Wellbeing Update
Wellbeing Team Profile
In this newsletter we thought we would re-introduce you to our entire Wellbeing Team.
Paul Fry - Wellbeing Leader
Michael Naughton - Mental Health Practitioner
Donna Perkins - Wellbeing Coordinator
Larnia Sobott - Wellbeing Coordinator
Glenda Noordam - Chaplain
Bernice Walker - Student Nurse
Emily Vernon - Koorie Liaison Officer
As the Wellbeing Leader of Lowanna College, I am incredibly proud to lead such a dynamic and skilled team to support all young people at our school.
Our team support students in all year levels who have various challenges with their mental health and wellbeing. If you are concerned about your child or a child in your care for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s Mini School or the Wellbeing Team. The Mini Schools can make a referral to the Wellbeing Team at any time. We assist students in the areas of mental health, alcohol and other drugs, sexuality and sexual health, attendance, health issues and cultural identity.
The Wellbeing Team are highly skilled and between them have qualifications in Social Work, Community Services, Nursing, Adolescent Health, Counselling and Leadership.
We look forward to continuing to support our students and help them to become the best version of themselves.
Inclusiveness at Lowanna
Support for the Indigenous Community
In the coming weeks Emily, our Koorie Liaison Officer, will be holding a special morning tea for our Indigenous families. This will be in recognition of Reconciliation Week.
The theme for 2024 is ‘Now More Than Ever’, reminding us that the reconciliation process is ongoing, and that there is still a way to go to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People stop facing discrimination.
We look forward to posting some photos in the next newsletter.
Lowanna College are also a Marrung Lead School, leading the way across Gippsland in supporting Indigenous students and providing opportunities and programs for young people to experience, connect with culture and learn. Emily has done a fantastic job facilitating groups and offering opportunities for camps, excursions, incursions, artwork, indigenous garden work, celebrating Reconciliation and NAIDOC and so much more.
Our LGBTIQA+ Community
The Standout Group has been working closely with the Green Tradies Program to fix up the garden space in the science building. This work commenced last term with students working to clear and weed the area. We hope to build a safe, bright, and inviting space for all students and staff to be able to enjoy. Watch this space!
On May 17 we acknowledge IDAHOBIT as a day for our communities to go rainbow and stand up against discrimination. But why May 17? This date commemorates the anniversary when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases in 1990.
Here at Lowanna College we acknowledge IDAHOBIT as part of our commitment to creating a place where everyone feels they belong.
IDAHOBIT is coordinated by Minus18, Australia’s charity for LGBTQIA+ young people across the country. You can find out more about the day, and discover information about identity and inclusion through the website - www.IDAHOBIT.org.au.
General Wellbeing Information
The Achievement Program
Jodie and Marcelle continue to work hard offering healthy options to provide to our students at the canteen. We often hear that a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and support mental health. Benefits such as boosting our mood and optimising brain function come from eating healthy balanced meals. The canteen has had many changes. They are offering delicious options that are healthy and filling, and the Wellbeing Team can vouch for the quality of the food.
We are continuing to work through our final benchmark of Healthy Eating and Oral Health. To achieve this benchmark, we will look at how we can continue to offer varieties of healthy options and provide resources that are helpful for us all to understand the benefits of eating healthy.
Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid Training
Michael Naughton, our Mental Health Practitioner, and I have continued to facilitate Youth Mental Health First Aid Training courses with our most recent ones delivered in April and another to be delivered at the end of this month.
This work is to support our local schools in their participation of the Live 4 Life Program, a program that brings rural and regional communities together to improve youth mental health and wellbeing and deliver youth suicide prevention education. This is done through the delivery of Teen Mental Health First Aid to students and Youth Mental Health First Aid to adults. The program aims to reduce the stigma associated with mental health, create partnerships to lead conversations about mental health and promote young leaders as mental health ambassadors.
Michael Naughton and Emily Vernon will be participating in the Teen Mental Health Facilitators Course at the end of May – this is an exciting step forward so we will be able to deliver mental health training to our students in Semester Two.
Our staff will have a briefing on the Live 4 Life Program later this term before we start implementing training to students.
Vaping and Smoking
Help your child to understand the facts and the health risks of smoking and vaping.
Parents, carers, schools, and the community all play an important role in protecting children and young people from, and educating them about, the harmful effects of smoking and vaping.
The Department of Education has developed resources to help you learn more about the health risks of smoking and vaping. The resources include advice about how to talk to children and young people about vaping, and where to get support. To access the resources, go to https://www.vic.gov.au/smoking-and-vaping-advice-parents.
You can also view this video on smoking and vaping from experts at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne for health advice and tips for starting a conversation with young people.
'See through the haze' is a first of its kind, Victoria-wide campaign developed by Quit. It raises awareness of the ingredients in many e-cigarettes and the potential for harm associated with e-cigarette use. The campaign is targeted to young people and aims to motivate people to get the facts on vaping.
For more information and to get the facts on vaping, visit this website vapingfacts.org.au/seethroughthehaze
Breakfast Club
A reminder that Breakfast Club is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 8.30am. We encourage students who have not had a bite to eat to come along and get some toast and a hot milo. A healthy breakfast is just the thing we need to help us start the day well.
The Breakfast Club Team are also looking for anyone who would like to volunteer their time to help out the Wellbeing Team on the days we provide Breakfast Club. Please let the Wellbeing Team know if you’d like to help out.
Paul Fry
Wellbeing Leader