Wellbeing 

I wish to start this fortnight’s Well Being section to acknowledge and thank both students and parents for their support of each other at this very difficult time in our school community.  As many parents are aware the school has experienced a significant loss in the past week and this has had a profound impact on many students, particularly in our senior school cohort, and staff members.

Grief impacts us all differently and this has been shown in the conversations that have taken place this week – from students who have been requesting routine and normalcy in their day through to students who are upset at the idea that routine can still be present and who are needing space and time outside of the normal routine to reflect.

I would encourage all families to take the time in the coming days to check in with their young person, particularly if their young person is in our senior school or has experienced another loss outside of school – allow yourself to  ask curious questions around what they experienced and noticed and what they need.  We all grieve differently and at our own pace and in our own ways and making space for this is important.

Whilst grief is a natural response to loss children and adults grieve differently due to their developmental stage, and this can prove difficult for parents to understand.

Young children fluctuate in and out of the stages of grief rapidly, as they may not comprehend the permanency of death. They express their grief more physically. Teens on the other hand may not know how to express their grief and will need some space to process their loss. Some may choose to grieve alone, not wanting to stand out or be seen as not coping. Whilst others, who may have a greater understanding, can start to question their own mortality.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents can learn how to acknowledge their child’s feelings and the best way to support them through the grief.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV. If you have any concerns about your young person, please contact either your young person’s student manager for help or reach out directly to the Well Being team.  Please also remember that most material on SchoolTV can be changed to a preferred language by using the language tab on the top right hand of the website.

Here is the link to the Grief & Loss edition of SchoolTVhttps://vermontsc.vic.schooltv.me/newsletter/grief-loss