Dragon e-newsletter

Wellbeing

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School Breakfast Club is run in Wellbeing every school day from 8.00 am - 8.45 am. 

ALL students welcome!

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This week, staff from the Wellbeing Team began delivery of 'Seasons for Growth', a small group education program that supports children and young people to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand and respond well to experiences of change, loss and grief.

 

The program supports children and young people who have experienced change and loss, including, although not limited to friendship changes; family separation; loss or death of someone they care about; loss of a pet; relocation and forced migration; living away in out of home care; physical or mental illness; or impacts of war, terrorism or pandemics.

 

The program is evidence-based and uses the imagery of the seasons to describe and understand the experience of change, loss and grief. Trained adult ‘Companions’ facilitate small groups where participants support and learn from each other in age appropriate and engaging activities. Participants learn that change and loss are a natural part of life and that they are not alone in dealing with the effects of these experiences. They also learn communication, decision making and problem-solving to support them to adapt to new circumstances. 

 

What are the learning outcomes for children and young people?

 

Seasons for Growth supports connection with others going through similar circumstances, fostering emotional literacy and resilience as a pathway to improved social and emotional wellbeing. Specifically, the program provides a safe learning environment for children and young people to:

  • Acknowledge their experiences and recognise they are ‘not the only one’
  • Understand that their feelings and other behavioural reactions are normal
  • Develop skills for coping, positive choices, goal-setting and decision making
  • Build a peer support network and a felt sense of belonging and connection
  • Help restore self-confidence, self-esteem and self-respect

For more information about the program, visit: Home | MacKillop Seasons

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VAPING

 

What is a vape?

An e-cigarette (commonly called a 'vape') is a battery powered device that heats up a liquid to become an aerosol. This aerosol is a fine spray of chemical particles that is then inhaled deep into the lungs

  • There are no quality or safety standards for e-cigarettes, vapes or vaping liquids sold online or in stores like tobacconists and vape shops.
  • The liquid in most vapes contains nicotine and over 200 different chemicals have been found in e-liquids
  • The act of heating the e-liquid may cause the metals from inside the chamber of the vape to also be inhaled
  • The aerosol or vapor from e-cigarettes contains cancer-causing chemicals and heavy metals

What do e-cigarettes look like?

E-cigarettes ('vapes') come in all shapes and sizes. They can look like everyday items commonly used by students such as a highlighter, a pen or USB, hoodie toggle, teddy bear or even a juice box. Some can be disposable, and some are small enough to fit into a pocket or a pencil case. An e-cigarette device can be identified by taking the cap off the item to see if it has a mouthpiece.

How vaping affects your child’s body

Vaping can cause significant harm to your child’s body:

  • Short-term it can cause vomiting, nausea, coughing, shortness of breath, mouth irritation and asthma
  • Long-term it can cause lung damage, heart disease and cancers.

E-cigarettes are still being studied, but most experts think it is likely vaping will cause lung and mouth cancers. Nicotine is a poison that can make people sick if swallowed and has been linked to the deaths of small children. Exposing children and teens to nicotine can harm their brain development and lead to higher risk of dependence. Children and teens who use e-cigarettes are more than three times more likely to move onto smoking cigarettes. E-cigarettes can also explode and catch fire.

 

How do I know if my child is vaping?

The easiest way to detect e-cigarette use is if there is an unexpected smell in the air from e-cigarette flavouring. Teens tend to use fruit or sweet flavours, so this scent is usually sweet. E-cigarettes come in flavours like fruit punch, fairy floss, chocolate milk and cola ice to make them palatable.

 

Some children use large amounts of spray on deodorant to mask the smell of vaping.

If your child is irritable after 45-60 minutes of being in a situation where they cannot vape, they might be exhibiting signs of nicotine addiction. Read more on vaping dependence- what it looks like and what you can do as a parent or carer to help your young person quit.

 

Starting the conversation

  • Before you start the conversation, get the facts on vaping 
  • Remember to stay calm and ask open-ended, curious questions – “What makes you interested in vaping?” “How do you feel about it now?
  • Keep the conversation positive
  • Listen out for reasons for change. Young people often talk about costs of vaping, not liking being manipulated by these corporations and feeling addicted.
  • Offer help: encourage the young person to talk to their GP or contact Quitline for support (13 7848 or online via www.quit.org.au)
  • Reflect on your behaviour too and remember to be a positive role model

For more information visit:  Smoking and vaping: Advice for parents | vic.gov.au

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Be Ahead of the Game is a free education program that helps school communities understand how young people may be affected by gambling and gaming. 

 

What are the risks of online gaming? Games can be fun, creative, and good for children’s emotional, social, and cognitive development. But gaming also comes with risks for young people such as:

  • How games can trick us into playing longer and spending more 
  • What gambling-like elements are in the games they play, such as loot boxes
  • How gaming affects the brain and sometimes makes it hard to stop
  • How excessive gaming can affect their health and wellbeing

For parents and carers

Free online information sessions help equip parents and carers of school students to:

  • talk with them about the risks of gambling and gaming
  • keep them safe
  • get professional advice and support.

Talking to young people about gambling

(one hour):

  • facts about young people and gambling
  • factors that influence young people to gamble
  • signs of gambling harm.

Talking to young people about gaming

(one hour):

  • how young people are exposed to gambling through the features of some video games, such as loot boxes, simulated gambling and microtransactions
  • signs of gaming addiction.