Wellbeing

R U OK? Day" is Australia's national day of action, celebrated annually on the second Thursday of September, to promote mental health and suicide prevention by encouraging conversations and checking in with people who might be struggling. It's a reminder that anyone can start a conversation and that these conversations can significantly impact someone's life.

Orange Card System   

At OLA, all students have access to an Orange Card, which they can use if they need a break from the classroom or playground—no explanation needed. These cards are available to every student and are designed to support wellbeing and emotional regulation.

The Orange Card allows students to step away when they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, upset, or simply need a moment to reset. Breaks might last just five minutes or a little longer, depending on the student's needs.

When a student uses their Orange Card, they hand it to office staff, who will notify a member of the leadership team. Most students return to class once they feel calm and ready to re engage in learning.

This simple strategy supports positive behaviour and empowers students to self-regulate, helping maintain a calm and focused learning environment.

Holiday Tips From Georgina Manning

Importance of Chill Out Time each day 

• As well as learning how to relax when there is anxiety present, it is important to also keep anxiety and stress levels low by factoring in time each day to just chillout. As children are often overscheduled and overstimulated through technology, it is vital that there is time to just ‘be’ each day. This can be by playing with a favourite toy, building something, creating artwork, playing with animals, playing a board game, drawing, making cubbies in the garden – the list is endless.
• Point your child in the direction of an activity that makes them feel good when they are also feeling anxious. An activity that is unstructured and free helps children to engage the creative part of their brain which in turn lessens anxiety. If children are used to spending chill out time each day, then it will be familiar to them if they need to calm down when anxious. If they spend a lot of time on technology and little time with creative play, it will be harder to direct them to creative activities when they are feeling stressed.
• It is important to note that chill out time is not time on technology. Although this may appear to be an activity that is relaxing, it is not effective for lessening anxiety or to wind down the brain after a full day of learning at school or after stressful events. Technology at night can also keep children wired up for hours which can affect sleeping patterns.

Occupational Therapy

We have no waitlist for Occupational Therapy services!

We can support you with the below supports:

• Therapeutic Interventions
• Functional Capacity Assessments & Reports
• Assistive Technology Recommendations
• Home Modifications
• And much more, reach out today to find out how we can support you!

We can service the Bayside, South, South-East and Eastern Metro Melbourne areas, and can also offer telehealth supports nationally!

We have attached a flyer for your reference and further details regarding our services. You can also check out our website here: moira.org.au/arliam/

CoolKid Psychology

PSYCHOLOGISTS WITH IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY 

CoolKid Psychology is a private clinic located in Black Rock, dedicated to supporting children, adolescents, parents, and families. Our clinic provides a comprehensive range of services, including therapy and assessments for a variety of presentations such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, Autism, learning difficulties, and behavioural differences and challenges, such as Pathological Demand Avoidance.

We are pleased to let you know we are currently accepting new clients. We have immediate availability for therapy and assessment services with our experienced psychologists. We also offer telehealth services, making our support easily accessible to families. Our skilled client support team spends time with new clients to thoroughly understand their current needs to ensure they are matched with the clinician best suited to help achieve their goals. 

Josy Reeder

Learning Diversity and Student Wellbeing Leader