Eltham High School Community News

Student Welbeing

Help Wanted: Looking for Volunteers and Garden Landscape Designers 

Eltham High School’s student-led Environmental Team and the Wellbeing Team are seeking the services of a landscape designer (maybe a parent, friend or relative?) who is willing to volunteer to help draft design concepts as well as assist in the planning schedule and establishment of a Wellbeing Sensory Garden at Eltham High School.  

 

The Wellbeing Sensory Garden will be an outdoor, functional learning and therapeutic space that will be used to support the needs of our many students who may benefit from having a safe, calming, quiet and environmentally inclusive learning space. Utilising the vacant openair area outside Student Services (the old entrance to the school), and incorporating spaced seating, sensory structures, natural elements and plants, the garden aims to provide a calm area for students to activate their senses to help regulate feelings and emotions. This would improve our capacity to provide support for our diverse student population, and help support our students’ learning and educational experience at the school.  

 

The Sensory Garden supports the Enviro Team’s aims to improve the environmental practices at Eltham High School, while also supporting anyone who may use the space. 

 

It would be much appreciated if any parents, local designers, or fellow garden lovers would be willing to donate their time, technical expertise, skills, passion and knowledge to support the planning, development and establishment of this Wellbeing Sensory Garden. 

Please contact Lauren McNally at mna@elthamhs.vic.edu.au or 9430 1155 

School Breakfast Program

The EHS Breakfast Club operates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Room 413 from 8:15 until 8:45am. 

We know that all students function better throughout the day if they start with a healthy breakfast.

 

This is open to all students and no bookings are required. Simply walk in! There is a standard menu of cereals, fruit cups and toast provided plus snacks and lunch items which can be collected for later.

 

The Victorian Schools Breakfast program supplies most of the produce. 

There is NO charge for the students for breakfast. 

Family Breakfast Hampers Available

In addition to the Breakfast Club Program, ‘Food Share Victoria’, provides us with Family Breakfast Hampers available upon request. 

 

If interested please contact:   reception@elthamhs.vic.edu.au

LYN DAVIS, Student Support

 

Healthy Masculinity (Parent session) 

BNYSN are proud to bring you the Mancave in this 60mins interactive presentation designed to provide practical insights and tools to parents of young men. Parents attending this session will walk away with:

 

·        An understanding of how rigid masculinity impacts the mental health of their sons

·        Insights into the experiences and challenges young men are currently facing

·        Practical tools and mindsets they can use to better engage their sons at home

 

This is a FREE event Tuesday 15 August 7pm-8pm Zoom (link to be sent after registration) 

The session will be occurring on zoom but unfortunately we won’t have a recording to view later.

 

Bookings essential https://BNYSNmancave.eventbrite.com.au 

 

For more information contact Jess Sayers 94579983 jessica.sayers@banyule.vic.gov.au

 

Understanding Anxiety at School

School based anxiety can be depicted as a young person’s inability to tolerate their school environment.  Why is this topic imperative to explore?  Because it can impact academic performance, behavioural problems, and overall health.  This is because there is an interconnection with academic performance and personal-emotional adaptation.  

 

First, it is important to understand the variables involved in school-based anxiety symptoms to prevent young people’s psychological problems and improve their overall wellbeing.  These include cognitive, motivational, psycho-social, physical, and communicative components of high school life.  The results from a recent study by Shamionov et al., (2021) discovered that from 16-53% of the variables are due to a student’s ability to self-reflect, regulate their emotions, cognitive capabilities, and a desire to learn.

 

This next part will explore how you as a parent can improve your young person’s adjustment to their school environment to improve their overall wellbeing and academic outcomes.  

  • Begin by decreasing the tension surrounding their feelings about high school.  This can be achieved by supporting your young person to articulate their feelings and needs.  This will enhance their self-regulating capabilities and decrease the intensity of the emotion. 
  • Pinpoint the moment(s) of distress.  When and why do the feelings arise? It is before or after school, is it during a break time, it is due to a lack of social connections.  This type of exploration is required to enhance an individual’s resilience and improve their ability to navigate unsatisfying moments.  
  • Provide support in the planning of their school day and reflect on educational activities as a family. 

If symptoms persist, we request you reach out to a Coordinator or a member of the Student Services team for further support. 

 

Reference: Shamionov, R. M., Grigoryeva, M. V., Sozonnik, A. V., & Grinina, E. S. (2021). The Role of Junior Adolescents’ School Well-Being/Ill-Being Characteristics in School Anxiety Variations. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 11(3), 878–893. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe11030065 ​

 

Free Travel Pass for Vulnerable Students

Apply for public transport travel passes for students experiencing crisis. 

 

The Department of Transport and Planning’s Travel Pass program provides 30-day travel passes to schools at no cost.

Schools may issue travel passes to students experiencing a crisis, such as family violence or sudden financial hardship, and are at risk of disengaging from education to ensure they can continue to travel to school by public transport.

 

Students’ eligibility will be determined through a case-by-case assessment by the school.

 

For government schools, this program is facilitated by State Schools’ Relief.

 

Travel Passes

The Travel Pass program provides 30-day travel passes free of charge to students in crisis attending primary, secondary, English language and specialist schools.

 

Travel passes can be used on:

  • Bus, train and tram trips in metropolitan Melbourne (Zone 1 and 2)
  • All regional town buses
  • Public Transport Victoria inter-town buses
  • V/Line coaches
  • V/Line trains. 

How to apply

Government schools can apply on behalf of students through their State Schools’ Relief online portal.

State Schools’ Relief will distribute the passes to government schools through this online portal.

MADELINE KAMAMIS, Student Services Leader