Student Wellbeing and Pastoral Care
I hope this newsletter finds you well as we head into the final few days of term. It has been an extremely busy term and year so I hope that you and your family are able to take some time to reflect, rest and reset.
School Holiday Supports
School holidays provide an opportunity for our students to unwind and engage with family and friends outside the school community. It can also be a time when children and young people don’t have access to the usual routines and support available to them through the school community. I would like to pass on some information around supports that may be useful to you over the break:
Students
• headspace How to stay healthy over the holidays
• headspace Tips for a healthy headspace
• headspace Healthy headspace Action Plan
• headspace How to help a friend going through a tough time
• Reach Out Helping friends
• e-headspace flyer click here
• How to handle a tough time, PDF here
Families
• Telephone support: Parentline NSW 1300 1300 52
• Headspace Keeping healthy over the holidays - for friends and family
• Kids Helpline Feeling sad over the holidays
• Kids Helpline Coping with Family holiday Stress
• Raising Children Network Signs of mental health concerns in pre-teens and teenagers
• Raising Children Network Helping pre-teens and teens manage emotional ups and downs
• Kids Helpline: My child struggles with mental health
• Kids Helpline: How Kids Helpline can help your child
headspace Work and Study Support
If you know a young person who is looking for employment or further study, then headspace Work and Study Support is worth checking out. This free service provides one-to-one support for young people 15-25 to access employment or further study and it can be accessed online or in person through a headspace centre. Watch a short clip about the service here.
Parent Carer Sessions
Throughout December our headspace Schools & Communities Parent Carer team will be holding sessions on Supporting young people in the school holidays. You can find more details on these or register for an event here.
Mobile Phones and Smart Watches
As the year draws to a close, I would like to remind you of the College's expectations for our Yr 7 to 10 students in 2023 around mobile phones and smart watches. This expectation is simply that students from Years 7 to 10 are not to bring mobile phones/devices (including smart watches) to school. In the latter part of this year an increasing number of students were wearing smart watches. Please be aware that the restrictions on devices includes smart watches and this will be enforced in 2023. Please ask your child to leave their smart watch at home so as not to risk losing it if they are asked to remove it. If staff see students with a mobile device in the classroom or during break time it will be confiscated. If a student's device is confiscated on a number of occasions parents will be contacted and the device will be handed into their care. This includes using devices to pay for purchases at the canteen. Students in years 7 to 10 must ensure that they have an alternative method of payment.
Parents should be using the College Office as the initial point of contact, not directly messaging their child. This applies to all students from Years 7 to 12.
I would like to wish you all a joyous Christmas and safe holiday. I look forward to seeing everyone in 2023 - refreshed and rested - ready for the challenges of a new school year.
Trish Star