After our first fortnight of remote learning comes to a close, can I please thank all students, carers and staff for their support with the transition. We have worked hard as a community to establish and maintain avenues of communication and support with learning and wellbeing over this period and will continue to do so for the duration. 

The wellbeing surveys that were completed by students last week, the response to phone calls by our support staff to Year 7 carers and others in need and the one on one communications with subject teachers, pastoral advisors and year coordinators are crucial in providing necessary feedback for our Pastoral teams to assist their respective groups. A couple of key findings from last week’s survey suggested that the establishment of a regular daily routine, exercise breaks and contact with peers were areas that are recommended for all students to adopt during this time. These key points have or will be addressed through respective year group video presentations, slides, zooms and classroom emails. 

An important part of our support network is through our engagement with CatholicCare Counselling. Our onsite counsellors work closely with students in need, but also provide information regarding a range of wellbeing support agencies and resources. Below is an overview of some suggested resources for individuals and families that may be of assistance at this time.

CatholicCare Counselling Recommended Resources

• Smiling Mind - a free app that delivers mindfulness and meditation sessions. Sessions run anywhere from 1 minute and up to 30 minutes. Mindfulness is a really helpful tool to help learn to regulate emotions, improve concentration, reduce worries and create a sense of calm. Smiling Mind also has a Classroom category for educators that include lesson plans and meditations that can be used at a classroom level.
• COVID-19: Resources for Anxiety & Stress - Black Dog Institute -t his link includes a range of resources such as webinars and information. It also has a link to MyCompass which is a free app that offers a self-help tool for mental health that includes daily monitoring and strategies.
• Coping during Coronavirus (COVID-19) | ReachOut Australia - offers support and information about taking care of yourself during the lockdown
• Headspace useful Covid 19 resources - includes factsheets for balancing online schooling, responding to conflict and how to cope with stress related to Covid-19.
• Parentline is a free telephone counselling and support service for parents and carers. Phone number is 1300 1300 52.

Again, thank you for your ongoing support during this time.

Mr Simon Huntly
Pastoral Care and Wellbeing Coordinator