Wellbeing
with Mrs Hodgson
National Families Week - "Celebrating Every Family, Everywhere"
National Families Week 2026 runs from 11–17 May 2026 and isheld annually to coincide with the UN International Day of Families on 15 May. The 2026 theme is "Celebrating Every Family, Everywhere," focusing on connections and community. The week aims to highlight the importance of family bonds and inclusivity across Australia.
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare hold a National Families Week Art Competition which gives children a chance to tell us, in their own voices, the importance of family and what makes them feel happy.
This competition is open to all primary aged children. The competition celebrates how children express joy, connection and wellbeing through the theme:
“What makes you feel happy?”
Children are encouraged to submit an original artwork that reflects their own ideas, experiences and creativity. Entries close on the 18th May. For more details go to
the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
Please share your child's entries with us as well. We'd love to see what makes them happy. Artwork can be dropped in at the office or a picture of the artwork can be emailed to sarah.hodgson@education.vic.gov.au
Young Minds: Our Future Study
The Australian Government has funded an Australia-wide study of child and adolescent mental health and wellbeing. The study, known as Young Minds: Our Future (#YMOF), will survey families across the country. This research, led by Curtin University and The University of Queensland, will help improve mental health services for all young Australians.
Selected households in our area will be approached in person by interviewers from Roy Morgan over the next few weeks. You may also get a flyer in your mailbox. You can’t opt in but, if you're invited, we encourage you to make your voice count. For more information, visit www.ymof.org.au where you can watch this short video about the survey. You can also contact youngminds@curtin.edu.au.
Lunchtime Clubs
Our Lunchtime Clubs are being utilised and enjoyed by many students. Run Club has been a huge success with manystudentsrunning laps of the oval on a Friday morning.
The music choirs and bands are humming and the students are enjoying getting their hands dirty in our garden. Chess is being played when the library is open, and many students are enjoying being creative in Art Club.
The Wellbeing Hub has become the place to be during the afternoon recess break on a Tuesday-Thursday if you need some quiet time.
Useful Websites:
Looking after your child's mental health:
Easing into Adolescence
The Department of Education has launched an Easing into
adolescence webpage for families of students aged 10 to 14 (Grade 5 to Year 8).
The webpage has information and strategies you can use to help ease your child into adolescence and secondary school. These include:
- a guide to emotion coaching. Staff from The University of Melbourne’s Tuning in to Teens Kids program developed the guidance.
- how to support your adolescent with their studies and more generally. Parenting expert and clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller helped develop this resource.
Subtitles for videos by The University of Melbourne on the webpage are available in 10 languages. You can select your preferred language on the translations page.
Schoolwide Positive Behaviour Supports
Reward System
SWPBS focuses on multi-tiered interventions to promote positive behaviours. As part of the approach to enabling a strong school culture which embodies our school values, we have put in place a whole school sticker rewards system.
Aim of the Reward System
At DPS we have implemented a reward system to reward positive behaviours that are necessary for promoting a positive and supportive school environment. These positive behaviours are based on our four values of Compassion, Resilience, Respect and Responsibility. Part of our reward system includes the handing out of stickers which are distributed by staff when the students are "caught" displaying one or more of the values.
DPS RUN CLUB
Over 100 runners are signed up to our Friday morning Run Club.
Many students have run over 5 kilometres so far, some have even travelled over 10 kms!
We are very proud of all of our students for getting active and having a good time while doing it (with some questionable dance moves from Mr Robertson on the sidelines to cheer them on).
So far we have run from Melbourne to Canberra!
