Focus on Wellbeing

COVID-19 and all the related lockdowns, lockouts, and shut-ins are now far behind us, but schools are still grabbling with the fallout and challenges of their impact on young developing adolescent minds. Educational and mental health experts all point towards the creation of stable, structured, safe and predictable environments where our students are supported the clear routines, values, norms, and expectations of behaviours.

With these things considered it has been the task of the Pastoral Executive across the College to strategically respond to providing the right amount of support and scaffolding for our students to enable them to all navigate to their North Star so they are given the opportunity to utilise their God-given talents, to strive to be the best they can be so to make a positive impact on the world.

Some of the term one programs delivered to support this area include:

• Fortnightly eXcel lessons
• Harmony week lesson
• Respectful Relationship Student Panel
• International Women’s Day live student panel
• Yr 12 Party Safe seminar from “A Brave New World’
• Yr 12 (and Parents) anxiety Presentation from Dr Jodi Richardson
• Yr 8 eXcel/Wellbeing Day (details below)

In term two we will be focussing on:

• Fortnightly eXcel lessons
• Reconciliation Week lesson
• Respectful Relations lessons in Yr 7&8 Social Emotional Literacy
• International Women’s Day live student panel
• Yr 10 Party Safe/Vaping seminar from “A Brave New World’
• Yr 11 Fit to Drive Program
• Yr 12 Teenagers Road Accident Group (TRAG)
• Yr 7 eXcel/Wellbeing Day

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Padua College is also investigating significantly in building the capacity of our staff through the introduction of the Youth Mental Health First Aid Certificate. Mental health first aid is the initial help offered to someone who is experiencing a mental health problem or a mental health crisis until appropriate professional help is received, or the crisis resolves. Already this term, the College has trained over 100 staff in the Youth Mental Health First Aid Certificate Program.

We also plan to branch out and offer this program to more staff and eventually our parent and broader school community. In 2024, once our staff have completed the additional professional development, we plan on delivering this internationally renowned certificate to all Year 8s and 10s through the year.

Yr 8 eXcel Days

These eXcel Days are designed using positive education interventions to help our Year 8 students develop their social and emotional literacy focusing on respect. Respect for our community, respect for our environment and respect for ourselves. Respect is the glue that holds our relationships together. Our students will learn ways to be respectful and know what to do when somebody isn’t respectful toward them. This will include the home environment, the school environment, the online environment and how to take up the challenge to show self-care and respect to themselves.

Over the course of the day each student will participate in the following five sessions:

• Respect for the environment – with a local organisation called Living Culture. The students will participate in a workshop that will show the students how our land is important to them and our local indigenous people. https://www.livingculture.org.au/
• Respect for self – with an organisation called Blurred Minds. Students will participate in a workshop that is designed to change the way young people make decisions around alcohol, vaping, marijuana and other drugs. https://www.blurredminds.com.au/
• Respect for speaking up – with an organisation called Speak and Share will run a workshop that will encourage your student to speak up and connect with peers building a healthier and happier school community that no longer shy away from mental health conversations.
• https://www.speakandshare.com/school-program
• Respect for their community – with our own Padua staff. Working through a workshop about social awareness and the language they choose to use.
• Respect for our faith – Respect is a cornerstone of our faith; the students will participate in a liturgy that will allow the students to reflect on what they have learned and experienced through the day.

Thank you to Suzi Hyland for her great work co-ordinating these days across the campuses.

FIRE Carriers – Re-igniting the Flame!

During the middle of this term, I was lucky enough to take 13 Padua students to the FIRE (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education) Carrier Secondary Student Forum held at Sienna College, Camberwell. Our new students were commissioned by Aunty Vicki Clarke OAM (Mutthi Mutthi) into the important work of the FIRE Carriers.

The day was about inspiring our students to promote respect, fairness and inclusion for Aboriginal people. The FIRE Carrier Project promotes enculturation and reconciliation in all catholic schools. Part of the College Professional Learning day prior to the commencement of Term 2 will be working with Catholic Aboriginal Ministries and The Open Door Foundation to ensure the College capitalising on all our opportunities to build our cultural competencies and share in the build greater connection to country.

