Student Wellbeing

Welcome back to Sandringham College

After what we hope was a restful and enjoyable summer, we return back to school life. During summer holidays, students earn themselves a nice break and during such times our routine (yes, also even as adults) may be compromised.

For students returning to school where structure is essential, finding routine again and being organised for school is an important skill. So within the wellbeing team, we have listed below some simple tips to improve organisation:

• Invest in a diary planner: Diaries are useful tools for students to utilise to plan and schedule their classes, homework, extracurricular activities, social activities and more. This ensures that a teenager can relieve feelings of stress by maintaining organisation and being in control of their routine, improve time management and has a multitude of mental health benefits.
• Schedule a time you check Compass for the week: Compass is the College’s main scheduling and communication system. Here events and important academic information for students are displayed. Checking your personal compass weekly will ensure that you remain notified of any possible events at the College, upcoming homework/assemblies or any communication surrounding no blazer days.
• Don’t be afraid to ask: Probably the most underrated tip – we understand that things are overwhelming when returning to school and trying to maintain a sense of awareness about what is occurring at the College, where the class has changed to and much more. Please keep in mind that asking a staff member for some help can go a long way in reassuring yourself.
• Implement a study routine: By implementing a healthy study routine, you save the ‘friction’ of leaving tasks to the last minute. This ensures that you improve time management and reduces stress by the due date.

These are some simple returning to school routine tips that can ensure you manage stress effectively and can also result in the transitioning back to the College as seamless as possible.

Wellbeing Referral Process 

The wellbeing team welcomes you back to what we hope will be a smooth year with plenty of positives. However as we know, things might not always go as smooth as we want them to. We all experience hiccups, so it's good to know what to do if things aren't quite working the way we hope. 

If you do notice your child isn’t coping and needs some mental health support, or your family is going through a tough time – we are here to support you! 

To access wellbeing here at school, please contact your child’s Year Level Leader or someone in our Principal Team. They will chat to you about your concerns and put through a referral to the wellbeing team. From here we can offer a range of support, including short term counselling, financial assistance, access to group programs or assistance to engage with the right external services. 

Supporting Your Child with Organisation

             “For every minute spent organising, an hour is earned”- Benjamin Franklin.

What we see, time and time again in Wellbeing, is that the more organised students tend to experience less feelings of being overwhelmed. They often have a clearer idea of what is coming ahead and how they can prepare for it. With this foresight, tasks and activities can be broken down (into smaller, more manageable pieces) across time, rather than leaving things until the last minute. Students therefore tend to feel a greater sense of control and less stress and anxiety as a result. This not only applies to their schoolwork, but also to their lives outside of school. So as it is a new year, it is a great opportunity to support your child's organisational skills and implement new habits from "the get-go." 

Here are some steps that you could take to support your child’s organisational skills: 

• Buy a ‘student diary:’ For students, diaries are the key to keeping themselves organised. Diaries which are designed specifically for students tend to be most supportive as they include a format which allows for; homework task lists that can be ticked off, study times etc. These can easily be found at Officeworks, Kmart or your local newsagent at a reasonable price (ie. see below). 
• Model organisation at home: This can be done by having a family calendar where you actually refer your child to it in their day-to-day life. Alternatively, showing your child that you, yourself have a diary or calendar, even on your phone, so they can see the benefit and understand the need for it.  
• Print calendars monthly: If they are not keen on a school diary, perhaps they may take to carrying a printout of a monthly calendar. This way, they can organise themselves one month at a time and it can easily be carried around at the front of one of their folders. 
• Encourage ‘thinking ahead:’ By asking them what they have upcoming in terms of schoolwork, or even what classes they have the next day, you can encourage them to prepare themselves. For example, a helpful aspect to insert into their routine is encouraging them to prepare their school bag, clothes and lunchbox the night before.

By following some of these steps, it is hoped that the more your child is organised, the more relaxed our parents can be too!  

LGBTQIA+ Club is back in 2023!

Sandringham College is very proud to have our LGBTQIA+ Clubs returning for 2023. These clubs were particularly successful in previous years at helping our LGBTQIA+ students form connections with other students who are part of the community, and help develop student voice.

Furthermore, it is the aim of the group to promote leadership skills, discuss personal and political LGBTQIA+ specific issues and to foster a safe space for all to gather and share their experiences.

The LGBTQIA+ Clubs details are as follows:

Bluff road- Every second Tuesday starting week 2, during lunchtime held in C2.

Holloway road-Every second Tuesday starting week 2, during lunchtime held in room 11 (Media room-Innovation Centre)

This year, we will have guest speakers from headspace, Sandringham College alumni and other exciting guests to share their wisdom and experiences with the group.

The LGBQTIA+ club will have significant input into celebration days including IDAHOBIT Day and RUOK? Day. 

We are very much looking forward to what this year has to hold for the LGBTQIA+ Club!

If you are a young person and you are looking for support from your LGBTQIA+, community, you can attend Headspace's online discussion page which runs every Tuesday evening 6:30pm-9:45pm. https://headspace.org.au/online-and-phone-support/spaces/community/372936/