Parent Information Session with Dr. Billy Garvey

On Friday 21st May, Dr, Billy Garvey ran an information session to a packed staff room of parents explaining the project launching this term for grades 1, 2 and 3. Here’s a summary of what I learnt.

What’s the project?

A paediatrician from the Royal Children’s Hospital will work with our teachers, upskilling them to recognise emotional and behavioural difficulties in the classroom with the aim to support our children. 

The project team hope that all families in grades 1,2 and 3 will opt-in to the project whether you have concerns about your child or not. 

If all families and children take part:

• the bigger the group our teachers and the paediatrician can observe
• therefore, the better common difficulties will be identified
• and so training for our teachers can be focused on the common difficulties - for example, if anxiety appears to be common amongst the grades, the paediatrician will upskill the teachers in supporting anxiety
• the more measures they will have to show how a class with the right support helps all children’s development and well-being in their school environment.

Children won’t be singled out because the teachers and paediatrician will apply strategies for the class as a whole to better support the common difficulties.

At the end of the project the team hope to show that:

• early detection and support of learning and behavioural difficulties in a class environment will be of huge benefit to an individual child and the whole class (difficulties are often undetected until the age of 14)
• if children and families are given better access to the right support early and remove expensive barriers to paediatrician appointments and avoid long waiting periods for referrals, there will be better learning outcomes for all our children (referrals through the current system can take two-years to see the right professionals)

What’s next?

• The project will start in June
• Parents will be asked to fill in a survey at the start and end of the trial so that the team can measure improvements
• Another information session with Dr Billy Garvey – keep an eye on the COMPASS app and newsletter for further dates.If you have questions – please email or drop a written note to the Office.  Mary will pass your questions on - fitzroy.ps@education.vic.gov.au. Look out for updates in the newsletter and COMPASS

Thank you!

-Zoe