 

Recent Australian research (Orygen - The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health) suggests that self-harm is relatively common in young people. The research found: 

  • around one in ten adolescents (10.9%) reported having ever self-harmed
  • self-harm was more common among females than among males
  • self-harm was more common in older adolescents, with 16.8% of females aged 16-17 years having self-harmed in the previous 12 months and 22.8% having ever self-harmed
  • one in ten of the young people aged 12-17 years who had self-harmed in the previous 12 months had received medical treatment as a direct result of injuries incurred by an act of deliberate self-harm.
Orygen-coping-with-self-harm-parents and carers.pdf

 

Whilst self-harm does not always equate to suicide/suicidal intent, it does statistically speaking, increase the risk for suicide. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2019) indicates that suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15- 24. In 2019:

  • 384 Australian young people (aged 18–24) took their own lives
  • 96 deaths by suicide occurred among children and adolescents (aged 5–17) with the majority occurring in those aged 15–17 (80% in 2019)
  • Deaths by suicide represented 40% of all deaths in young people aged 15–17 and 36% of all deaths in those aged 18–24—up from approximately 25% of all deaths in these age groups in 2010. In children aged 14 and below the proportion of deaths by suicide is low by comparison with the 2 older age groups; in 2019 deaths by suicide represented 7.4% of all deaths in this age group.

As a parent it can be scary to hear your child talking about self harm or suicide and it can be difficult to know where to start in regards to professional help. Attached is a resource for parents/carers around how to approach self harm. Kids Helpline have some recommendations for parents regarding children experiencing suicidal thoughts:

  1. Take warning signs seriously
  2. Listen and show them you care
  3. Be direct when asking them about suicide
  4. Be open to talking about their suicidal thoughts
  5. Keep checking in on their wellbeing
  6. Help your child get professional support

With this said, please know there is no expectation to know exactly what to do and its ok if you feel like you have no idea where to start, particularly if you have never faced this issue before. Additionally, it would undoubtedly have a big impact on you too. Reaching out for professional support is important for your wellbeing and the wellbeing of your child.  Here are some options:

  • Call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people up to the age of 25)
  • Call the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 (for people over the age of 15)
  • Make an appointment to see a GP, psychologist or counsellor
  • Give Parentline a call in your local State or Territory
  • Find more digital services and resources at Head to Health

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Lehman | Director of College Wellbeing

Head of House News - Browning and Blackwell

Browning House

And just like that, we are halfway through Term 2! I hope that your child has been enjoying what has been a very busy term. It has been so pleasing to see students getting involved in sporting activities, co-curricular pursuits and all of the other activities that are on offer to our College community. 

 

Our Wellbeing Focus for Term 2 has been all about social media - the good, the bad and the ugly. In Mentor Groups, students have been identifying how to navigate social media in a positive manner, and what to do if it becomes a negative space. 

 

Students have individually nominated five people in their life who they can turn to for support if a negative situation does arise. I encourage you to speak to your children about this and their larger support network. 

 

Term 2 has also seen the Browning Homerooms compete against each other for the Term Two Browning House Championship. We have had lots of good times during our Fun Fridays to work towards earning these points. 

 

Lots of points were also gained during the planning and execution of the Browning House Day that occurred in Week 5. It was so amazing to see how enthusiastic students were to lend their time to the day. 

 

The day was so much fun and truly celebrated the achievements of our House and patron, George Browning. The College was introduced to the Wagga Women’s Health Centre (WWHC), which is our Browning House charity. The College was fortunate to have Julie Mecham from our charity provide us an overview during the Principal’s Assembly of the fantastic work that WWHC does for our wider Wagga community. All money raised on the day went to supporting this group. 

 

The recipients of the inaugural Browning House Day Awards were presented with their certificates during the assembly. All of these students were very worthy nominees, clearly demonstrating our Browning House values of honour, strength and service. 

 

The recipients were: 

  • Daisy Charters (Year 6)
  • Grace Flagg (Year 12)
  • Prue Millard (Year 10)
  • Rachel Ranby (Year 6)
  • Jessica Woodland (Year 12)

As a Head of House, I am very passionate about my Browning students being individuals who willingly serve those around them - especially those who are less fortunate. This is a quality that I am hoping to instill in every Browning student who is a part of our House family. I am hoping that now COVID restrictions have eased slightly, we will have more opportunities to be service minded to our wider community. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lauren Kelly | Head of House - Browning

 

Blackwell House

We are now into the second half of Term 2, and what a term it has been. With so much going on in the school it is important for all our students to make sure they take a break from study occasionally.  The Blackwell Mentor Groups have been working with our students to provide strategies to help with managing their school studies, as well as guiding them to achieve a balance between their academic and social lives.  There are some great resources on the Blackwell Google Classroom, as well as the Blackwell website (link in the classroom) that can assist students and parents to manage the busy times of the year, as well as plan ahead for upcoming assessments. 

 

Blackwell House Day is Thursday June 3rd. We will be celebrating all things Blackwell throughout the day, with some great music, games and a sausage sizzle for the Senior School, and a sausage sizzle and colouring in competition for the Junior School. 

 

If you would like to preorder the sausage sizzle lunch for the day click here to go to the School24 page to log in or register (school id 25308963). 

 

We also cater for vegan/vegetarian and gluten free needs.

 

Our House patron Bishop Genieve Blackwell will be visiting the College for the morning and participating in the Principal's Assembly. It will be a great opportunity for her to meet the students and see how the College has grown. We will also have Belinda Crain from The Wagga Wagga Multicultural Council (our House charity) join us for the assembly to outline how the Wagga Wagga Multicultural Council operates within our Wagga community, and to talk about opportunities for our students to assist in serving the Wagga community through the College and the Wagga Wagga Multicultural Council.   

 

As always, please don’t hesitate in contacting your House Mentor or Head of House if you have any concerns or queries. Talk soon, take care.

 

 

 

 

 

John Petts | Head of House - Blackwell