Lowanna College

Wellbeing Update

Introducing our newest team member - Sox

It is with great excitement that Lowanna College welcomes its newest Wellbeing Team member, Sox. Sox is a Cardigan Corgi and is looking forward to making lots of new friends at school. He loves nothing better than having his tummy rubbed.   

In partnership with Service and Therapy Animals Australia, Sox is undergoing training to become a therapy dog and will be based with our Mental Health Practitioner (Dr. Michael Naughton). PAWS in school is an innovative training program that is designed to enhance the wellbeing of our students. A well-trained, confident, happy therapy dog can be an invaluable resource for supporting the social and emotional learning of students, as well as fostering a sense of community spirit. Michael will be the designated primary handler who will be responsible for the housing and welfare of Sox and will also complete all required training and manage the dog while on school grounds. 

 

Benefits of school therapy dogs include:

  • Provision of new social connections.
  • Development of a greater sense of community.
  • Helps meet social and emotional needs of students and facilitate a sense of belonging.
  • Helps instill school values of empathy, kindness, gratitude, and respect.
  • Supports students who may be school refusers or reluctant learners.
  • Engages and motivates learners with individual needs.
  • Assists students to regulate their emotions and stress relief. 
  • Creates opportunities for students to develop social skills.

We are excited to explore how proven animal assisted learning strategies and techniques can be incorporated into our existing wellbeing and intervention programs. Please let us know if you have any specific questions. Once Sox is settled in, we are confident that everyone will just love getting to know her and enjoy sharing in this exciting journey.

        

   

Year 7 Wellbeing Sessions

 

Year 7 students were introduced to members of the Wellbeing Team in the first week of school. The School Nurse, Bernice, and School Chaplain, Glenda, facilitated these introductory sessions about how our brain responds under stress and where students could seek support throughout their time at school.  All students created their own holistic self-care planners, where they identified activities and practices that support their wellbeing and promotes positive self-care in the long-term.

Respectful Relationships

We are continuing our Respectful Relationships work across the school in 2024. Consent education continues during PE and Health classes while other curriculum topics are taught during other class times throughout the school.

 

As a lead school for Respectful Relationships, we also support other secondary and primary schools across the Latrobe and Baw Baw Shires. This means we are working together as a broader community to change thinking and model respect and positive attitudes and behaviours. The purpose is to teach young people how to build healthy relationships, resilience, and confidence and not to be restricted by gender stereotypes.

Achievement Program

 

The Achievement Program is part of a statewide initiative that supports the development of healthy workplaces and schools. The program contributes to the school by creating a positive learning and working environment where both staff and students have better outcomes.  Students learn better, are more engaged and are active during the school day. 

 

The school has successfully achieved 6 of the 7 benchmarks and are working towards the final priority, ‘Healthy Eating and Oral Health’.  This benchmark looks for indicators that the school are providing opportunities for healthy eating, dental care, cultural inclusion and understanding the role healthy food choices has on our mental health and physical wellbeing.

 

The Student Representative Council (SRC) completed a whole school survey at the end of 2023 and feedback from the survey is being used to provide healthier options in the canteen.  We encourage parents and carers to contact the school if they have any ideas around how we may work towards achieving our final benchmark. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA)

 

Youth Mental Health First Aid training teaches participants how to provide initial support to a young person who may be experiencing a mental health problem or mental health crises, until professional help is received, or the crises resolves. Participants learn about the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems in adolescents, how to recognise and respond to an emerging or worsening mental health problem, and the treatments and supports available.

 

In 2023, the school provided training in YMHFA to 52 Lowanna staff and 32 school staff from Newborough East Primary School, Traralgon Secondary College, and Kurnai College. Lowanna’s Mental Health Practitioner and Wellbeing Leader will continue to provide training to school staff in the Gippsland area and our hope is to offer this training to the wider community as well.

LGBTIQ+ Support

       

 

Lowanna College is committed to providing an inclusive environment for all students. Our school nurse, Bernice, is supporting students from the LGBTIQ+ community. She runs Junior and Senior groups where students connect with their peers and talk about challenges they may be facing, participate in activities such as art and craft, and hear from other professionals in the community. The primary focus of these groups is to encourage and support positive respectful relationships across the school, a shared understanding that all students are respected, and that inclusiveness is a priority.

 

If you would like to know more about these groups, or any groups at the college, please contact the Wellbeing Team. We are always available and happy to chat with any families who have questions about the programs we have available at Lowanna College. 

Seasons for Growth 

 

Seasons for Growth is an evidenced based change, loss and grief education program that uses the imagery of the seasons to illustrate the experiences of change, loss, and grief. Young people can experience grief following significant changes and losses such as:

  • Someone they love passes away
  • Separation and Divorce
  • Friendship Changes
  • Illness that impacts their life
  • Relocation
  • Natural Disasters

Our College Chaplain, Glenda Noordam, is a qualified facilitator of this excellent program and has a great deal of experience working with young people who have experienced these changes. If you feel your child may benefit from participating in this program, feel free to contact Glenda at the school. Glenda’s workdays are Tuesday's, Wednesday's, and Thursday's.

Breakfast Club

We are excited to announce that Breakfast Club will now run 5 days a week from 8am to 8.30am.

We encourage students who have not had a bite to eat to come along and get some toast and a hot milo. Students who have a healthy breakfast each day tend to perform better academically and feel a greater level of connectedness with teachers and peers which leads to further positive health and academic outcomes.

Community Update 

Latrobe Youth Space are a community group who support young people all over the Latrobe Valley. They provide many opportunities for young people such as camps, support groups and activities to assist young people in our community. 

To make contact or find out how you can be involved, call 0484 777 972 or email info@gippslandyouth.au or info@latrobeyouthspace.org.au.