Wellbeing News

School Nurse Program

A nurse from the Primary School Nursing Program will be visiting our school in term 4. 

They will be seeing foundation students and any student in Grade 1 to 6 who is referred for a sight and/or hearing test.

The confidential Primary School Nursing Program Information Package and School Entrant Health Questionnaire (SEHQ) will be distributed to all families of foundation students next week. The questionnaire provides parents and/or carers with the opportunity to raise any concerns you may have about your child’s health and development with the school nurse.

Please contact your child's teacher if they are in Grades 1-6 and you would like to access the service. The service also provides services for students who are:

·  newly arrived from overseas

· follow-up children where school nurse intervention was previously required.

Please ensure that you return the form to your child's teacher by the given date.

I am attaching the Health and Wellbeing Support Pathways document below for general information. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you require guidance.

Behavioural Therapist Support

Raquel is available on a Friday to catch up with parents to discuss supports we can put in place to support students and their families.

Please contact me through Sentral or a phone call to the office to arrange to meet with Raquel.

Foundation CSEF Packages

Eligible families have been contacted and uniform packages distributed. Please Contact me if you feel you are eligible and did not receive a package.

Uniform Support

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you require support with school uniforms. This includes access to footwear for your child.

Safe School Program

Earlier this week I attended the annual 'Safe School' forum which was held at the Melbourne Museum. 

The Safe Schools program helps schools foster a safe environment that is supportive and inclusive of LGBTIQ+ students and families.

During the forum I explored further how to access support and advice from Safe Schools on matters like how to:

• satisfy our policies regarding sexual and gender diversity and Victorian and Australian anti-discrimination legislation
• prevent and respond to bullying incidents of LGBTIQ+ students
• adopt a whole-school approach to preventing discrimination, harassment and bullying
• create supportive and inclusive school policies 
• train staff on creating supportive spaces for LGBTIQ+ students
• develop student-led activities to create positive, inclusive change, and
• equip other staff with skills and ideas to create inclusive environments.

Information on the program can be found on the following website: https://www.vic.gov.au/safe-schools

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about how we can support students and families who identify as being part of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Oxygen Youth Space

The Oxygen youth space is located at 4/8 Gaffney St, Coburg (next to the Coburg Lake), and is a fun, safe, inclusive, and free space designed to be used by young people aged from 12 to 18.

I had the pleasure of exploring this space this week.

They offer a range of activities and support and also run programs during the school holidays.

I recommend that you explore this space and explore what they have to offer if you have a child in the targeted age range.