Student and Family Wellbeing

WELLBEING TEAM & AVAILABILITY

Tanya Vella Student Wellbeing Manager: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri

Janan Allouche Adolescent Health Nurse: Mon, Tues

Beverley Hardi Chaplain: Tues, Wed, Fri

Jazmin Pursell Mental Health Practitioner: Thurs, Fri

Rhiannon Glasser Art Therapist: Thurs

Kadriye Kurt Multicultural Aid: Mon- Th

Anna Poci Education Support: Mon-Fri

Shashi Patt Education Support: Mon-Fri

The year has gone slow for some of us and fast for others. Spring is here, day light savings and slowly we see the return of students to the school. We are super-excited to be having students on site again.

We acknowledge that times have been extremely hard for some of you, please know we are here to support you. Support could be; having someone to speak to, a referral to an external agency, a food parcel or support filling in forms to request financial support. Please reach out to us. There is a well-being staff member at school everyday to provide support to students and families.

Returning to School.

We are aware, that for some students there is excitement about returning to school and others there is some anxiety. This round of remote learning has seen students away from the physical classroom for the longest period of time.

Here are some helpful hints for students to prepare to return to the classroom.

Sleep routines. Look at ensuring that you are going to bed before 10:30pm. You need at least 8 hours of sleep per night.
Start setting your alarm and waking up the time in the morning that you would normally awake for school
Ensure that you are eating well. 3 meals of the day and plenty of water
Catch up with school friends prior to coming back to school. Ensure that this interaction is Covid Safe
Exercise- get some fresh air. Stretch your legs
Set 1 to 2 goals for yourself for the rest of the year
Lessen your time online with social media
Reflect on the expectations of the school. What are the school’s values and expected behaviours?
Is your uniform ready and clean for you to wear?
Shower daily- keep up with your hygiene.
Get out of your pajamas or active wear

Year 12 Students

To our year 12 students,

We are extremely proud of you all. These past two years definitely haven't been the easiest for you. VCE and VCAL is hard enough let alone battling remote learning as well. You have shown resilience, determination and motivation. Head up high and be proud, because we are. Well done to you all.

Please know that if you feel as though you need some added support, ACU have on offer the MESS program.

School Fundraiser

Week Without Violence 18th to 24th October

‘Connect, Listen, Believe: Contribute to healthy, happy families in our communities’.

The Week Without Violence is a global campaign to end violence against women. Every year, community members and organisations in the northern metropolitan region of Melbourne participate in the Week Without Violence campaign to raise awareness about family violence.

Together we can end family violence.

Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected.

Connect, listen, and believe people who talk about their experience of family violence.

If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, help is available. Contact Safe Steps 24/7 on 1800 015 188. Call 000 if you are in immediate danger.

Mental Health Week

In November the school will be dedicating a week to:

-provide information to students and families in relation to mental health

-develop strategies to assist in our mental health being healthy.

-Understand and identify changes in another person that may indicate that they are not going okay.

-Reach out to services when further support is required.

State School Relief

State School Relief provides financial relief for those families who are in need of some added support. Support can come in the form of school uniform, stationary, text books, school shoes, laptops ( at times) , MYKI and basic clothing.

If you need assistance in this area please make contact with Tanya or Kadriye

School Uniforms

Do you have any JFC uniform that no longer fits you or are you are year 12 student that has finished up at JFC? Why not donate the uniform to JFC?

We are looking for any second hand uniform that is in good condition so we can pass onto other students.

Please wash any pieces of the uniform that you would like to donate and drop it off at the school front office or the wellbeing office.

What's New

Rhiannon Glasser: Art Therapist.

We officially welcome Rhiannon to the wellbeing team for term 4. Rhiannon has been volunteering at the school all year and this term the school have committed to employing Rhiannon 1 day a week. Rhiannon will continue to provide support to the students that she has already been seeing.

DKM Psychology.

A partnership has been developed with DKM Psychology. This means we will have a psychologist on site 1 day a fortnight to provide therapy to students. If you believe that your child could benefit from therapy support please contact Tanya ( either by calling the school or email tanya.vella@education.vic.gov.au) to make a referral.

Sessions are for free with a mental health plan from your GP.

Community based counselling

Given the current circumstances there are a number of universities that are providing either free or very low cost counselling. Please see below opportunities for support within the community. If you need any support accessing these services please let a member of the well-being team know.

Take care

Tanya Vella- Student Wellbeing Manager

Mental Health Practitioner Update

Hello JFC families,

During the pandemic and continued lockdown in Victoria, there are a lot of demands placed upon you as parents/carers of school aged children (and sometimes too, non-school aged children). It is important that you also leave some space to be able to take care of yourself and it is hard for us to be able to take care of others if we are not prioritizing taking care of ourselves first.

