Wellbeing & Inclusion 

at Willy

Physical Wellbeing - Sun Smart

An essential part of emotional and physical wellbeing for children at school is the opportunity to play outside with their classmates and friends. In Australia, we are lucky to have a climate that enables our children to play outdoors all year round. However, with that comes the need for parents and teachers to educate our Willy Kids about the dangers of UV exposure and maintaining healthy habits when outside. Students at our school are encouraged to make healthy choices and are supported to understand the benefits and risks of sun exposure. We address sun and UV safety education as part of our health units and we have regular conversations about being Sun Smart before, during and after activities. 

We are a Sun Smart school with a policy outlining the purpose, scope, curriculum and actions taken by the school to minimise the risk of skin and eye damage, and skin cancer. The policy can be found here: https://www.williamstownps.vic.edu.au/page/6/Policies. In Terms 1 and 4, students and teachers are required to wear wide brimmed hats (not caps) when outside, and all classrooms have sunscreen for students to access. We have noticed that some students are also wearing sunglasses outside which is a great additional measure to protect their eyes. It is strongly encouraged that students also keep a hat in their bags during Terms 2 & 3 for the occasional days where the UV index is high. 

We are proud of the beautiful trees within our grounds, ensuring shade for students to feel more comfortable on hotter days, and the investment we have made in shade sails. On the rare occasion where a child has forgotten their hat, they are asked to remain in these shaded areas for their protection, and are not permitted to play outside of these designated play spaces. 

We find that wearing a hat outside is second nature to this generation of Willy Kids, having grown up with the Sun Smart message from day one! We thank families and students for continuing to support our Sun Smart policy. 

Kind regards,

Lisa Leydin                                                                 Anna Swan

Assistant Principal                                                   Learning Specialist

Disability, Inclusion & Wellbeing                         Mental Health & Wellbeing Leader (Wed–Fri)