COUNSELLING CONNECTIONS

R U OK? Day 2024 at Saints

A conversation can change a life. R U OK? Day aims to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with those in their world who may be struggling with life. You don’t need to be an expert to reach out – just a good friend and a great listener. 

R U OK? Day is a national day of action, marked on the second Thursday of September each year, but here at St Augustine’s College, we put it at the front of the year so that conversations can begin earlier. Every day is the day to start a conversation with someone we care about, to ask them R U OK?

R U OK? contributes to suicide prevention efforts by encouraging people to invest more time in their personal relationships and building the capacity of informal support networks – friends, family and colleagues - to be alert to those around them, have a conversation if they identify signs of distress or difficulty and connect someone to appropriate support, long before they're in crisis.

Our 2024 theme - Are we OK? - Caring for Each Other

The sense of this theme is that we as a college, as a community as well as friendship groups and individuals, we all need to be OK.

Bringing these ideas together with:

• "Supporting Each Other": Encouraging acts of kindness, empathy, and support among students and staff to create a culture of caring and mutual aid.
• "Creating a Culture of Wellness": Fostering a holistic approach to wellness that encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of health and encourages a balance of academic and personal pursuits.

The first part of this year’s R U OK? Day program is Parents-in-Touch on Wednesday 20 March. This is a free community event.

Parents-In-Touch

Wednesday 20 March 5:30pm in Lennon Hall. Our speaker is Mr Greg Curtis-Hill. He will speak from a community perspective on mental health challenges and resources available in the community. He is actively involved in facilitating resources for mental health in Cairns, including the Head to Health funded program.

Below is the R U OK Conversation Guide which parents will find helpful.

R U OK? Day Thursday 21 March

The program follows the previous years’ program with activities and presentations on our 2024 theme: Are we OK? – Caring for Each Other.

Our program Thursday 21 March

• 7:30am Pavement art on paths around Lavalla and leading to Lennon Hall. 
  • Pavement chalks supplied. We are looking for creative and heartfelt art on our 2024 theme.
  • There will be some prizes for best works.
• Wear it Yellow to recognise R U OK? Day, boys bring yellow tops, hats, ties etc and change into these on arrival at College. Change back into full school uniform at the end of lunch. 
  The idea is to bring some colour and lots of fun into this day.
• Per 2 Assembly in Lennon Hall. Our speaker is Mr Greg Curtis-Hill. His presentation will include a panel discussion. Q&A. 
• Recess sausage sizzle funded by the College
• Lunchtime student volleyball games in-house teams in the covered hanger.

In no way does R U OK? Day encompass all we do at Saints in terms of mental health. R U OK? Day is one day when we devote significant time towards awareness of mental health issues, for parents, staff and students. It provides early in the academic year a focus as well as a platform for our teachers' ongoing care and support throughout the whole year. R U OK? Day is part of a strong program here at Saints, through all classes; year-level assembly foci; Religious Education; camps and retreats; the daily care in home rooms; targeted year-level activities; sports and co-curricular activities; the casual interactions of the everyday in yard and classes; before and after school interactions; regular visits of a Delta therapy dog; counselling supports; College staff training in Youth Mental Health and our concern to education the whole person and form great men of Saints.

From Sr Sacha Donaldson our RN (Monday to Thursday)

The last 6 weeks have flown by, and I am already feeling very much at home in the Health and Wellbeing Centre (HWBC). I have had the pleasure of getting to know many of your lovely sons already. 

Although it is an uncharacteristic time of year, it has become evident that there are many viruses lurking around. Most visits to the HWBC are by boys presenting with symptoms of headaches, nausea, dizziness, and typical cold and flu symptoms. 

The strict hygiene practices employed during the COVID pandemic are becoming less of a priority within the community and as a result we are seeing more of the common viruses such as rhinovirus or the common cold causing more significant illness than previously seen. 

Please continue to remain vigilant with keeping your sons at home if they are feeling unwell. This will give them time to heal and continue with their studies, as well as reducing the spread throughout the school. Sometimes all it takes is a day of rest to start the road to recovery. 

Remember to contact the College to advise of your son’s absence, and if 3 days or more the College must have a medical certificate. 

Thank you again for your warm welcome to the community, and don’t forget to remind your sons to wash those hands.

Sacha Donaldson RN       4052 9112          sdonaldson@cns.catholic.edu.au

Ms Marijke Keller              4052 9136            mkeller@cns.catholic.edu.au

Br Roger Vallance             4052 9135            brroger@cns.catholic.edu.au