Dear Families, Students and Community Members,

These chilly winter mornings and short days remind us we are well into the year of 2022. The commencement of Term Three this week also indicates the year is in full swing. At the beginning of the year we were hopeful that this year would be a breeze after our journey over the past years of remote learning and lockdowns. I thought the word 'pivot' was now history but have been reminded again and again of the need to be continually ready to adjust to the ongoing challenges for a school community of living in this current Covid World. Student and staff absences and cancelling of planned programs have unfortunately been an ongoing feature and challenge of the year. Mordialloc College, however, has again continued to go above and beyond to ensure we are able to meet the needs of students. As the flu season takes hold and summer is still well in the distance it is good to stop and remember the great things that are happening in our school community to ensure students feel happy, safe and connected at school.

A highlight for the Wellbeing Team supporting wellbeing across the College is the addition of two new members. We recently welcomed Harry Lee and Michael Barbas to the team. Michael and Harry are both qualified counsellors and bring a range of expertise and experience to address and support the increasing mental health needs at this time. We are very excited about the development of a new student wellbeing space being constructed by repurposing existing spaces to help address the increasing need to have the appropriate resources in place to respond to wellbeing needs. We look forward to relocating later in the term.

Secondary School Nurse Pamela Johnson will be facilitating interactive and informative sessions for all Year 8 classes over the coming weeks. The focus of these workshops are to increase awareness of gender, stereotypes and celebration of diversity. These workshops align well with the school's vision where all members of the school community are welcomed, accepted and treated equitably and with respect.

The Respect Group facilitated by Pamela continues to be an active weekly support group for students identifying as LGBTIQ+ and their allies. The Respect Group is currently busy planning events for Wear it Purple Day. This is an annual, national LGBTIQ+ awareness day especially for young people celebrating diversity. Rainbow was the colour of the day for another event recently led by the Respect Group. This event, at the end of last term, encouraged everyone to wear a touch of purple and purchase a Rainbow Cup Cake to celebrate diversity and respect.

If you visit Wellbeing on a Wednesday morning you’ll be in for a big surprise as more than 35 students from across the College gather in the small wellbeing space for brekkie group. This is a great time for students to gather, catch up and enjoy sharing brekkie together.

The theme for NAIDOC Week this year was Get Up! Stand up! Show Up! Melanie Raike, Mental Health Practitioner in our Wellbeing Team, and staff member Janneke Newsome have been planning and implementing a wide range of events for our Indigenous students and raising awareness of and celebrating indigenous culture with the school community. This week's assembly welcomed a digeridoo artist Ganga Giri who performed for students to great applause, again strengthening our school community to ensure all are welcomed, accepted and treated equally and free of discrimination.

We have been very fortunate to have Jennifer Conry, Mental Health Social Worker from external provider School Psychology Initiative, available (with the use of the Mental Health Care Plan) for students for counselling this year. Unfortunately, due to other commitments she will be finishing with us but we are hopeful of a replacement so this additional great resource of counselling can continue. We thank Jennifer for her valued time engaging the students with whom she worked.

So, among the ongoing challenges of the COVID times, it is wonderful to celebrate the great things that are happening across the College to support students to feel happy, safe and connected. If you would like to discuss further any of the programs offered to support student wellbeing please contact me via email: wellbeing@mc.vic.edu.au so we can arrange a time to chat about the range of supports available to ensure your child is feeling safe, happy and experiences a real sense of belonging at Mordialloc College.

Diane Douglas

Director of Wellbeing

Kingston Active New Aquatic Centre Development