Wellbeing

Accessible Buildings Grant Successful!

We were successful in upgrading our hearing facilities in our Babajen and for our assemblies!  Through this successful grant we have been able to ensure better accessibility for our students who are hearing impaired.  All students will benefit from these resources in their classrooms and meeting areas!

We have new pass around microphones, sound towers, and new ways for students to enhance accessibility.  Students with ROGER’s will be able to walk past our unit in the multipurpose room to our assemblies to fully connect to our microphones.

Wellbeing

Over the last month, I received lots of questions from students about my role. Here are some of the questions and my answers.

Where is your secret lab, I mean office?

My office is in the foundation corridor, next to Emma’s office with my face on the door. I don’t have a secret labrador. 

Why are you doing this? When did you start doing this stuff (Mental Health in primary schools)?

I love to help students learn about their strengths and I love to help teachers. I am really interested in evidence-based practices in education and how to implement programs and systems that have strong evidence bases to support students, teachers and community. My interest started when I first started teaching at TPS and didn’t know how to support students demonstrating challenging behaviours, or students going through a challenging time. In 2020, I completed my Masters of Learning Intervention at Melbourne Uni where I focused my research on the overlap between evidence-based practices, learning interventions and disability. 

What are you going to be doing? Will you be helping other people at different schools?

I will be doing a lot of different things. So far I have helped students (and even Megan) identify what emotion they are feeling and how they can manage big emotions, I have helped teachers support students, and I have worked in lots of groups of schools called Communities of Practice to work on Mental Health supports in primary schools in our local area. I have also worked with other schools to develop and embed School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports and Respectful Relationships. 

Why are you interested in doing this job?

I am interested in this role because when I was at primary school I didn’t have these supports and really wish I did, so I hope I can help people. 

How would you help me if I needed help? Who will you work with?

If you are a student, I would ask what you are feeling and what you need. I would work with your family and teacher/s to help you to get the help you want and need. That might mean you need a break from a classroom or task, or you need help from a psychologist, speech therapist or occupational therapist and I could help you find the right person to talk to. If an adult came to see me I could direct you to support networks outside of school that would be able to help you. 

Are you a therapist?

No, I am not a therapist but I can help you to identify if you need to access a therapist. 

Do you usually work in your office or in classrooms?

Sometimes I am in my office in online meetings with other schools or doing online training. Sometimes I am in meetings with families and allied health professionals. Sometimes I am in classrooms supporting students and helping teachers. Sometimes I will be visiting other schools and seeing what they are doing and how we can build partnerships. If you can’t see me in my office, there is a sign on my office door telling you where I am.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports

Over the next few months, I will be attending professional learning sessions, to align all the amazing work TPS has already done with SWPBS with the Victorian SWBPS model which is similar but a little different. 

As a part of this realignment with Victorian SWPBS, some grade 4 students and I will be working to create video models of the Deadly Values in action. Over time, these students and I will build a digital matrix of all Deadly values in video model format. 

Big Breakfast

Thank you to all of those who helped organise and run the first Great TPS Breakfast. We had a fantastic turnout of students, teachers and families. 

Weekly Breakfast Club