Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
Hello COHR Community!
This year, COHR is excited to be part of the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) Initiative, a program developed by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne University, and the Victorian Department of Education. The goal of this program is to help teachers and school communities better support the mental health and wellbeing of students.
I am so excited to share that I have been selected as the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader at COHR! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Tanya Ticca and I have been a teacher here for almost 11 years now, though I’ve been in and out on maternity leave for the last 4 years. I have two energetic boys, James and Benjamin, who keep us very busy at home!
The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, along with partners at the Faculty of Education and University of Melbourne developed the MHiPS Initiative. They recognised that schools are an ideal platform for promoting children’s mental health, identifying early signs of mental health concerns and supporting referrals to community-based mental health services when necessary.
In my new role, I will be focusing on improving the mental health and wellbeing of our students by supporting both our staff and families. I work closely with teachers to implement a strong Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program that will assist students to feel supported in their wellbeing and mental health needs. I will be working to implement Respectful Relationships and the CASEL Framework into our curriculum, which will be our whole-school approach to support mental health and positive behaviour management alongside our Positive Behaviour for Learning model.
My aim is to identify and address mental health concerns early, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our students and the entire COHR community.
Throughout the year, I’ll be sharing information, strategies and resources in the newsletter to keep you informed and supported. My goal is to make sure everyone in our school community has the tools they need to promote positive mental health and wellbeing. If you ever have any questions or need additional support, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Tanya Ticca