Student Wellbeing

Emotional Literacy

As our young people navigate the exhilarating yet challenging journey of adolescence, one essential skill emerges as a guiding light through the ups and downs of this critical period - emotional literacy.

In our fast-paced and high stress world where emotions can often seem overwhelming and unpredictable, fostering emotional literacy and emotional intelligence in our young people is more crucial than ever.

Emotional literacy refers to the ability to recognise, understand and effectively manage one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It serves as a cornerstone for healthy relationships, effective communication and resilience in the face of life’s challenges.

Parents play a vital role in nurturing their children’s emotional literacy skills. Here are some practical tips to support your child’s emotional development:

Create a safe and open environment - Encourage open communication at home where your child feels comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions without fear or judgement. Listen actively, validate their feelings and offer support and guidance where appropriate.

Be a role model - Children learn by example, so be mindful of how you express and manage your own emotions. Model and promote healthy coping strategies such as deep breathing or taking a break when feeling overwhelmed and demonstrate empathy and understanding in your interactions with others.

Teach emotional awareness - Help your child identify and label their emotions by discussing different feelings and their corresponding physical sensations (i.e., experiencing ‘butterflies in the stomach’ when feeling anxious). You might also encourage your child to express their emotions through writing, drawing or talking about their day

Encourage problem-solving skills - Teach your child to effectively problem-solve and cope with challenges by brainstorming different approaches together (during this process it would also be helpful to consider potential outcomes and consequences to different approaches)

Practice self-care - Encourage your child to prioritise self-care activities that promote wellbeing such as getting enough sleep, eating healthily, exercising regularly, engaging with others and with hobbies that they enjoy

Students across all year levels are gaining education in this area through The Resilience Project activities offered in the fortnightly Wellbeing Period at school. More information can be found here from The Resilience Project.

Together let us support our young people in developing the emotional literacy - and intelligence - they need to thrive now and in the future.

Student Wellbeing Support Services

Scott Cadby PACFA Reg. Clinical (21605)

BA (Psych) MPsychotherapyCouns

Wellbeing Coordinator

Seasons for Growth

Change, loss and grief affect all of us at some stage in our lives. This may occur when families separate or divorce, when there's a change to our family dynamic, or when there's a death of someone important to us.

Learning how to manage and cope with these changes effectively is of great benefit. Seasons for Growth is a successful education program for young people that focuses on self-esteem, managing feelings, problem-solving, decision-making, effective communication and support networks. confident that it will be a valuable learning experience for those who request to be involved.

Seasons for Growth is run in small groups at our College and is based on research that highlights the importance of social support and the need to practise new skills to cope effectively with change and loss.

In Term 2, Seasons of Growth will be facilitated for students in Years 7 to 9 by Br Tony Cummins (Campus Minister), Robyn Bierman and Scott Cadby (Wellbeing Team) during the school day.

Mentone Campus on Thursdays
Bentleigh East Campus on Fridays

We will look to run the program for students in Years 10 to 12 in Term 3.

We welcome all students who would benefit from taking part of this valuable program.

For further details or to register your child or children, please reach out to our team.

Br Tony Cummins Robyn Bierman Scott Cadby

Campus Minister College Counsellor College Counsellor

9582 5958 Bentleigh East Campus Mentone Campus