A sense of Community Pride in 125 Years

Part of our success (our coping strategies and resilience building) during the tumultuous 2022 was the focus on providing a structured and predictable environment with clear routines, values, norms, and expectations of behaviours.

One way in which we encourage our high expectations at Padua College is in the way we present ourselves to the community through our uniform. Now more than ever the College uniform is a vehicle in which we can express pride in our community.

The school uniform identifies members of Padua College. It assists in creating an atmosphere of uniformity, pride, loyalty and equity. All students enter class as equals as far as image and dress are concerned; their individuality comes from their attitude, character, spirit, and involvement.

Students should wear it proudly and well, realising that at all times they are ambassadors for our College.

I wish to draw your attention to a few areas of particular concern and the information from our uniform policy.

Active wear: The College has a sports uniform that includes navy shorts. Students should not be wearing black lycra style active wear for sport or with other items of the sport uniform.

Blazer: Must be worn to and from school through the year – (If cold/wet the Padua softshell waterproof jacket is permitted to be worn over the blazer)

Hair: Hair is to be clean and tidy; tied back off the collar. Hair ribbons must be in Padua College or House colours. Extremes in hair cut or styles are not permitted. Number 2 haircut is the minimum. Hair may be dyed in one natural hair shade. All students must be clean shaven. (Hair is to be clean and tidy; tied back off the collar and all students must be clean shaven)

School shoes: (Black leather lace-up or T-bar school shoes. No soft or suede or boots. Skate shoes are not permitted)

Summer dress: (Length of the summer dress is to the knees)

Jewellery & Make Up: One earring per ear in the ear lobe (small stud or sleeper). No other jewellery is permitted and clear plastic studs and band aids to cover piercings are not permitted. Excess jewellery will be confiscated. Make up is to be kept to a minimum and must be natural looking. Clear nail polish is permitted.

White Sports Polo: These items are longer part of the College uniform have been phased out. I discourage parents from purchasing these second-hand as they are no longer part of the school uniform.

Polar Fleece: This item has also been phased out with the Year 12s, the final year that student are allowed to wear this as part of the uniform.

To embrace a whole school approach, we need to ensure uniformity (pardon the pun!) in our expectations, each campus will simultaneously recognise and reward those students doing the right thing while reverting measures to maintain our standard with consequences for those students blatantly disregarding our rules and expectations.

School TV

Today parents face a multitude of modern-day challenges in raising happy, well and resilient young people. Whilst there is a great deal of information available, this can often be confusing and overwhelming for parents looking for guidance.

At Padua College we have subscribed to SchoolTV an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies. Here, you'll find a range of topics each published monthly with comprehensive videos from leading specialists and organisations.

This is one of the many links provided in the Wellbeing Resources Website

The information can be accessed by visiting the College website:

PADUA COMMUNITY > Padua Parents > SchoolTV or following the below link

Link - School TV https://padua.catholic.schooltv.me/launch

SPECIAL REPORT: Managing Overwhelm

https://padua.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-managing-overwhelm

Willingly or not, we have all been exposed to a piece of bad news that has lingered in our thoughts for days afterwards. This seems to be more common in the current environment than ever before. Due to the pandemic, the world we now live in is a very different place, so it is easy to see why we might feel impacted. It can often seem like there are many stressful events occurring simultaneously, and the hyperconnected nature of our environment means we are constantly being reminded of the challenges we face via numerous media and social media channels. Our connectivity to the digital world exposes us to a barrage of messages that can often leave us feeling overwhelmed.

It is therefore important for children and parents alike, to consciously and intentionally learn good wellbeing strategies. Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved fast enough to adapt to the digital landscape we find ourselves in and this often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and can result in increased levels of stress and anxiety. If left untreated or unmanaged, constant stress and anxiety can lead to a number of behavioural issues or health consequences.

The blueprint for parenting, based on our own experiences, is no longer fit for purpose in raising kids as citizens of tomorrow. The combination of constant access to information and having little control over the situations presented, can be stressful and overwhelming. Although we can’t provide our kids with certainty, we can provide them with the skills and strategies to cope to enable them to flourish and thrive, socially, emotionally and academically. It may not necessarily be the information itself that is harmful, but more their inability to process and make sense of it.

Other important related important topics also accessed are highlighted below and by visiting:

https://padua.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/