Wellbeing
& Engagement
New WELS centre
Term 4 has seen our latest student support initiative Launch as part of KKHS’ commitment to support and include all students. Our WELs centre has opened in our school Library. WELS stands for Wellbeing, Engagement, Learning and Support. It is here students can access wellbeing and support staff throughout the school day if they are needing assistance with wellbeing or learning issues. Our wellbeing staff are all located in this space as an easy location for students to access the support they require at any given time.
Wellbeing programs in 2023 will be held in this space as well as hosting our external services who work with our students in counselling and mentoring programmes. This term we have been fortunate to have lunch time activities run by Sharni from CYCOS (Tuesdays) and Megan from Kurri Library (Wednesdays). We also have Michelle Bailey from The Centre @Kurri, who has been a great friend to the school running youth mentoring and family counselling services in this space for the past year.
We look forward to sharing all the WELs initiatives throughout 2023 and beyond and our team has been very busy this term with the following programs being offered in Term 4.
Project Rockit Program
On Wednesday the 9th of November we had the Project Rockit team travel up to visit to deliver a wellbeing program called Project Rockit - CONNECT: Using tech as a tool for good.
The session was about exploring the positive potential of technology, upskilling students with online skills to build connected communities, support wellbeing and navigate harmful experiences.
Learning outcomes included:
• Students explored actions to support their mental health online, including healthy relationships, mindful consumption, critical thinking, help-seeking behaviours
• Students are able to grow empathy for those targeted by online hate and skills to support peers through tough times.
• Students are better equipped with strategies to navigate harmful online experiences including image-based abuse, deceptive.
Support sites explored during the program included:
https://www.esafety.gov.au to report any forms of Cyberbullying or harassment
For seeking support or advice on how to support others:
If you wish to find out more about Project Rockit please visit their website:
Stage 4 Headspace Information Sessions
This Term Stage 4 students were also introduced to Aidan Jurd, the Community Awareness and Engagement officer for Headspace Maitland and Headspace Cessnock. Headspace Maitland and headspace Cessnock provide support and access to young people aged 12-25 in relation to mental health, physical and sexual health, alcohol and other drug services, GP referral, family issues, LGBTIQA+ as well as education and employment support.
Aiden spoke to our students about how to access their services, general mental health, stress, and bullying.
Currently Headspace have Centres:
headspace Maitland we are running TGIF Fridays social group every Friday during the school term 4-5pm. As well as All 4 One our LGBTQIA+ social group the last Wednesday of each month 4-5pm.
headspace Cessnock we are running Throwback Thursdays social group every Thursday during the school term 4-5pm. As well as CONNECT our LGBTQIA+ social group the second last Tuesday of each month 4-5pm.
Both Centres also have a Youth Reference Group (YRG) of young people interested in mental health and helping other young people, that are involved in how our centre is run, which staff we hire and design and run events. I have attached the flyers for these social groups, the youth reference group and our monthly what’s on poster.
Career and Transition Mentor Program
This term KKHS have been blessed to welcome Aimie Vince from The Centre @Kurri to run a once-a-week mentoring program for our Yr9 and 10 students who are seeking to transition into full time work soon.
Aimie is working with targeted students in weekly 1-hour sessions to engage in group teamwork and gain skills to focus on their short- and long-term career gaols.
Students are given the opportunity have insight of the importance of attending school with the skills and abilities they have gained and what may be required for their potential employment prospects.
Activities this group has been covering include;
- Group rules and establishing the importance of rules within workplace
- Resume / cover letter writing (“Resume builder” applications on websites)
- Mock Interview Skills
- What to wear and what not to wear games
- Skills, Abilities, and qualifications
- How to look for work, ie job websites such as Seek, Indeed, local papers, face to face canvassing in handing out resumes to local business
- Career, Bullseye charts (Students to be aware of skills they have gained at school from subjects)
- Alternative tertiary options, such as TAFE, Apprenticeships and Discussions on fulltime, part time, casual and benefits.
