Wellbeing News 

Mental Health Awareness Month   

Wellbeing kicked off Term 4 with World Mental Health Month for the whole of October across the College. For the first 5 weeks of Term 4, the Wellbeing team shared tip sheets on 5 areas to focus on to help improve mental health. The areas were Connection, Movement, Sleep, Rest and Nutrition. For each of these themes there were events for staff and students to attend, including friendship bracelet making, a yoga workshop, student disco and a fruit bar.    

Breakfast Club    

As always,the Wellbeing Team have continued to run The Breakfast Club Program in Term 4. Breakfast Club runs on Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday each week, from 8am-8:35am in the Community Room. We are extremely grateful to be able to offer our students a range of different foods that are donated by Foodbank and Eat Up. We wish to extend our thanks to these organisations for their ongoing support of our breakfast Club program. We enjoy seeing our students access a healthy breakfast and make a positive start to their day. We look forward to continuing this program in 2026.  

New Adolescent Health Nurse 

We would also like to welcome Nurse Heather to our Wellbeing Team. Have a read of Heather’s profile below: 

I’M HEATHER – YOUR NEW ADOLESCENT HEALTH NURSE 

I’m really excited to introduce myself as the new Adolescent Health Nurse here at Patterson River Secondary College. I’m a Registered Nurse employed by the Department of Education as part of the Secondary School Nursing Program, which aims to support and enhance the health and wellbeing of students and the wider school community. 

I work alongside the school’s Wellbeing Team on Monday’s and Thursdays to provide health education, promote healthy lifestyles and offer confidential support to students. 

Here’s a bit about what I do: 

• I run health education sessions in class to help students make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing 
• I help deliver wellbeing programs, such as the LGBTQIA+ Respect Group, which focus on building resilience and healthy relationships 
• I offer confidential one-on-one consultations where students can chat with me about things like general health concerns, relationships, sexual health, vaping, nutrition, body image and more. I can also connect students with external youth-friendly services if needed 
• I support whole-school events like R U OK? Day and Wear it Purple Day, promoting positive mental health, diversity and inclusivity. 

A little about me: I bring experience from working in schools, community health and hospital settings, but I’m especially passionate about supporting young people, particularly those in the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m committed to creating a safe, inclusive and respectful space for all students and will always promote diversity and inclusivity. I’ve also been a dedicated volunteer with St John Ambulance Victoria for nearly 25 years, starting as a Cadet and now volunteering as a Registered Nurse, First Responder and Trainer on the State Team. 

I’m really looking forward to being part of the Patterson River Secondary College community and supporting our students to be healthy, confident and well-informed. If you see me around the school, feel free to say hello – and students, you’re always welcome to book a time for a chat.