Wellbeing

SRC/Student Voice Team Semester 2

I would like to congratulate the members of Semester 1's SRC and thank them for their dedication to making our school a better place. Your efforts in organizing and promoting events such as Harmony Day, Walk to School Safely Day, the Student Suggestions Google Form, the Helping 5/6 Members Posters, attending to issues in the Quiet Area, and discussing ways to promote harmony using the Gaga Pit have been invaluable.

I'm thrilled to introduce our Semester 2 SRC/Student Voice Members. They're here to be your voice, your advocates, and make this semester amazing for all of us.

Respectful Relationship 

Dear Parents and Carers,

As part of our Personal and Social Capabilities and Health Education, St Brendan’s Primary School is a Respectful Relationship school. So far we have covered Emotional Literacy, Personal strengths, Problem Solving and Help Seeking. 

This Term we will be delivering topics; Gender and Identity and Positive Gender Relations of Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships. 

Best practice in Sexuality Education is that it teaches young people how to develop respectful relationships and how to minimise or eliminate the risk of potentially adverse consequences of their actions. It tries to ensure that young people make responsible and safe choices and recognises the social world in which they make decisions about their health. 

The entire staff at St Brendan’s were taught how to deliver this program professionally.

Specifically, students will be covering the following concepts:

Junior School

• How much they have grown and changed since they were babies
• All parts of the body have a name, including the genitals
• Family diversity in our community and who are the people who care for them
• What makes us the same and what makes us different
• Their identity: likes, dislikes, strengths
• Positive and negative gender norms
• Developing an appreciation of difference

Middle School

• Parts of the body, the names of reproductive systems and their functions
• How babies are conceived, develop and are born as part of the human lifecycle
• The concept of identity and how to use simple strategies to maintain and support self-worth
• Gender stereotyping 
• Basic safety skills and strategies at home, school and in the community, and describe methods for recognising and avoiding harmful situations
• What respectful, gender-inclusive behaviours look like in action informed by human rights

Senior School

• The physical, social and emotional changes associated with puberty
• Understanding that the timing of puberty will vary from individual to individual
• Respecting the feelings of others
• The impact of gender norms on the attitudes and behaviours of those entering adolescence
• Building positive gender relationships and gender equality
• Accepting difference and diversity
• Setting boundaries and standards that promote respectful and non-violent relationships

While comprehensive sexuality education is a compulsory part of a school’s health education curriculum, we are aware programs are more effective with increased parent-child communication.

It is important to us that we maintain an open dialogue with parents regarding the delivery of these programs. I have attached the actual lessons that will be taught in the classrooms. I think it’s important to communicate the language that we will be using which is a directive from Education Victoria.

Foundation RRRR - Topic 7 & 8 

Year 1/2 RRRR - Topic 7 & 8

Year 3/4 RRRR - Topic 7 & 8

Year 5/6 RRRR - Topic 7 & 8

Further information can be found at the following links:

Sexuality education for parents

Introduction Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships - FUSE - Department of Education & Training

If you have any concerns or seek further information, please contact Tess Haddock, Wellbeing Leader

thaddock@sbsomerville.catholic.edu.au

St Brendan’s School TV

Because parenting doesn't come with instructions, SchoolTV is a well-being resource implemented at our school to help support you in the challenges of modern-day parenting relating to youth mental health and wellbeing. Parenting is a learning journey and SchoolTV supports families by providing credible information from trusted sources with practical strategies to help alleviate some of the challenges being faced by young people today.

Watch video interviews with leading wellbeing specialists and browse a library of resources. Each topic is accompanied by factsheets, podcasts, books, articles, apps and other videos.

This award-winning resource helps families build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It will assist you in starting those conversations on topics that can sometimes be awkward or difficult to tackle.

Parents and caregivers are the greatest influence on a young person's life and SchoolTV focuses on empowering confident parenting.

Explore St Brendan’s SchoolTV today - https://sbsomerville.catholic.schooltv.me