Echuca Twin Rivers Primary School 

Student Wellbeing 

Upcoming Wellbeing events in Term 3: 

  • Anti Bullying Week (Week 5)
  • Anti Bullying Day (August 16th- Week 5)
  • Headspace Transition (Year 6- September 2nd)
  • R U Okay Day (September 12th)
  • LifeChanger Program (Year 5 & 6)
  • Buddies Program (Ongoing)

Wellbeing Structure in Term 3

Tegan will continue her role as our Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader. This role will be full time in Term 3. 

 

Nicole will support our community in the Primary Wellbeing Officer role on Thursday and Fridays for the remainder of 2024. 

 

Kimmie will support Wellbeing this Term, involving a variety of programs such as Hands On Learning, SPAIDES and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) groups. She will work within the Wellbeing team, supporting staff and students on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.

 

Please contact Tegan, Nicole or Kimmie if you require any Wellbeing support. 

Healthy Schools Project:

In Term 3, our school will partner with Echuca Regional Health to participate in a healthy 'nude food' project. There will be prizes and exciting events coming, watch this space in early Term 3! 

 

Buddies:

In Week 5, the buddy session will be about 'belonging'. This will form part of our Anti Bullying Week celebrations here at ETRPS. Students will work with their peers to create a 'Belonging Mosaic' or 'School of Fish Collage'. Keep an eye on Class Dojo for photos of this activity in Week 5!

 

Bullying... No Way! 

From August 12th-16th we will have a large focus on Belonging and Bully prevention here at ETRPS. On Friday the 16th of August, we ask that a touch of purple be added to uniforms to promote belonging in our community. 

 

This year ETRPS is participating in the Bullying No Way: National week of action, from the 12th to 16th of August 2024.

 

Bullying No Way Week is a commitment being made by thousands of schools and supporters across the country. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to bullying prevention. It gives us an opportunity to connect with students, staff and school communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying. 

The new hero colour for the campaign is purple – symbolising peace, strength and empowerment to take a stand against bullying behaviour.

 

The theme for this year's campaign is Everyone belongs. This theme highlights the importance of creating a sense of belonging and inclusion for students. We recognise bullying often thrives in environments where individuals feel marginalised or excluded, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that every student feels valued and respected. “Positive school climates that value diversity and inclusion can foster a sense of belonging and provide a protective factor against negative peer relationships and reduce bullying.” (Australian Education Research Organisation 2023).

 

For more information about Bullying No Way Week and bullying prevention, visit the Bullying No Way website.

 

We encourage parents and carers to take this opportunity to have open and honest conversations with their children about the impact of bullying and what they can do if they need support. You can visit the Bullying No Way website for tips around how to have this discussion.

 

If you have concerns that your child is being bullied, please contact our Wellbeing or Leadership in the first instance. If you believe the behaviour constitutes a crime, or is a serious incident of cyberbullying, please refer to the Bullying No Way website for information on how to report to other authorities and access wellbeing help.

Bullying Fact Sheets:

 

SAFEMinds

 SAFEMinds training is "a comprehensive professional learning and resource package that enhances the capacity of educators and school communities to; effectively identify children and young people with early signs of mental health concerns, implement school-based interventions and refer to other support services as needed." 

 

This training presented information about the 'NIP it in the bud!' whole school approach to recognising and responding to early signs of Anxiety, Depression and emotional distress, communicated through self harm. 

 

NIP it in the bud provided tools for us as educators to Notice, Inquire and Plan. 

 

SAFEMinds: At Home provides parents and carers with information and resources to assist them to support their child and take appropriate action to reach out for support if they are concerned about their mental health and wellbeing.

 

Be You

Throughout 2024, ETRPS will be working alongside Be You to support the Mental Health and Wellbeing of our community. 

 

Be You builds on the success and learnings from five existing programs aimed at promoting social and emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people in the education space: KidsMatter Early Childhood, KidsMatter Primary, MindMatters, Response Ability and headspace School Support. Be You is building on the evidence base and ten years of experience of these programs. These programs are now integrated into Be You – one single, national initiative delivered through early learning services, primary and secondary schools.

 

Through the partnership with Be You, staff will further develop knowledge about Mentally Healthy Communities and build our Mental Health Literacy understanding. 

 

Fly2Health

By way of introduction, at Fly2Health Victoria we fly experienced (no new grad) Speech Pathologists and OT's to Traralgon, Sale, Horsham, Swan Hill and Echuca every fortnight to serve participants of the NDIS and also private participants. If your school has NDIS participants that are unable to be seen in Echuca we have immediate availability for Speech and OT with our team. Our clinic in Echuca is based at the Echuca Neighbourhood House at 261 High St. We run the fortnightly clinic from 9am - 4pm every second Thursday (this Thursday the 18th of April). 

 

If you are an NDIS participants waiting for this service, please send this online referral through and we can commence services immediately. 

 

https://flyhealthgroup-2.snapforms.com.au/form/new-client-referral-form

 

Please see below for further details. 

 

Community Supports for our Parents 

Taking a moment to offload, let go and be heard   

 

  Just having a chance to offload and let go of what is currently overwhelming us. Parentline is one of those supports. Connecting you with trained counsellors for a completely confidential conversation. Available 8am-Midnight 7 days a week. 

 

Definitely a number worth keeping on the fridge! 

Breakfast Club

Our Breakfast Club continues to run every morning at the Centre from 8.35am to 8.50am. We are so grateful to Foodbank Vic and Moama Bakery who generously provide food items for our students to enjoy. 

 

   Anglicare Early Help Services at ETRS