Wellbeing
Parent Learning Event – Building Resilience & Self-Esteem in Kids
We’re excited to invite all K–12 parents to our upcoming Parent Learning Event on Building Resilience and Self-Esteem.
🗓 New Date: Wednesday 20th August
📍 Venue: School Performance Hall
🕕 Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm
This session will provide practical strategies and valuable insights to help you support your child’s emotional well-being, confidence, and ability to bounce back from challenges — essential skills both inside and outside the classroom.
Whether your child is in Kindergarten or Year 12, this is a chance to learn how small, everyday actions can make a big impact on their growth and mindset.
✅ Open to all parents and carers
✅ RSVP required
Have you checked out our Wellbeing Page Yet???????
Sleep and the developing brain: Webinar recording
This webinar focuses on how sleep contributes to children and young people’s brain development, including memory consolidation, emotional regulation and cognitive functioning. Learn about how sleep can impact physical and mental health, as well as learning and academic performance.
Sleep Ninja® is a free, evidence based smartphone app shown to be effective in helping young people with sleep problems.
Half of all mental illnesses start during early high school by 14 years. At this critical stage of development, 40% of young people will face significant sleep problems heightening their risk of anxiety or depression.
By addressing good quality sleep, we are setting up the foundations to promote emotional, social and physical wellbeing and academic performance, now and in the future.
Sleep Ninja® was designed and developed at the Black Dog Institute in consultation with young people, their parents/carers, psychologists, counsellors, and sleep experts. It is the first adolescent-focused app which helps young people improve their sleep. It’s free to use and backed by research.
Based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), Sleep Ninja teaches strategies across six ‘training sessions’ to develop healthy sleep habits and improve sleep quality.
Help teens prepare for a good night’s rest with Sleep Ninja®, which is available to download free on the App Store and Google Play.
Peer Companions Supporting Year 5 Students
This term, our Peer Companions Program has continued to thrive, bringing together our enthusiastic Year 8 leaders and Year 5 students every three weeks for meaningful and engaging sessions. The focus this term has been on developing healthy friendships and understanding what it truly means to be a good friend.
Through thoughtful discussions and well-prepared activities, our Year 8 peer leaders have supported the younger students in building valuable social skills. The sessions explored key elements of friendship such as kindness, empathy, trust, and respectful communication.
We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and passionate group of peer companions. Their preparation, creativity, and commitment are evident in every session. Their efforts not only help our Year 5 students feel supported and included but also foster a stronger, more connected school community.
We commend our Year 8 leaders for the fantastic work they continue to do and look forward to seeing the positive impact of the Peer Companions Program grow even further in the weeks ahead.
Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/4471430562851568213
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Register here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/8173705016387641949
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The following FREE webinars for Term 3 are now open for registration on the eSafety Commissioner’s website. (Please find attached a template for your school newsletter and/or eSafety flyer for distribution.)
- Recognising online coercive control in young people's lives
This 45-minute webinar explores how tech can be used to control, the red flags to watch out for and how to support young people experiencing it. It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students.
Term 3 dates:
6 August, 12:30pm
- Understanding AI Companions: What parents and carers need to know
This 45-minute webinar explores what AI companions are, the risks to look out for and how to talk to your child about them.It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students.
Term 3 dates:
28 August, 12:30pm
11 September, 1:00pm
- AI-assisted image-based abuse: Navigating the deepfake threat
This 45-minute webinar covers how these technologies are being used, their impact and how to support and protect your child.It’s suitable for parents and carers of upper primary and high school students.
Term 3 dates:
21 August, 12:30pm
- The changing face of cyberbullying: Protecting your child in 2025
This 45-minute webinar helps parents spot the signs, build support at home and guide children on how to respond and stay safe.It’s suitable for parents and carers of primary and high school students.
Term 3 dates:
5 August at 12:30pm
- Understanding and using parental controls to help protect your child online
This webinar explores:
- the types of parental controls available and how to set them for your child’s safety including smart devices, in apps, gaming platforms and computers
- using parental controls with other online safety strategies to help your child build digital and critical skills to have safer experiences online.
