Community Wellbeing
The Resilience Project presentation a real GEM
Students and staff were treated to a high-energy, humorous and thought-provoking presentation by The Resilience Project's Martin Heppell during the last week of March. Martin reminded us all about the importance of gratitude, empathy and mindfulness (GEM) in supporting our wellbeing. Students across the college participate in The Resilience Project sessions each week, using journals to record their reflections. To find out more about The Resilience Project visit https://theresilienceproject.com.au/
St Anne's College Wellbeing team
Kate McGrath
Deputy Principal Community Wellbeing
Kate has been at St Anne’s College since it opened in 2019. Kate studied a Bachelor of Education Health and Psychology. Kate has been working within the education sector for 10 years and has worked with students in all schools at St Anne’s College.
Mel Formica
Student Wellbeing Officer/School Counsellor
Available: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Mel has been at St Anne’s College as a Wellbeing Officer/School Counsellor since 2020. Mel is a qualified counsellor and is a member of the Australian Counselling Association. Mel has a Bachelor of Human Services. Mel is also one of the Child Safety Officers at St Anne’s College.
Fee Down
Student Wellbeing Officer
Available: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
Fee has recently joined the St Anne College community in 2022, taking on a part-time role in the Wellbeing team. Fee has a Bachelor of Social Work degree, along with over a decade of experience in working with vulnerable young people and families in the community.
Eliza Linehan
Student Wellbeing Officer
Available: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
Eliza joined the St Anne’s College community at the beginning of the year and is working Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Eliza studied in Shepparton and has a Bachelor of Human Services and Master in Social Work.
Support children to stay safe online
The safety commissioner promotes that it is never too early to be talking to our kids about online safety. The Daniel Morecombe Foundation also has many practical tips on the measures that can be taken to support your child in being safe online.
https://danielmorcombe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Top-tips-for-online-safety-INFOGRAPHIC.pdf
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