Wellbeing & Engagement 

World Teachers' Day

This coming Friday - the 28th of October - is World Teacher's Day.

Whilst none of our teachers entered the profession to be praised for the work they do, it IS important we recognise it - and this Friday gives us and the school community that chance.

Teaching can be a very thankless task at times. Many additional hours go into every aspect of this job. Engaging, inspiring and motivating young minds brings understandable challenges - and this has been significantly compounded by the impact of the COVID years and remote learning. Now back onsite full-time, teachers are not only doing their best to teach the curriculum, but other priorities have grown - for example, wellbeing and mental health concerns have jumped to a level we simply haven't seen before.

In the face of these new challenges, all of our teachers are still striving to provide their students with as many wonderful and diverse learning experiences as they possibly can. From classrooms to specialists to tutors, our Rangeview staff go above and beyond to help our students achieve their goals.

As a leadership team, we are so proud of the dedicated team of teachers assembled at the school and we want a say a huge THANK YOU for the continued efforts all of our staff put in every day - the work you do is so valued.

Feel free to say a quick 'thank you' to any teachers you cross paths with this Friday!

Oktoberfest

Tomorrow is the big day! Frau Lindner and the German team have planned a fun-filled day of activities and experiences for all of our students to participate in. I would like to thank them for the incredible time and dedication they have put in to plan this day. 

These whole school 'special event' days are so important on our Rangeview calendar each year, and add so much excitement to what a school can offer. They support student wellbeing and engagement deeply by providing wonderful additional extras to the regular teaching and learning programs - and Oktoberfest will be no different!

Our whole community is invited to come along to the assembly in the morning, before our students get stuck into the German fun throughout the rest of the day. 

You can read more about it on the German page later on in this newsletter!

Student Leadership @ Rangeview

I have been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work closely with our wonderful Year 6 student leaders across the whole year. The manner in which our leaders conduct themselves, and act as role models for our younger students, is outstanding. 

Our leaders bring so much more to the school than what is probably seen in the 'public eye', for example, running assemblies each week. They independently run programs within the school every single day, such as our Peer Mediators providing support to our Junior students in the yard, or all leaders contributing to the Just Get Sporty program. Our leaders create the Rangeview News every week for our assemblies, we seek out their opinions to help with decisions that affect the student body, and right now they are having a lot of fun being an active part of the Foundation transition sessions for our new, incoming 2023 students!

I am so proud of what I have seen from this group over the course of the year; and now we're at the stage of the year where we look to what 2023 will bring us in terms of student leadership! 

Last week, our Year 5 cohort participated in a full-day leadership incursion. They were involved in many different individual and group activities that aimed to boost their confidence, help them identify their own leadership skills and qualities, and find strength in voicing their own opinions, even if it meant presenting an opposing point of view to the 'norm'.

Now moving forward over the coming weeks, our Year 5s will be making some decisions about leadership opportunities for next year, and they will also write a speech outlining their ambitions! I am really excited to be part of this process and see our next wave of brilliant Rangeview student leaders make their mark!

Community Wellbeing 

Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS) has shared some information about local community health and wellbeing services and resources that may be useful to members of our school community. Please see below for further information.

Counselling/Therapy Supports

EACH Whitehorse Child, Youth & Family - EACH Whitehorse Child, Youth & Family | Whitehorse City Council

EACH (City of Whitehorse) Child, Youth and Family counselling team provide counselling support to children and young people (aged 0-25 years) who may be experiencing distress, or disconnection from family and community relationships. The team provides individual counselling, family counselling, parent/carer support, therapeutic groups, and community development activities.

PH: 1300 003 224

Steps Mental Health - Steps Mental Health | We go at your pace

Steps Mental Health offers a range of mental health services, including therapeutic counselling, peer support, mental health nursing, child and adolescent mental health services, and care coordination.  Locations include Box Hill, Doncaster and Ringwood.

PH: 1800 378 377 or 9810 3070

Body Image Resources

Butterfly Foundation - Support for Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues | Butterfly Foundation

Butterfly Foundation is the national charity for all Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, and for the families, friends and communities who support them.  Butterfly provides innovative, evidence-based support services, treatment and resources, delivering prevention and early intervention programs and advocating for the needs of our community.

They also work with schools to support and enhance existing wellbeing programs and to create environments that support body confidence in children and young people, offering presentations to staff, parents and students from Year 5 and up. For schools - Butterfly Foundation

Pretty Foundation - https://prettyfoundation.org/

A foundation that provides early education and prevention of negative body image by focussing on early childhood education and early primary years.

How Far Is Too Far? - How Far Is Too Far?

Increase understanding of the risk factors and warning signs related to eating, exercise and body image.

Feed Your Instinct - Feed Your Instinct – Relationships with food, weight or their body

Feed Your Instinct (FYI) is an interactive tool designed to support parents of children and young people experiencing different types of eating and/or body image problems.

Liam Sommers

Assistant Principal

Wellbeing and Engagement