LORETO NEWS

Sowing the SEADs of Success

From the Assistant Principal

Engaging Community - Parent Seminar with Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

 

Earlier this week, we were treated with the wonderful and very experienced Clinical Psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg for a parent seminar. Michael shared with us the current snapshot of where our young people are from a mental health point of view following the impact of Covid and how we can best support them. 

 

It was clear from data that our young are experiencing a higher level of distress than they were in 2019, indicated by an increase of 40 % in the number of young people presenting with mental health concerns to the emergency departments of our hospitals. 

Michael’s definition of a mental illness is a major change in thoughts, feelings and behaviour which causes disruption to day to day functioning and doesn’t go away as quickly as it should. 

 

Michael talked about the protective factors for mental illness including; 

  • Parent connectedness 
  • Connections to other non-parental adults 
  • School safety
  • Closeness to caring friends
  • Neighbourhood safety
  • Awareness and access to local health services 
  • Academic achievement

Adding to this, to be able to keep the balance of sleep, exercise and nutrition is also imperative for our young people. Young people still need our help with this to ensure they are provided with the right environment for adequate sleep, exercise and nutrition. 

Michael also spoke about the research to suggest that adolescences was usually through to go from 13 to 19, but can now be thought of as going from ages 10 to 24 years at which time our young people are gaining financial independence. This has implications for the level of support we need to provide as both parents and a school to our girls from the age of 10. 

 

He also gave some excellent recommendations for websites and support if you can’t seek psychological support immediately including the Brave program for anxiety and moodgym.com for depression. We are very fortunate at Loreto to have a school psychologist, Monica Bignold who work with girls in distress. In addition, our key wellbeing staff member attended a two day course with Dr Michael Carr Gregg on Youth Mental Health First Aid to further assist with recognising and supporting mental health concerns at Loreto. 

 

Interesting to note, Michael named and founded Canteen 30 years ago with a group of young cancer patients following writing his PhD on Adolescents with Cancer at the University of NSW. He is also the founder of School TV which we refer to quite often as an excellent parent resource and he has written 14 books for parents, young people and educators. 

 

Here are some useful links from Michael’s talk; 

Our final parent seminar in the series of three is on September 8 with Madonna King. Ticket information will be distributed early next term. 

Anna Partridge

Assistant Principal Wellbeing and Engagement

Building Resilience Post Pandemic

The mental health of young people has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. As many families settle back into pre-COVID routines, there seems to be a pervasive sense of optimism about what lies ahead.

 

What kids need most in the current environment is support, understanding, empathy and encouragement from caring adults. They live up or down to the expectations we set for them.

 

If there is a panacea to the adversity caused by the pandemic, then it is the building of resilience. Resilience is the capacity to face, overcome, be strengthened, and transformed by adversity. Never before, have parents needed the skills, the knowledge and the strategies to build resilience in their children as much as they do now. There are 7 integral and interrelated components that make up being resilient that can help young people thrive and develop healthy coping strategies.

 

This Special Report explores the “7 Cs of Resilience” and includes suggested strategies on how adult carers can best facilitate them.

 

Here is the link to the special report.

 

If you have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact your daughter’s ELC Educator, Classroom Teacher, or Head of Junior School and Early Learning Centre, or the relevant Leader of Student Wellbeing and Academic Care, or Mentor/Subject Teacher in the Senior School. You also are encouraged to seek medical or professional help.

 

Monica Bignold

College Psychologist R-12

Year 7 and 8 SEAD

As part of the SEAD Program, on Monday 27 June, Brainstorm Productions will be presenting their student wellbeing performance ‘The Hurting Game’ to Years 7 and 8 students. ‘The Hurting Game’ is a live theatre experience that explores the skills we need to cope with life’s challenges and build meaningful connections. The performance highlights the games we play to give ourselves a false sense of power and belonging, which can lead to anxiety, loneliness and disconnection. It challenges students to think about how they treat themselves and others, both online and offline, and provides strategies for breaking unhealthy behaviour patterns. Issues such as (cyber)bullying, mental health and body image are unpacked in the post-performance Q&A and help-seeking information is provided.

