Community and Wellbeing

Student Wellbeing Survey - The Resilience Project

At the beginning of last term, students from Years 3 to 12 completed a survey to measure wellbeing. There were 391 responses in total. This represents around 65% of our student cohort at these year levels. In mid July, Elias from The Resilience Project, came to speak with staff to ‘unpack’ our student data with us. Further to an exploration of the data, Elias provided valuable feedback on some strategies that we might use for continuous improvement. These ideas and strategies will be built into the delivery of The Resilience Project curriculum which is taught across the college.

 

The survey tool focuses on a number of questions which fall into the categories of connected, protected and respected. These areas form the basis for measuring wellbeing in students. Positive responses in these areas not only indicate positive wellbeing but provide excellent precursors to learning for our students. The connection between positive wellbeing and learning is becoming increasingly focused on in educational research. This is, of course, common sense to most of us. Students will thrive when they feel good about themselves, their home and school environments.

 

There are some real celebrations within the data for our students. Over the coming newsletters, I will provide some data for each of the communities. This week I am focusing on Years 3 and 4 (the only data we have for our F-4 Community).

 

Below is some of the data which represents really positive responses (15% or more above the Australian norm which uses data from over 410,000 students) for student wellbeing.

 

Year 3 girls

○  Parents carers who encourage me

○  Parent/carer who listens to me

○  Find it easy to keep out of trouble

○  Feel safe at home

○  Not having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

○  Not texting online at night

○  No trouble concentrating

○  Am trustworthy

○  Take responsibility for my actions

 

Year 3 boys

○  Good at keeping friends

○  Getting along with people who are different from me

○  Find it easy to keep out of trouble

○  School gives students clear rules

○  School enforces rules fairly

○  Not bullied online

○  Try hard at school

○  Eat well to stay well

○  Do my homework

○  Feel good about myself

○  Forgive others that are mean to me

○  Are given useful jobs at school

 

Year 4 girls

●  Parents who encourage me

●  Can disagree about things and still be friends

●  Understanding self

●  Can talk about things if they upset me

●  Feel safe at home

●  Feel safe at school

●  Feel safe in the area where I live

●  School gives students clear rules

●  School enforces rules fairly

●  Not texting online at night

 

Year 4 boys

●  Doing well at school

●  Feel safe at school

●  Feel safe in the area where I live

●  Not texting online at night

●  Not having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

●  No trouble concentrating

●  Able to trust other people

 

Below are some areas which indicate negative aspects of student wellbeing for this cohort. In the following data, our students have responded negatively (15% or below the Australian norm which uses data from over 410,000 students) in aspects of their wellbeing

 

Year 3 girls

●  Have fun at school

●  Know that I can find a way to solve the problem

●  Forgive myself when I mess up

●  Given useful jobs at school

 

Year 3 boys

●  Teachers who encourage me

●  Parents who encourage me

●  Adult who set a good example

●  Parent carer who listens to me

●  Not texting online at night

●  Get at least 8 hours sleep at night

●  Am physically fit

 

Year 4 boys

●  Find it easy to keep out of trouble

●  Read for fun

●  Try hard at school

 

Unpacking these resultsIt is important to recognise that the above provides a snapshot of data for our students. The full table of results is extensive. There are many areas where our students sit within the averages or close to the average. 

 

I have not highlighted all of these aspects, rather just focused on celebrations and areas for improvement. Results do depend on how the student was feeling at the time of the survey so might not reflect overall general wellbeing. 

 

The data above is also not representative of the whole cohort as not all students chose to participate in the survey. This being said, there are areas of both celebration and some areas where we can work (both at home and at school) to ensure that we are improving aspects of wellbeing for our students. 

 

Staff in each of the communities have had sessions (on top of the session provided in mid July) to unpack and reflect on the data and on how they can work as a team to improve areas of concern. 

 

Data which suggests that students as young as Year 3 are texting at night and not getting enough sleep is certainly concerning and is an area where a change in routine would be welcomed.

 

In the next newsletter, I will focus on the data available for the 5 - 8 community.

 

Carolyn Goode

Deputy Principal - Wellbeing

 

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The Resilience Project - Kids Shows

Get ready, strap yourself in and join Martin for an action packed show that will have everyone on the edge of their seats wanting more!

 

For the first time ever, we’re on the road tackling children’s mental health with a high-energy kids show tour – ‘3 Happy Tricks’ with Martin Heppell.

 

Through music, storytelling and plenty of laughs, these shows provide primary school aged children and their parents practical strategies on how to be happier and more resilient.

New research has revealed that 1 in 4 primary students are experiencing symptoms of depression. And almost 1 in 3 are experiencing symptoms of anxiety.

“After two years of really tough lockdowns, social isolation and navigating the challenges of online learning, it’s no wonder we are seeing such confronting statistics about our children’s mental health,” says Hugh van Cuylenburg, The Resilience Project’s founder and best-selling author.

 

You can catch the tour, featuring our most engaging and entertaining presenter, Martin Heppell, in Shepparton on Monday 19th September during the Term 3 school holidays.

These shows are a great opportunity for families across the state to learn how to incorporate GEM into their daily routine and help children to improve their wellbeing.

Who is Martin Heppell?

There’s nobody quite like Martin Heppell!

Martin’s boundless energy, incredible sense of humour, and compassion for people of all walks of life make him the perfect person to help kids be happier and look after their mental health.

 

“Martin is unbelievable, there is no-one like him! I couldn’t think of anyone better to help kids and their parents understand how much fun they can have looking after their mental health!” says Hugh van Cuylenburg, The Resilience Project founder and best-selling author. 

 

A father of three, Martin Heppell is a former AFL player who played with St Kilda and Melbourne and has delivered more than 1,000 presentations for The Resilience Project.

Tickets can be purchased by following the link below.

https://riverlinksvenues.online.red61.com.au/event/829:1890/829:2686/