Child Safe & Wellbeing

Cybersafety Night (free for St Thomas Families)

We have a rare opportunity to bring to you the expertise of Susan McLean, a well known presenter and expert on the topic of Cybersafety. Many parents can make the mistake of thinking they do not need to know this sort of content, or think their child is immune to the dangers associated with being online. If you have children, it is critical that you inform and skill yourself in this area. 

Susan is presenting at one of our neighbouring Catholic schools, St Therese's PS on Monday night -131 Endeavour Dr, Cranbourne North, C, 3977. St Thomas the Apostle, St Agatha's and St Therese's have teamed together to book her for this event. Do not miss out - see below for the flyer.

Introducing: MORNING CHECK INS

At St Thomas the Apostle we are introducing a new whole school routine called ‘morning check ins’.  The check in will be completed using an iPad or Chromebook by each child as they arrive at school. The goal of the check in is to;

• Monitor student wellbeing
• Monitor student feelings of safety
• Support the development of self regulation
• Support the development of healthy habits.

All students will have the opportunity to let us know how they are feeling on the Children’s Wellbeing Continuum:

We highly recommend the use of the continuum at school and at home. If you would like to understand how to best use it, please watch this video: 

Through the check in, students will let us know if they are feeling safe at school and at home. As mandatory reporters, school teachers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of all children. We take Child Safety very seriously at St Thomas the Apostle and are committed to working with families in partnership for our children. 

Part of this process will involve our students revising what feeling safe looks like, sounds like, and feels like at home and at school. Check ins will provide a daily opportunity for student voice as we know it can be challenging for some students to speak up or to find the right time to talk to a trusted adult when they have a worry.

Did you know that children aged between 6-13 yrs require 9-12 hours of sleep each night in order to grow and develop? 

The check in will ask our Grade 4 - 6 children what they have eaten for breakfast and how much sleep they have had each night. This question will prompt our students to consider their decision making in line with the Health & Physical Education curriculum. In time this will support our students to build healthy habits relating to eating and sleeping. If a teacher can see that a student skipped breakfast or had a troubled night sleep it may help them understand any struggles the student might be having that day. This is another measure to support teachers knowing our students, so that our students feel safe at school.

Lastly, our Grade 5-6 students will be asked to consider something they are feeling grateful for and something they are looking forward to. Daily practice of gratitude and optimistic thinking is another example of building healthy habits, this time in support of mental health.

Emily Robertson

Mental Health in Primary Schools Leader (MHiPS)