Student Wellbeing

Why Wellbeing is core school business

These days ‘wellbeing’ is a bit of a buzz word, but it’s not one that should be taken lightly. Endeavouring to improve the wellbeing of your family is a worthwhile pursuit, as positive wellbeing can affect every aspect of your life. In the last issue of the Family Bulletin, I wrote about some of the practical ways that families can support children’s wellbeing. But what about schools, why should wellbeing be taught in schools?

Over the last 10 years there has been a huge growth of Wellbeing programs in schools in Australia. Schools will always be focused on academic learning, but overwhelmingly research suggests it is time to make wellbeing integral to learning and a regular part of teaching. At the heart of any school Wellbeing program is the desire to create an environment promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in students. When wellbeing is core school business it is threaded through everything that happens – everyday interactions, curriculum delivery, policies and expectations.  The challenge of course is how to achieve this.

As I wrote previously, the Wellbeing Teams in both the Prep and Senior Schools, are working towards 2019 and beyond. This week in the Senior School we have had a lot of discussion about what is currently working well and what is not; whilst consensus has not yet been reached the discussions have been very productive. However, the team is sure of one thing-

“If we get wellbeing right, then everything else gets easier.”

Mrs Emma Bylsma 

Head of Wellbeing