Wellbeing and Positive Education

Our passionate Wellbeing Team have been busy facilitating powerful small group programs and promoting school wide wellbeing initiatives. Of course we continue to provide important one on one counselling too. With days getting longer and the weather improving (slowly!) we have all had a little extra spring in our step. Everyday we continue to be inspired by the young people that we support and feel privileged to be in a position to help students with things big or small. We truly do have the best jobs in the world!

A friendly reminder that we have our Doctors in Schools program, available every Thursday! This fantastic initiative brings healthcare professionals directly to our school, providing students with easy access to medical advice and support. Whether you need a check-up, advice on your health, or someone to talk to, our school doctor is here to help. Appointments can be booked through Compass or directly with our Wellbeing team. 

Some of our Term 3 highlights are shared below; 

Strive Program 

Over the past six weeks, the program has focused on supporting Year 9 and 10 students who are disengaged or at risk of disengagement from their education. This amazing Program has been created and facilitated by Samuel Dzungayira, our Cultural and Community Engagement Leader and his team. It specifically targeted youth who have had contact with, or are at risk of coming into contact with, the youth justice system. We welcomed eight young people into the program. 

Topics covered included:

-Who Am I? : Exploring identity—how students describe themselves, how they wish to be perceived, and the impact of identity on various aspects of their lives.

- Duty to Myself, Family, and Community: Discussing their roles as students, family members, and community members, as well as examining the benefits and challenges of their community connections.

- Making My Future a Reality: Goal-setting for the short and long term, emphasizing the importance of accountability partners and research.

- The Truth About a Life of Crime: A session where members of the Youth Justice system visited CESC to discuss the realities of youth justice, the risks that lead young people to engage in crime, and available support resources.

- Conversations with My Future Self: Students selected careers such as social worker, builder, plumber, carpenter, and mechanic. We hosted a morning tea with professionals from these fields, allowing students to network and connect with potential career paths.

- Who Am I Now? : A recap of everything we've learned throughout the program.

Students completed booklets during the program and received graduation certificates. We are thrilled to report positive feedback from all participants!

RUOK Day

RUOK ? Day is a beautiful reminder that a simple conversation can change a life and make a difference. It can open doors for support and lead to meaningful conversations. It was amazing to see staff and students come together to build relationships and foster a positive environment throughout the day. The energy was incredible as everyone enjoyed activities including BBQ sizzle, art therapy, mural building, karaoke, cafe, the conversation corner with headspace and fill your bucket challenge. It was truly a amazing day that bought the community together.

Woman's Health Week

The Women’s Health Week pop- up was run at Breakfast Club on Tuesday the 10th of September. Every September, over 200,000 people gather in the boardrooms, schools and community centres of Australia to share vital, up-to-date health information and raise awareness for women’s health issues and screening options. Cranbourne East Secondary recognised Women’s Health Week by proving free chocolate milkshakes, sharing resources and information, having valuable conversations, and giving away free menstrual health products. The pop-up was a big success and it was great to see so many female students joining in the conversation. 

For more information about Women’s Health Week, please see:  About Women's Health Week | Jean Hailes

Seasons for Growth Greif Workshop

The Seasons for Growth workshop concluded this week at Wellbeing, it was run by our Mental Health Practitioner, Alan Yin, and Secondary School Nurse, Tess Doyle. Seasons for Growth is an educational program that builds the resilience and wellbeing of children who have experienced loss due to death, family separation or migration. Seasons for Growth aims to support young people to understand their feelings, help them develop skills for coping, restore self-confidence and educate them about the grief process. The program does this by reflecting the stages of grief visually through the Seasons of Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer, recognising that change and loss are a part of life, and normalising our reactions and emotions around the loss and change that we may experience in our lives. Seasons for Growth has been shown to build an understanding of grief, improve emotional wellbeing, enable participants to express themselves, and strengthen their social and support networks.

If you would more information on the Season’s for Growth workshop, please contact Wellbeing staff, or visit: Seasons for Growth | Australian Institute of Family Studies (aifs.gov.au)

Have a wonderful term break. We are looking forward to supporting students and our School Wide Community again in Term 4 - it is another fun, busy and exciting Term ahead! 

With gratitude,

Nicole Price

Wellbeing Leader