Wellbeing
R U OK? Day 2023
The effort made over weeks of poster hanging, activity organisation, communications with gift donors and classroom walk-arounds promoting the R U OK? day festivities finally came to fruition on the second last day of Term 3. On the morning of R U OK? day, students were greeted with mood stickers and wristbands, a cup of hot chocolate and a chocolate bliss ball at the entrance of Building B, while music students performed live for everyone walking by. Yellow decorations were hung up and staff all across the school wore yellow clothing and accessories, promoting the spirit of R U OK? day.
Teachers were also given an opportunity to indulge in the festivities - a morning tea was prepared by the Wellbeing team and delivered throughout recess.
Class continued as usual until lunchtime, which is when the activities began! The activities that were run for students included Tai Chi, muffin decorating, slime and book-mark making, netball and softball, and badminton among others. Three of our teachers even brought along their dogs for our ‘Pets = Mood Changer’ activity, and these good pups received plenty of well-deserved attention from eager students! Although there was a sign-up process in place, the beautiful weather and enthusiastic participation of so many students encouraged even more to join in.
The names of students who joined in on the activities will be put into a draw to win prizes organised by the Wellbeing Department, to be drawn and revealed on the last day of school. A big thank you to the staff, volunteers, and individuals from organisations external to the school for their assistance and enthusiasm throughout the day, and thanks as well to all the students for getting involved!
Sienna Levy
Wellbeing Administration
Slaying Friendship
The Student Wellbeing team piloted the #Slayingfriendship program in response to the unmet need that some students struggle with initiating conversations with their peers, maintaining healthy social connections and establishing boundaries with friends.
Eight students from Years 7-9 participated in the program spanning seven weeks. We played icebreaker games, engaged in meditation and covered topics such as, 5 top tips for making friends, the importance of non-verbal communication, social anxiety and strategies to work through their discomfort. Tangible and youth-centred activities were introduced to students including, making amulets, practising real-life scenarios with Student Leaders and celebrating with a party that featured pizzas and soft drinks!
Participants also received Affirmation Letters from their parents that spoke to their strengths and uniquenesess and provided examples of when they demonstrated resilience. These were accepted with tenderness and acknowledgement by participants. A truly warm and fuzzy experience!
Inger and Pek Lin are feeling grateful to participants for being open with their friendship difficulties, willingness to adopt new skills and feeling empowered to initiate a conversation with a peer. Well done.
I found the slaying friendship Program invaluable due to me struggling to talk to new People. It has given me so much. In this Program we learned, 5 Steps to connect and how to deal with struggling friendships. We made an amulet and we also played a lot of getting to know you games. Personally I didn't find anything tricky or hard, most of which might have just been initial awkwardness. All in all, I I think the #Slayingfriendship Program is a great idea to go to if you're a student (they also have free Food!)
Sebastian G
Pek Lin Cerase & Inger Ross