Jeremy Mackinnon

Assistant Principal

Dear Parents,

We are pleased to announce that this year we will be delivering the Open Parachute Mental Health Program to our students through our Mentor Program. 

This program addresses issues of stigma surrounding mental health in young people, encourages help-seeking, and creates a culture of mutual support and respect for any struggles that students may face. 

This program was developed by Dr Hayley Watson, an adolescent clinical psychologist who has been developing programs globally for the past 15 years. There are audio and video-based resources to provide you, as a parent, with practical tools for supporting the well-being of your child at all stages of their life. We will be sending you links to access these resources as your child progresses through the program. 

Here is a message from the founder of Open Parachute, Dr Watson:

I am so pleased that your child is taking part in this program. I developed this resource because I want every child to learn practical mental health skills, so they can live life to their fullest potential. This program aims to build a strong foundation of resilience so that your child can learn to trust in their own abilities, relate to their own feelings in a healthy way, and change any unhelpful patterns that may hold them back at any point in their lives. It is normal for your children to have feelings stirred up throughout the course of this program, because we are intentionally providing a space where they can address challenging issues in a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment. 

These conversations can also continue at home if you and your child would like to explore these topics further – the video-based resources for parents can help guide these discussions. We look forward to working with you to support the well-being of your child!

Jeremy Mackinnon

Assistant Principal