Community Wellbeing
Immersing ourselves in The Resilience Project
The Resilience Project is committed to teaching positive mental health strategies to prevent mental ill-health and build young people’s capacity to deal with adversity. We are implementing their evidence-based Teaching and Learning Program throughout our college community. Learning Mentors and students engage in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM) and Emotional Literacy to build resilience.
We invite and encourage all of our community to sign up for The Resilience Project community presentation on March 29. Martin Heppell will be presenting to the community the principles to build positive mental wellness.
St Anne’s students will participate in face-to-face presentations through the school day on March 27, 28 and 30. This is such a positive opportunity for our children and young people. Further details are available on the PAM calendar.
Check out these great resources, that can support you to bring The Resilience Project principles into your home:
- Kate McGrath, Deputy Principal Community Wellbeing
Assistance needed for Harmony Week cultural clothing display
Our college community is looking forward to celebrating Harmony Week from March 20-25 and we are seeking assistance to create a cultural clothing display as part of our festivities. Harmony Week is a national celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
This year's theme is 'Everyone Belongs', and as a part of Harmony Week celebrations, we would love to have a cultural clothing showcase at the college as a provocation to evoke wonder and exploration about the significance and value of cultural clothing.
Those willing to donate a piece of culturally significant clothing for the duration of Harmony Week to be part of the St Anne's Cultural Clothing Exhibition, please email your details to our Branding and Logistics Coordinator Tara McGrath-Cathie at tmcgrath@sackialla.catholic.edu.au by Thursday, March 16.
We would ask that, along with the clothing items, a written outline of the names of the pieces and their significance please be provided. Clothing items will be returned to their owners after the exhibition. Clearly naming items will greatly assist this process.
- Kate McGrath, Deputy Principal Community Wellbeing
Financial and mental health support for people affected by floods
People affected by the recent floods and those experiencing financial hardship can visit the dedicated 2022 Victorian Floods Recovery page to see what support they are eligible for. Anyone in Victoria can call the Flood Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760 for help with:
- navigating available supports
- clean-up
- temporary accommodation
- mental health and wellbeing support
The recovery hotline is open from 7.30am-7.30pm every day. Press 9 for an interpreter. Detailed fact sheets are available in a range of languages. Life in Mind has also put together a directory of mental health supports and information for young people impacted by floods.
- Kate McGrath, Deputy Principal Community Wellbeing
Every Day Counts!
Did you know, students who attend school regularly are more likely to have higher paying jobs when they leave school and overall better health?
A day here or there doesn’t seem that much, but each day adds up. If a child misses two days a month, that can equal up to four weeks across the year. This equates to one year of lost learning across a child’s school journey from Foundation to Y12! Every day counts.
Attendance is an important contributor to a student’s academic achievement and social engagement. When children miss days of school it can make it harder for them to catch up. They might fall behind and it impacts the ability to make important social connections and build relationships with their peers. This can attribute to increased feelings of anxiety and attribute to mental health problems later in life.
Parents play an important role in helping children develop healthy attendance patterns.
Parents can implement consistent morning routines at home and help their child to develop healthy sleeping patterns by minimising and setting boundaries around technology of a night time and setting up expected bed times. Where possible, making appointments outside of school hours and taking holidays in the school holiday periods can also decrease your child’s rate of absenteeism.
There are few acceptable reasons why a child should be absent from school, however if your child is unwell, there is a bereavement or a religious reason, please contact the college to notify of your child’s absence by calling the administration office on (03) 4812 2993 or by logging a parent notified absence on PAM.
If your child is showing signs of school refusal, please make contact with your child’s Pastoral Group Leader to make a time to meet to discuss how we can work together to support your child to have success.
Set your child up for a bright future - every minute of every day counts.
- Kate McGrath, Deputy Principal Community Wellbeing