Student Wellbeing

Coping with Stress and Anxiety

• Know the facts – don’t buy in to conspiracy theories and read unreliable resources.
• Limit social media use as this can overwhelm; due to the hype around the virus.
• Increase self-care and ensure time outside in nature – even your back yard or balcony. Take a few deep breaths and try to relax.
• If you are anxious about the virus, that is understandable but focus on what you can control which is keeping yourself clean and having perspective​.
• Be thankful for what you do have and help your friends to be positive.
• Keep calm and speak to a trusted friend/adult/ peer if you are feeling anxious.
• Keep your routine as much as possible.
• Stay connected with friends and family

Online counselling services

Below is a link to online/phone support services for all of our community to use:

 https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/mental-health/mental-health-services/support-and-intervention/telephone-and-online-services 

Partial source: The University of Melbourne

Rock and Water

"The Rock and Water Program aims to apply a physical/social approach to assist boys and girls in their development to adulthood by increasing their self-realisation, self-

confidence, self-respect, boundary awareness, self-awareness and intuition. A specific goal for the course is teaching boys and girls to deal with power, strength and powerlessness."

The program is aimed at decreasing bullying, increasing student ability to self-regulate emotions and to walk away from situations that might potentially lead to conflict. Studies of schools nationally and internationally show that the program has the capacity to enhance the following:

• Belief in own ability to cope
• Sense of control
• Individual disposition
• Support, belonging and role models
• Easy temperament
• Sense of personal efficacy
• Ability to learn from mistakes
• A caring and positive school environment
• Capacity to self-monitor
• Sense of purpose or mission in life

Based in martial arts techniques the program focuses on the following teaching: 

1. Grounding, centering and focusing: learning how to stand firm and relaxed.
2. Body-awareness: learning about emotional awareness – self-awareness.
3. Communication: learning that physical forms of communication as a basis for the development of other, more verbally oriented, forms of communication.
4. The Rock and Water concept: the tough, immovable rock attitude versus the mobile, communicative water attitude.

The program will be taught by our own trained teachers - Denholm Pickering, Adam Paterson and supported by education support staff member Brendan Dower

http://www.positiveschools.com.au

Meet the Team

Simone Garraway - PSD Coordinator

Working days: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 9-12 Friday 

Simone oversees learning support for students identified with having a disability (PSD). She manages applications and works with families to apply for funding for a diagnosed disability. Simone works closely with student managers and families to ensure that each student has a relevant and up-to-date Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Simone also assists student managers to write Student Learning Profiles (SLP) for students who have not qualified for PSD disability funding but who have identified additional learning needs. Simone works with classroom teachers to make adjustments to ALTs and classroom work where it is required.

Gulzabeen Mohammed – Mental Health Practitioner

 Working days: Monday to Thursday

Gulzabeen is the College’s mental health practitioner. A trained psychologist, her focus is primarily on developing a whole-school approach to positive mental health and wellbeing. Gulzabeen works with the student wellbeing coordinators (SWC) to coordinate the support of students with more complex needs and to provide early intervention strategies and referral processes for students. Gulzabeen also supports teachers and parents/carers by providing professional development in areas of need relating to youth mental health and wellbeing. 

Suzanne Trease – Assistant Principal of Wellbeing and Engagement

Working Days: Monday-Friday 

Assistant Principal Suzanne Trease works across both campuses to support the wellbeing team, campus principals and student managers. Her role is to work with students in priority cohorts and with those most at risk of disengaging from learning. 

Isabella Farrar – Wellbeing Coordinator (10-12) Working days: Monday-Friday 

Isabella works with students at the 10-12 campus providing early intervention and support through counselling and proactive, group based short programs. Isabella works within the student management team at 10-12 to identify students at risk and to provide local support or to refer students on to specialist providers. 

Bre Gerritsen – Wellbeing Coordinator (7-9)

Working days: Monday-Friday 

Bre works with students at the 7-9 campus providing early intervention and support through counselling and proactive, group based short programs. Bre works within the student management team at 7-9 to identify students at risk and to provide local support or to refer students on to specialist providers.