If you are wanting some ideas of how you might be able to spend some time taking care of yourselves, please read on.

Here are some tips that you might find useful.

Stay active. If you enjoy yoga, there is a popular yoga channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene
Be mindful. Mindfulness can be a good way to refocus your worries about the uncertainty of the current pandemic. There are a lot of mindfulness apps and resources which you can find using a quick internet search.
Stay connected with family and friends virtually. Can you organise a video chat with your loved ones?
News break. Taking a break from watching the news for even one day may be helpful in reducing the stress levels you feel at this already very difficult time.
Peer support. There are online forums where parents/carers can link in with each other, providing another level of support. This can be helpful in meeting other parents/carers who may have a shared experience or difficulty to you.

Reach Out have a parent discussion form at https://forums.parents.au.reachout.com/

SANE Australia also have a forum for parents/carers. SANE Forums are a safe place to share your experience of caring for someone living with complex mental health issues.

https://saneforums.org/t5/Friends-Family-Carers-Forum/ct-p/carers-forum

Here is the full resource for the 10 tips for taking care of yourselves during COVID

https://au.reachout.com/articles/10-ways-to-take-care-of-yourself-during-coronavirus

List of services that you can reach out for support.

https://www.ruok.org.au/findhelp

I wish you all a safe week ahead and please take care of yourselves.

Jazmin Pursell

Mental Health Practitioner

(Thursdays and Fridays)

Multicultural Support Worker Update

Dear JFC Community,

Regrettably, the terrible news continues to arrive. As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.

At John Fawkner College, we have pledged to assist any of our families who have been affected by the events in Afghanistan.

We are eager to assist our students and their families with our resources and offer counselling. We are here to strengthen each other during this period.

Dealing with day-to-day life has become extremely tough for all of us as a result of the lockdowns. (I've lost track of how many lockdowns we've had so far.) It’s difficult enough to be concerned about family, relatives, and loved ones in Afghanistan. Not being able to show them any assistance or support.

And I'm sure this is making things much more difficult.

We just want you to know that you can reach out to the well-being staff if necessary. Let's work together to get through this.

Also, to our Lebanese-Australian families.

We'd like to reach out to you as well.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

We're here to help and may be able to refer you to organisations that can help you further.

Kadriye Kurt

Multicultural Education Aid.

School Chaplain Update

Dear School community,

What a changing season we are in…One day the weather is bright, sunny and full of life and the next it is cold, rainy and gloomy in sight! Melbourne’s weather is similar to what we are experiencing now, grappling with the uncertainty andmotivation of the day and the newness of what tomorrow will say.

We are all facing life’s ‘new normal’ and what that looks and feels like in an ever-changing way. Lock down 6.0 has brought about different opinions & feelings for everyone! Our views can get messy and our actions sluggish…

What lifts us throughout our days?

There is one simple step that will keep our heart smiling and emotional state lifted. The ongoing contact and communication with others are an essential key to lifting a bad mood or healing a sad way!

A small chat with a friend, parent, neighbour or sibling can make a big difference! Sometimes it is hard to think of what to say or how to respond to others.

I have attached an easy to follow chat tool that will help you with everyday conversation and easy to do activities that will support you and the people in your life.

“The easy-to-use tips and resources below have been developed by mental health clinicians to help build your confidence and capability to support a friend or loved one who may be experiencing distress or a mental health challenge today from head to health.”

https://www.headtohealth.gov.au/covid-19-support/chatstarter

I leave you with…

One good conversation can shift the direction of change forever… Linda Lambert, meetville.com

Beverley Hardi

(School Chaplain)

Useful Information

Parent Workshops

Making Healthy Food Choices Fact Sheet

A well-balanced diet will optimise your energy levels and decrease your chances of developing heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. It will also strengthen your immune system, help you think more clearly and handle stress better.

A balanced diet is one where you eat a wide variety of food in moderation. No food is off-limits – it’s just a question of how often you eat it and how much of it you eat.

Here are a few tips on how to approach eating well:

If you want to create changes, make it a gradual process.
Start with achievable goals, like adding veggies to a meal.
Experiment with various healthy foods and see which ones you like.
Drink water- Water makes up to 60% of our body, so when you feel thirsty, your best choice is water. Soft drinks, energy drinks and juices are an occasional treat.
Allow yourself occasional treats. You’re more likely to stick with eating well if you don’t feel deprived.

What can I do now?

Have a look at the Healthy Eating chart, and identify what you can change.
Remember that no food is off-limits but that moderation is key.
The World Health Organization makes a strong recommendation that we reduce sugar intake to less than 10% of our total daily calories. This means less than ten teaspoons of sugar per day.
If you’re finding it difficult to make changes, talk to your GP, who can guide you in the right direction.
For a well balanced lunch please seeHealthy lunchboxes | Healthy Eating Advisory Service