 

‘The Hurting Game’ has been developed by education and mental health professionals. This engaging theatrical experience uses humour, relatable characters and real student experiences to spark conversations about friendships, online behaviour, resilience and mental health. If you would like to know more about Brainstorm Productions, you can visit brainstormproductions.edu.au.

 

Ms Lydia Baccanello

Leader of Student Wellbeing and Academic Care (Years 7/8)

Recognising Outstanding Teachers at Loreto College - Highly Accomplished Teacher Certification

On Friday 3 June 2022, three Loreto College teachers, Fiona Griffiths, Melanie McCabe and Andrew Baker, were acknowledged at the Highly Accomplished Lead Teacher (HALT) Ceremony held at the Adelaide Convention Centre. These teachers were presented and recognised for demonstrating excellence in the classroom and leadership in teaching and learning by the South Australian Minister of Education, Blair Boyer. 

 

Over the past 18 months, the teachers have been working towards achieving national certification to be recognised as a Highly Accomplished Teachers. Supported by the national body, AITSL (Australian Institute for Teaching and Learning Leadership) there are currently 1200 HALTs across Australia who are recognised for driving high student outcomes in both learning and wellbeing as well as facilitating collaboration in schools. 

The process is both rigorous and rewarding and allows teachers to reflect on their practice against the teaching standards that range from Graduate to Lead. Throughout this process teachers are required to provide evidence of how their practice addresses the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at a Highly Accomplished level. The portfolio of evidence addresses seven domains of teaching and learning and included detailed annotations reflecting how practice improved student learning and impacted positively on colleagues. Additionally, certification required lessons to be observed by an external assessor who provided detailed feedback about their teaching.

 

REFLECTION OF HALT JOURNEY

Throughout the HALT certification journey I learnt a great deal about myself as an educator. The most rewarding part of the process was taking the time to consider and articulate the impact my work has on my students and colleagues. It was a great opportunity to reflect and obtain feedback on my teaching practice. It was a wonderful professional learning experience. – Fiona Griffiths

 

Undertaking the HALT Certification Journey has been an opportunity to look back on my teaching practice and identify my areas of growth over the years. It has been beneficial to think deeper about each action taken as a teacher and what impact this causes on both colleagues and students. The HALT Journey has been a wonderful reminder of various aspects I have achieved throughout my teaching career to date and has given me the motivation to continue growing in my craft. – Melanie McCabe

 

The HALT certification journey provided me with a great opportunity to reflect upon and develop my teaching practice. It provided me with a platform which enabled me to identify areas of growth from within the teaching standards. This process encouraged me to take more risks and implement a range of fresh ideas in my teaching. It was a rewarding experience which has positively impacted my pedagogy.  – Andrew Baker.

 

The process of gaining the National Certification of HALT is important as it allows our teachers to continue to grow and develop as educators and also demonstrates the high calibre of teachers at Loreto. The purpose of this recognition is to: 

  • Recognise and promote quality teaching 
  • To provide an opportunity for teachers to reflect on their practice 
  • To provide a reliable indication of quality teaching that can be used to identify, recognise and/or reward Highly Accomplished and Lead teachers

To lead the process, our Assistant Principal Wellbeing and Engagement, Anna Partridge gained her HALT in 2018 and is also a Nationally accredited HALT Assessor. We have another four teachers undergoing the process at Loreto College, working towards also gaining their HALT Certification in 2022/23.  

Pink Day

The pinkest day of the year arrived today! This whole school event is a day of excitement, plenty of pink clothing, and a time of reflection to raise awareness of Breast Cancer Research. Many in our community have been touched by breast cancer with close family members and friends, and this is our chance to contribute much needed funds to research.

 

Everyday 50 Australian women hear the words 'you have cancer'. The risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer by age 85 is 1 in 8 for women and 1 in 721 for men.

 

The students enjoyed pink donuts at recess along with writing beautiful affirmations at lunch and a sausage sizzle. Breast Cancer Researcher, Sarah Boyle, spoke to the Senior Students at Assembly, going into detail on what goes on behind the scenes of medical research, whilst the Junior Students enjoyed their Pink Day Assembly. All proceeds today go towards breast cancer research.

Happy Pink Day!