Principal's Report

Dear families,

There has been an increased focus on the mental health and wellbeing of students during the COVID period. One in four young people in Australia experience mental health difficulties and 70 percent of those don’t seek help. These experiences of mental health impact students’ wellbeing and engagement at school, with teachers playing a critical role in helping students to recognise the need to seek help and access support. 

Equally critical are activities in school environments to support students’ wellbeing and build their resilience, ensuring they have the skills to handle whatever life throws at them, including mental health issues. We have all heard about the importance of building resilience in our students. Resilience is often considered a characteristic of people who are professionally successful or have things ‘all figured out’. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. It is a necessary skill for coping with life’s inevitable obstacles and one of the key ingredients to success. Learning to bounce back and to bounce forward. Examples of challenges some young people may face where resiliency skills are essential: physical illness, change of school, transitioning from primary school to high school, change in family make up (divorce, break up), change of friendship group, conflict with peers, conflict with family. Resilient people are comfortable in talking about and expressing a range of emotions.

Students experience a tremendous amount of physical and mental growth on a daily basis. Between school, co-curricular activities, work and their social life, teens face lots of new experiences and challenges. Being resilient gives them the ability to tackle these head-on, bounce back from any setbacks and have the best chance at succeeding. It allows them to learn and grow in all situations – two skills that are crucial to wellbeing and development. Resilience will also help them to approach new situations, people or experiences with confidence and a positive mindset, which will make them more likely to succeed.

We are all innately resilient, but fear, insecurity and doubt can take over in moments of stress or anxiety. These responses can affect our ability to draw on our resilience just when we need it most. Luckily, there are a few ways we can encourage and build resilience in children.

1. Create safe and supportive environments

Focus on developing an environment where everybody feels safe and supported. Encourage them to try new things, and emphasise the growth and learning opportunities they are presented with when they fail or make a mistake. Being able to learn from mistakes and challenges in a place where they feel supported and encouraged will build their confidence, self-belief and resilience.

2. Celebrate progress, not just success

When it comes to building resilience, it really is all about the journey and not just the destination! When we only celebrate the wins, we instil a belief that the only thing that matters is success. In order to build a positive mindset and a willingness to grow, it’s important to focus on progress and not just success. This can be done through providing open feedback that focuses on effort rather than the outcome. Celebrate every time they overcome a hurdle along the way and move closer to achieving their goal. This could focus on something academic or relate to an area a student finds challenging. You can help them to celebrate the small milestones along the way.

3. Provide opportunities for goal setting and reflection

Building resilience is all about maintaining a positive mindset, a willingness to grow and an ability to learn from setbacks. Setting goals and making time for reflection have been shown to help maintain focus and create momentum in times of growth and change. Breaking down situations, issues or even assessments into smaller, less intimidating chunks can make it easier for our children to stay in a positive mindset so that they are less likely to be deterred by setbacks. Creating environments where they feel confident to discuss what they want to achieve and their strategies for doing it is important in helping them to build resilience.

4. Develop a sense of belonging within the school community

Research shows that a great way to build resilience in young people is to help them feel a part of something bigger than themselves. When teens feel that what they do or contribute matters on a larger scale, they are more likely to push through setbacks and to remain optimistic about the outcome. Encourage your children to engage with the school and community beyond their social groups by volunteering at events, mentoring younger students or participating in whole-school events. 

Schools play a significant role in supporting the wellbeing and mental health of their students. As our communities continue to experience the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting students' wellbeing and mental health is critical. To ensure schools are well-placed to support all students, the Queensland Government has made a $106.7 million investment over 3 years in a Student Wellbeing Package. I am very pleased to inform our community that our school will be provided with a 1 day a fortnight Psychologist from next term onwards. The key priority of the psychologist is working at a whole school level through a preventative lens. Preventative programs such as ‘water and rock’, zones of regulation and working with staff on trauma informed practice will be her guiding work. 

Please support each other and our students in building resilience.

Kind regards,

Dehlia