COUNSELLING CONNECTIONS

Welcome to Mrs Maureen Buckley RN

For the next four weeks, Mrs Sacha Donaldson RN, our nurse Mondays to Thursdays is taking some extended family leave. Covering Sr Sacha’s time will be Mr Blake Patch RN who is our regular Friday nurse and Mrs Maureen Buckley RN. Maureen is an experienced clinician with a lot of paediatric experience and we warmly welcome Maureen to Saints.

Keeping young people safe online

We are often informed that there are many risks for young people who are online. And many parents are concerned about how to keep their children safe while they are online. Andrew Fuller, to whom I frequently refer as a knowledgeable source of advice to parents, writes: “We know social media bans are unlikely to work. So how can we keep young people safe online?” Click here to read his answers. 

The Raising Children Network has some excellent guidance for parents. Click here to go to Raising Children Network Internet Safety for Adolescents.

Again, from Andrew Fuller I offer the articles below.

How to increase students' motivation

How parents can increase motivation and confidence in children Part 1.

How parents can increase motivation and confidence in children Part 2.

As senior students’ exams loom and serious assessments are coming for all levels of students, help for parents to motivate in real and practical ways will be worthwhile reading.

Supporting young people with transitioning out of school

This is a free online webinar for parents and carers. 

This session will cover:

• Mental health and wellbeing in adolescence.
• How to have conversations with young people about their mental health and wellbeing.
• Noticing signs that a young person might be going through a tough time and struggling with their transition out of school.
• Identifying strategies to connect and communicate with young people.
• Increasing knowledge about how to support them during this transition period and where to access professional support.

This workshop is free, online via ZOOM.

Session 1: Tues 30 July 6-7pm AEST. Session 2: Thurs 1 August 8-9 pm AEST

Screen time is not all bad

Some recent research has made some strong findings about adolescent screen time.

• It is not all bad: FaceTime with grandparents is not the same as surfing TikTok. 
• Encourage educational apps, TV programs and video games.
• Being present with your children is always important.
• Ensure each child gets physical exercise, outside if possible.

Read the NextGen report here.

Some wise words to confront student complaining behaviours

I am sure that you’ve seen the new anti-vaping TV ads.

They are pretty strong: images of people being dragged away from activities. A summary of the intended campaign is available here and the sale of vapes, since 1 July 2024, is limited by law to pharmacies. Below is the Australian Government Fact Sheet on current vaping laws. It will be worth printing this if you think your children might be at risk.

HWBC artwork

The mural in our foyer was initially proposed by Suzana Borlovan RN. It was completed last term by Year 12 Visual Art in Practice students with contributions from other students including our girl boarders. This colourful display of students’ work has now been installed.

The work was supervised by Mrs Kathy Almond with a most generous allocation of her time and talents. Thank you to all who were involved and contributed.

Marijke Keller    mkeller@cns.catholic.edu.au      07 4052 9136

Br Roger              brroger@cns.catholic.edu.au     07 4052 9135