Principal's Message
Wellness Week
‘Strong Minds, Strong Bodies – Thriving Together’
As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice tradition, Trinity College has at its very centre, a genuine concern for the safety and welfare of every student. While delivering specific curriculum pathways and providing a variety of opportunities and experiences for our boys is the means by which we assist in their formation, their ongoing health and wellbeing is of particular importance. The respective formation programs, pastoral support structures, health and fitness curriculum, and the number and quality of dedicated support staff such as Heads of Year, Psychologists, PCG Teachers and Education Assistants are all evidence of such care within our school. The great success of The Resilience Project within our College has added more in this important area. At a time when aspects of children’s physical and mental health are becoming increasingly topical within our wider society, it is most encouraging to see the efforts of our staff and student leaders to focus on student wellbeing as part of our upcoming ‘Wellness Week’.
Throughout next week, our College will present Wellness Week under the theme of ‘Strong Minds, Strong Bodies – Thriving Together’. Our boys will have the opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities. Wellness Week will follow a daily wellness theme and promises something of interest for every student. Furthermore, our boys will be immersed in important health and welfare information sessions and have access to resources that focus on their personal wellbeing. The program for the week is outstanding and can be found elsewhere within this Newsletter. The Wellness Week information was also emailed via SEQTA to all families on Thursday. It will provide specific developmentally appropriate presentations regarding mental health and general wellbeing to respective Year cohorts. I encourage parents to speak to their sons about being involved in the many activities available. Further to this, it could present an opportunity to speak more generally about wellbeing issues.
While we look forward to an enjoyable week, we are also very keen to deliver important messages about general wellness and student wellbeing matters. While many definitions exist, it is generally considered that student wellbeing is ‘a sustainable state of positive mood and attitude, resilience, and satisfaction with one’s self, others and experiences at school’. It is widely accepted that student wellbeing directly affects most aspects of a student’s functioning, sense of connectedness and their learning at school. While wellbeing levels can fluctuate and are very much contextual, the ability to self-monitor such levels are important, as is understanding that positive choices around diet, fitness, sleep and mental care can make a significant difference. Access to sound advice and health professionals in these areas is also readily available and boys will be encouraged and directed to seek such advice as deemed appropriate.
At a time when we continue to be faced with worrying statistics about children’s health (research from pre-COVID times estimate that nearly 1 in 7 school-age children may have a mental health problem such as anxiety and depression, but only a few will access the relevant help they may require), it is important that a school such as Trinity College continues to work in collaboration with families and community groups to support our boys’ mental health and wellbeing. I look forward to a fun and informative Wellness Week and congratulate and thank the many staff and students who were part of the Wellness Week Organising Committee and who have been so enthusiastic, hard-working and considered in bringing the program together. As always, we seek to form good young men who are resilient and self-aware of their own wellbeing.
Live Jesus in our hearts.
Mr. Darren O’Neill
Principal