Feel Good Fridays
Every Friday this Term students have been encouraged to wear fun socks and each faculty have been running a feel-good activity within the school at Lunch 1 to finish the working week on a light and celebratory note, with a focus on Fun and inclusion and to complement the Amazing Lunch 2 Touch Footy tournaments.
Big thanks to all of our staff and students for getting involved it has certainly ended our weeks on a high.
Drumbeat Program
Ms Da Silva and Ms Bailey have recently been trained in Rhythm 2Recovery which is a social and emotional program that uses percussion instruments to explore emotional and self regulation.
Rhythm2Recovery is an evidence based program that combines experiential rhythmic music with reflection and draws upon a number of well documented therapeutic approaches, that deliver positive psychological and physiological outcomes. These include research on the benefits of participatory music, the vast documentation that supports cognitive behavioural therapy, and more recent studies showcasing the benefits of acceptance and commitment therapy, positive psychology and mindfulness.
(insert R2R image of outcomes of program)
We have run a 5 week Taster program for targeted Yr 7 and 8 students this term in preparation to roll out the program to all of our yr 7 2023 cohort as well as continue to offer target programs for the rest of the school.
For more information, please visit the R2R website: https://www.rhythm2recovery.com/
Or contact Mrs Da Silva or Ms Bailey if you wish for your child to participate in Term 1, 2023.
Girls Resilience programs- Megan our SSO has been working with some year 7, 8 & 9 students in a Resiience program. The girls have been exploring their values, gratitude, empathy and mindfulness, all whilst building friendships and working as part of a team.
Top Blokes Program
We have been so lucky to have Aaron and Isack from the Top Blokes foundation come in every Monday 9-10am to run a traget mental health program for a selected group of year 9 boys. This is the third cycle of the program at our school and we are having such positive feedback from our boys with our waiting list for next year growing.
Top Blokes aims to de-stigmatise talking about mental health among young men by providing a safe space where young men can unpack key issues happening for them around relationships, self esteem, drugs and alcohol but most importantly break down the barriers around speaking up about mental health and wellbeing.
A big thank to the Top Blokes team and we look forward to having the program run again in 2023.
MyStrengths Program
On Tuesday 29.11.22 all students in Year 10 will participate in the MY STRENGTHS program.
But what is MyStrengths? The My Strengths workshop aims to adopt a positive strength based approach for students and teachers. Ages 15-17 are key years of identity formation. As teens wrestle with the 3 big questions ‘who am I?, ‘Where am I going?’ and ‘Do I like myself?’, they too often focus on their limitations, struggles, and weaknesses.
In this workshop Students will:
Discover their top 5 strengths
Understand how these inform identity, esteem and future choices
Grow in acceptance of peers
Take home strength cards and parent pack
More information: https://mystrengths.com.au/
In 2023, KKHS will officially become a Strengths-Based school with Yrs 7, 10 and Stage 6 all accessing targeted workshops throughout the year. Yrs 8 and 9 will also access specialised lessons run by trained staff within the school to continue the language of strengths and self-reflection in order to support wellbeing and engagement. All of our staff will also engage in staff development with the program in order to gain confidence in using the language of Strengths and be better equipped to support our students in their day to day lessons= watch this space for more info.
Interact/SRC Christmas Fundraiser
On December 9th, our Interact and SRC groups are planning our the Annual Christmas Fundraiser. Students will be asked to wear Christmas themed accessories with their normal uniform and participate in a range of activities organised for the day in a bid to raise much needed funds and items at a time of year where many families go without.
Interact and SRC will be hosting a bake sale, colouring competition, and a lunch time BBQ as well as running a ‘Best Xmas Door’ Competition for our staff faculties to participate in. Students will also be asked to Donate a Christmas gift or non-perishable item to our KKHS Christmas Tree with all donations from the monies and items donated going to Ronald McDonald House and Carries Place. Our students are passionate about supporting these charities as they support our community so much especially at people darkest hours.
We hope to see everyone getting involved in such a great event.