Wellbeing Update
Respectful Relationships Update
We have an upcoming FREE parent and carer webinar on Monday 21st August titled Pornography vs Reality.
When: 7:15pm – 8:15pm, Monday 21st August 2023
Elephant Ed is a leading sexuality education provider to hundreds of schools around Australia. Elephant Ed's workshops are evidence-based, age-appropriate and mapped to State and National curriculum guidelines. Elephant Ed is endorsed by the eSafety Commissioner as a Trusted eSafety Provider.
This webinar supports the work our College are doing in the Respectful Relationships space – making positive and healthy choices in all of our interactions with people.
This webinar will include the following key discussion points:
- Statistics and prevalence of exposure to pornography amongst young people
- Impact of exposure, including key distortions
- Strategies to start effective conversations at home.
You are required to register in advance for this webinar. Please use the link below to register.
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_W0v28L7uRv-Jk7U9fuM83w
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Please note, this webinar is not for students. It is a parent/carer webinar only.
REGISTER NOW SO YOU DON’T’T MISS OUT.
We look forward to seeing you online!
Health Promotion Update
Healthy Latrobe Achievement Program – We are now working on our final benchmark – ‘HEALTHY EATING & ORAL HEALTH’
Earlier this year we had Smile Squad visit the school and they saw over 100 students for dental checks and education about the importance of looking after our teeth.
The Wellbeing and Leadership teams will be working closely with the canteen over the coming months to explore healthy alternatives for our canteen menu.
This is all a part of our plan to successfully achieve our final benchmark which will then mean Lowanna College will be a Recognised Health Promoting School and the first sole secondary college in not only the South Region, but Victoria, to achieve all 7 benchmarks!!!!
Youth Mental Health First Aid Course
As a College, we are continuing to train our staff in Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA). Michael Naughton and I will be delivering another course to staff on 30th August with the plan to run more courses by the end of the year.
Mental Health First Aid strategies are evidenced based and facilitated by Accredited MHFA Instructors. The purpose of this course is to support staff in assisting our students who may be struggling with their mental health and offering opportunities for them to seek further support when they need it. Our goal is to break the stigma about mental health, so we all feel confident and comfortable to talk about it openly and honestly.
Inclusiveness at Lowanna College
Support for our Indigenous Community
Rubicon Outdoor School Trip
Rubicon School are an outdoor, multi-campus residential school operated by the Department of Education and Training (DET) working with secondary school students and supporting First Nations cultural groups who have strong connections to the Gunai Kurnai, Wurundjeri and Bunurong Lands. Our Indigenous students recently enjoyed a canoeing trip facilitated by the school. Check out the photos from this fun event.
Our Koorie students have also been working hard with Emily (our Koorie Liaison Worker) out in the garden weeding and preparing it for Spring.
NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) occurs annually in July, and celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians all over the country and overseas.
Our Indigenous students together with VCE VM students made cupcakes for NAIDOC week and sold them to raise money for the Koorie program at Lowanna.
LGBTIQ+ Support
Our college nurse, Bernice, continues to support our students from the LGBTIQ+ community.
Wear It Purple Day
On Friday the 25th of August the College will be recognising Wear It Purple Day.
Wear It Purple Day is an annual LGBTIQA+ awareness day, especially for young people, based in Australia. Supporters wear purple to celebrate diversity and young people from the LGBTIQA+ community.
On this day we will have some stalls with activities and visitors from Latrobe City Council and Latrobe Leisure Centre providing information about services in the community. They will also be running some games for students to participate in.
If anyone would like to donate funds towards Wear it Purple, please see the link below. This donation page provides opportunities for this organisation to support school events, run other awareness events and support young people from the LGBTIQA+ community with connections, referrals and mental health.
https://wearitpurple.gofundraise.com.au/
On the day, students are required to wear FULL SCHOOL UNIFORM but they can wear a purple accessory to show their support. Things like earrings, wrist bands, badges, lanyards, nail polish and purple hair are all acceptable.
Community Update
Latrobe Youth Space are a community group who support young people all over the Latrobe Valley. They provide many opportunities for young people such as camps, support groups and activities to assist young people in our community.
To make contact or find out how you can be involved call 0484 777 972 or email info@latrobeyouthspace.org.au.
Vale Ian Hardy
Sadly, the St Vincent De Paul President in our local area, Ian Hardy, passed away recently.
Ian’s passing has been a great loss to our school and wider community. Ian was a kind man who always had the best interest of our College families at heart. Ian supported many people in the community who were struggling.
We send our deepest condolences to Ian’s family at this sad time.
General Wellbeing Information
Blue Edge Program
Some of our students have been engaged in the Blue Edge Program this term.
Blue EDGE (Educate, Develop, Grow, Empower) is a well-established fitness based experiential learning program run by Blue Light Victoria in partnership with Victoria Police combining physical training, personal growth and life skills. The program covers a range of topics including teamwork, communication and healthy decision making while fostering positive connections to the local community.
The Wellbeing Team will be meeting later in the year to look at more opportunities for students to be involved in this program.
Breakfast Club
A reminder that Breakfast Club is available to students each Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7.45am to 8.30am. We encourage students who have not had a bite to eat to come along and get some toast and a hot milo.
A healthy breakfast is just the thing we need to help us start the day well 😊
The Breakfast Club team are also looking for anyone who would like to volunteer their time to help out the Wellbeing Team on one or both of the days we provide Breakfast Club. Please let the Wellbeing Team know if you can help out. We also love donations to go towards Breakfast Club – Margarine, Cheese Slices and Milo are the things we would greatly appreciate.
Paul Fry
Wellbeing Leader