The Wellbeing team have hit the ground running in Term 4! Lunchtime groups are back on, we have had our first whole school campaign for Term 4 and we are looking forward to an exciting final term of 2022!
“Do whatever needs to be done, so that you can be everything you want to become.” – Unknown
Amal Saleh-Zada| Student Wellbeing Coordinator
Elephant Ed will visit our Year 7-10 throughout Term 3 and 4 to discuss issues commonly faced by adolescents, including safety, identity, body image, social media, and other issues. They deliver age-appropriate workshops that are tried and tested across all relevant age groups and are mapped to State and National curriculum guidelines. They work towards empowering young people to make informed, positive and safe decisions about sexuality, relationships and growing up.
Lunch Time Groups
Explore, facilitated by Gail, our School Chaplain, is a group for Year 7/8 girls and students who identify as female to connect through games, crafts, activities and discussion. The group will explore themes of friendships, personal strengths, coping and lots more. It runs Tuesdays at lunchtime in the Wellbeing Centre. Interested students can speak to the Year Level Leader or pop in to see Gail on a Monday or Tuesday for more information.
? Squad – our LGBTQ+ group continues to run on Thursday lunchtimes in the Wellbeing Centre and is open to all students. Each term the students attending decide what they would like to do during the weekly lunchtime sessions. Over the year so far we have talked about self care and relaxation, made rainbow bead bracelets, decorated cookies, worked together to create a Pride Month Calendar to raise awareness about gender and sexual diversity, had a karaoke session, shared our favourite LGBTQIA+ friendly books and TV series and continued to build and support a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies. Curiosity welcome, respect required.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club is held in J2 – (entrance from the Canteen Courtyard) as follows:
- Monday – recess – basic breakfast
- Tuesday – recess – basic breakfast
- Wednesday – before school – basic breakfast
- Thursday – before school – pancakes
- Friday – before school – basic breakfast
Families in need – Internal Food Options
Each fortnight on a Tuesday from 3:10am-3:30am we have available food support for families who may be in need, for whatever reason. We have a selection of frozen meals and pantry items that families can collect from the former school canteen area without question or judgement. We know that access to food can be a real challenge for some families and we feel strongly about supporting the basic needs of our students and families. Watch out for compass posts each fortnight.
Families in need – External Food Options
For families in need please see the following services that support the community:
Student Wellbeing Team
Student Wellbeing Coordinator – Amal Saleh-Zada
Mental Health Practitioner – Peta Cartwright
Chaplain – Gail Ackroyd
University Placement Students: Elli, Kerrie, Sarah and Eliza
Accessing Support through Wellbeing
The Wellbeing Team can assist students in accessing the support they need to navigate challenges that may impact their ability to engage in learning or general feelings of Wellbeing. For example, the Wellbeing Team can engage the student or family in an initial assessment of need, short term counselling or skills development or referrals to external support agencies. Students may also be encouraged to access self-help strategies or resources. We will explore the best options for each student.
We encourage students and/or parents to contact the year level leaders for wellbeing referrals. You can also make an appointment with someone from the Wellbeing Team by attending the Wellbeing Centre or contacting us via email at wellbeing@fairhillshs.vic.edu.au
Teachers who have concerns about a student may also refer them to the Wellbeing Team through their Year Level Coordinator.
If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, please contact kidshelpline or lifeline on the numbers at the bottom of this page.
Support for Families
From time to time most families will need a little extra support to manage the normal challenges of life as well as the more difficult situations that arise. If you are experiencing hardship, stress or circumstances that are impacting on the well being of your family life or your ability to cope, the Wellbeing Team can help to connect you with community services that can provide support. Please contact the Wellbeing Team via the school phone number or via email at wellbeing@fairhillshs.vic.edu.au