It's suitable for parents and carers of children in primary school.
Term 3 dates:
2 September, 3:30pm
- Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know
This webinar explores:
- what sexual extortion is
- the impacts and potential harms sexual extortion may have on young people
- strategies to support young people who may experience sexual extortion, including how to respond and access support; and how to encourage safer and more positive online interactions.
It's suitable for parents and carers of young people in upper primary and secondary school.
Term 3 dates:
9 September, 12:00pm
- Exploring the online experiences of boys and young men
For boys and young men, the internet can be a place where they seek connection, validation, and guidance. However, they can also be exposed to harmful content, online exploitation and misogynistic ideologies. This 45-minute webinar explores the social and cultural influences shaping bots today, how they engage online and how to support them with open conversations and critical thinking.
Term 3 dates:
30 July, 12:30pm
New podcast episode: Building parent–child relationships from behind bars
It’s estimated over 40,000 Australian children have a parent in prison.3 Many incarcerated fathers want to learn the skills to rebuild relationships with their children and other family members while in prison. But physical, mental, emotional and logistical barriers can easily get in the way, discouraging fathers from maintaining contact with their families.
In this episode, host Jacquie Lee is joined by Linh Nguyen, who works with incarcerated individuals in the Port Augusta prison. Linh discusses the role shame, guilt and past trauma play in preventing incarcerated fathers from connecting with their children, and the approaches she has found helpful in overcoming these and other barriers.
Building parent–child relationships from behind bars is available to listen to now via YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and the Emerging Minds website.
Why are helmets important?
Helmets are designed to cushion and protect your head from the impact of a crash. Wearing a
helmet reduces the chance of suffering a preventable brain injury. Research shows bicycle
helmets can reduce head injuries by about 70% and reduce fatal head injuries by 65%.
Little riders must wear an approved helmet that is securely fitted and fastened. Be a STAR
and check out the safety ratings before your next purchase.
A note for families - Adults are always responsible for the safety of the young children in
their lives. Keep children safe by ensuring:
• they always wear an Australian standards-approved helmet
• their helmet is fitted correctly
• they always play and ride in a safe place, off the road and away from vehicles and driveways
• they have an adult there to supervise.
For more information about safe travel visit safetytown.com.au
https://www.safetytown.com.au/static/activities/who-is-wearing-helmet/assets/helmet/Helmet_
Worksheet.pdf
https://www.safetytown.com.au/static/activities/always-wear-a-helmet/pdf/worksheet-always-wear-a-helmet.pdf
https://www.safetytown.com.au/static/activities/always-wear-a-helmet/pdf/worksheet-always-wear-a-helmet.pdf
St Luke’s Catholic College Leads the Way with Successful Anti-Vaping Initiative
This year, St Luke’s Catholic College proudly implemented the Our Futures: Vaping Education Program—with such success that it has gained recognition at a national level. As vaping continues to be a growing concern among young people, our school took a proactive and preventative approach by embedding this evidence-based program into our wellbeing curriculum.
The Our Futures program provides students with accurate information, critical thinking tools, and practical strategies to navigate peer pressure and understand the real risks of vaping. The lessons were interactive, engaging, and highly relevant to the challenges young people face today.
Our implementation was so impactful that the Our Futures team selected St Luke’s to be featured in a national promotional video. They filmed our students in action and interviewed several of them about their experience with the program. The students spoke honestly and insightfully about how the course changed their thinking.
“Before the course, I didn’t think vaping was that harmful. Now I understand the risks and feel more confident saying no,” one student said during filming.
“It wasn’t just someone telling us what not to do—it actually made sense and made us think for ourselves,” another student reflected.
The program aligns strongly with St Luke’s wellbeing priorities and our mission to nurture informed, resilient, and responsible young people.
We are incredibly proud of how our students engaged with the Our Futures program. It not only supported their personal growth but has positioned St Luke’s as a leading example of how schools can make a meaningful impact on youth health and wellbeing.
