Wellbeing
Wellbeing Day Term 3
Week 7 saw the Senior School students participate and engage in their second Wellbeing Day for the year. The day was designed around our Term 3 theme: Respectful Relationships.
Students were provided a range of activities throughout the day that focused on teamwork, problem-solving, consent education, mindfulness, defining and setting personal boundaries, in conjunction with study skill sessions for Years 9, 11 and 12.
The focus of Wellbeing Day was the House Activity in the afternoon. This whole-House activity was organised and run by Year 11 students with the specific goals of developing prosocial behaviours between year groups and raising awareness for each House's Social Justice Initiative.
Below are student accounts of the day:
Year 7
On Wellbeing Day we had a great time. We loved being with our friends for the day and enjoyed the activity we all did which was making box kites. We had to work with new people in small groups and most of us enjoyed this although some found it challenging. We learnt about aerodynamics and flying kites and we were able to follow complex instructions despite the large year group.
In summary most of us thoroughly enjoyed this day as it gave us a rest from the stress of Year 7 work.
Year 7 Gordon
Year 8
In Week 7, on Wednesday, we had a Wellbeing Day. We participated in three separate activities. We began the day with a lovely trip to 10 pin bowling. We connected with our peers during this time and had many laughs as people dramatically missed their pins. We then caught the bus back to school where we devoured our recess before we headed to the DPA to participate in a conversation about consent and respectful relationships. We learnt interesting facts about what consent is and about setting boundaries. In the last activity of the day, we did House activities. We spent our time expanding our knowledge on homelessness and helping people in need with activities such as making sandwiches for them. We also got very wet from the sudden rain while locating information about homelessness as part of a scavenger hunt. We valued spending time with Richards and learnt a lot of valuable lessons, overall, the day was very enjoyable.
Year 8 Richards
Year 11:
Year 11 organised an event to promote either House spirit or the House Social Justice Initiative. As we had just had a very successful “Wear it Purple Day” we organised several events for the house to complete Mini Olympics style. Our events were all set to be outside and in vertical style groups so the years could all mingle and get to know each other.
The key thing that we learnt was that you must be very adaptable as a huge thunderstorm just happened when the first games were starting so we had to pivot and turn outside into inside. We had a room of Paper golf (a special game of our Year 11 Williams group), Ping pong, Just Dance and a room of blindfold mazes. All the Year 11 students had to work hard to keep the younger students excited and enthused but it was great to see all the year groups together.
We also discussed some plans for our International Men’s Day project, but we will keep tight lipped about that for now.
Year 11 Williams
Wellbeing Day was a busy but fun and valuable day which was divided into three sessions. In the morning session, we started to get organised for a variety of McLachlan initiatives including awareness content around Domestic Violence and White Ribbon Day, The Orchards Emergency Bags and finally the Yr12 Farewell lunch.
The second session was beneficial leading into our preliminary exams with Elevate Education providing us with skills and tips to assist with our study and preparation.
The last session gave us the opportunity to further develop on the first session initiatives with help from the rest of the House. It was good to spend some time with the younger students in a relaxed environment whilst still doing something positive for the community.
Year 11 McLachlan
Year 12
This term’s Wellbeing Day was the last wellbeing day for us as Year 12 students, as we head into the final weeks of our schooling journey. We had a day fulfilled with activities to help guide and support us as we transition to the world and our lives beyond school. The first session of the day began with a presentation from Dr Chris Hayward, a GP from 76 Prince Medical, discussing issues surrounding men’s health, both physical and mental, and provided us with steps to help address these. Following this, we took a trip out to the school farm for lunch, where we wrote letters of gratitude and planted our cohort apple tree. The afternoon was a year group guided session planning and preparing for our upcoming year 12 showcase. The day was a brilliant way to help grow and strengthen our friendships, reflect on our time at Kinross Wolaroi and look to the future as we finish up at school. We found it a great way to support us as we head into a very stressful albeit exciting and memorable time of our lives.
Year 12 Dean
On Wednesday for well-being day the day started off for the girls with a group discussion with Dr Gabrielle Staniforth. This was a very beneficial conversation for the us year 12 girls on both mental and physical health. Girls left this session feeling much more confident regarding their bodies and what to do if something does not feel right.
After recess all of year 12 went to the school farm. This was a time for us all the reflect on our time at Kinross Wolaroi. Bringing back many memories and being grateful for all the opportunities. In this time we wrote letters to significant people within our lives to thank them and show gratitude towards all they had done for us in our time at Kinross. We then planted an apple tree as a whole year to be the class of 2023 tree.
The day finished with an elevate session on how to handle the HSC and with some showcase dance practice.
Our year really valued this special time together after our trials and before we start the HSC and graduate.
We learnt many valuable lessons throughout the day regarding our mental and physical health and also the importance of having each other’s backs through this exciting yet stressful time within our lives.
Year 12 Douglas
R U OK Day
This week, staff and students recognised R U OK Day.
- During Wellbeing, Senior School students discussed ways to recognise when their friend may need help, check in with them and refer them to appropriate support.
- During Social Emotional Learning, Junior School students talked about checking in with their friends, active listening, and identified their top 5 support people they could go to for help.
- Staff were treated to a coffee over a conversation in the sunshine.
R U OK Day encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times. R U OK Day is about building motivation, confidence and skills for people having meaningful conversations. It contributes to suicide prevention by encouraging people to invest more time in their personal relationships and to be alert to those around them. This week and every week, check in with your friends and be there to really listen to them. Help to connect them with support if they need it, long before they are in a crisis.
