Wellbeing @ NLPS

Upcoming NLPS Student Wellbeing Month

We are very excited to announce that the month of November will be dedicated to focusing on our students’ wellbeing during our inaugural ‘Student Wellbeing Month’. This is part of Newport Lake Primary School’s ongoing commitment to improving the mental health and wellbeing of our students through prevention, response, and continuous improvement.

During this month we will be prioritising on finding balance in our everyday lives, through improved physical, social and mental health. We will be addressing the three pillars of a healthy life, by promoting self-care and looking at diet, exercise and sleep.

For parents, we are thrilled to announce we have a webinar by The Sleep Health Foundation:

Improving sleep in school-aged children

Wednesday November 22nd at 7:30pm via webinar

Moira Junge CEO of the Sleep Health Foundation will be the facilitator, with guests Prof Harriet Hiscock - Murdoch Children's Research Institute (mcri.edu.au), as well as Mandie Griffiths Mandie Griffiths | melbchildrensclinic.

The webinar will be ‘live’ however, parents can access it anytime, as it will be recorded and available for registered people. More details about how to register for this event will be sent out soon.

Another area of focus for students will be on mindfulness. Studies show that benefits of mindfulness may include:

Increased focus, attention, self-control, classroom participation, compassion
Improved academic performance, ability to resolve conflict, overall well-being
Decreased levels of stress, depression, anxiety, or disruptive behaviour

Students will have further opportunities for mindfulness during their school day, where they may focus on being in the moment, gratitude, or positive affirmations.

Throughout our Student Wellbeing Month, we will have a variety of events and activities happening across all classrooms, as our goal is to help all students in our school to feel happy, connected, purposeful, included and enabled to achieve their personal and academic goals.

We look forward to the upcoming month and invite you do some related activities at home as well.

Events in the Middle East

Dear parents and carers,

Many in our school community are affected by the current devastating events in the Middle East, one of many distressing world events that our students may be exposed to.

This time is particularly distressing for staff, students, families and carers who have family and friends in Israel and Gaza.

We are also aware that students of diverse backgrounds, including Jewish and Muslim students, may be significantly affected by public events, mainstream media coverage and social media at this time.

Please be assured that all staff are aware of the extreme emotional toll on many in our community at this time. Our staff will continue doing all they can to support all our students, and support is also available for our staff.

It is possible that extremely distressing scenes from the conflict may be posted online in coming days. Please ensure your children are aware of where they can find support in the event they come across such images. If your family has been affected, may find some aspects of this resource helpful, Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents, as well as the 12 step guide we included in this week’s newsletter around ‘Supporting Children to Deal with Upsetting Content’ for those families that have had children see upsetting images or footage online.

Support is also available through external services including:

headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.

I am sure we will all look to support one another as needed.

David Moss

Principal

Newport Lakes Primary School