Wellbeing Report – August 3, 2017

This Monday August 7, all Year 11 students will attend a morning seminar titled -‘Carmen Road Safety’.- The guest present, John Maher, lost his 18-year-old daughter Carmen when she fell asleep at the wheel and hit a tree 17 years ago in central Victoria.- John subsequently resolved to share Carmen’s story with as many school students as possible in the hope that he can bring home the safety message to teenagers in our region.- It is an expectation that all students will attend this session as part of the normal school day.- If your son has particular issues or concerns about attendance, please contact Mr Carmody or Mr Daniel, our Year 11 Coordinators, to discuss.- As adults, we know that the boys need constant support to continue to develop themselves. We find the boys, and families, who place value on all the extra-curricular offerings that St Patrick’s College provides are often the boys who develop their emotional intelligence and resilience most effectively. I look forward to seeing all the boys on Monday, August 7.

Keeping Safe: Information for- Parents

As part of St Patrick’s College mission to create a safe and secure learning environment for our students, it is crucial that our broader community of parents are well-informed with the latest information and research available, so we can work as partners to keep our students safe.- This week’s focus is to outline the purpose of the Keeping Safe program.-

Keeping Safe (SA DECD) has both a narrow and a broad focus. While its specific aim is to help young people to learn to recognise and report abuse and develop ways of protecting themselves from abuse, its wider focus covers rights, responsibilities, relationships, bullying, cyberbullying and ethical behaviour. The teaching staff and students at St Patrick’s College effectively participate in this program through:

• fostering care, empathy, respect and cooperation, leading to safe and supportive environment

• promoting reciprocal rights and responsibilities for the good of individuals themselves and of others

• promoting high quality interactions and relationships and the dignity of cultural and social diversity

• promoting informed, responsible and ethical decision-making about safety and fairness for the common good

• promoting the development of skills in recognising standards of behaviour, responding to unsafe and unfair situations, and seeking assistance effectively.

Taking the developmental stages of young people into account, this curriculum provides a pathway for young people to increase their learning:

• about their right to feel safe

• to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and attitudes

• about their right to take action if a person engages in abusive behaviour towards them and threatens their safety, including cyber abuse

• that it is important to tell trusted people about such situations

• that help is available to them within their school and the broader community

• that they are at greater risk of abuse by people known to them than by strangers

• that they have the right to understand how unequal power relationships operate in society and how these might be changed

• that young people have the right to protection from abuse and unfair practices in the workplace.

Whole Year Level Programs -“ Term Three

Please take note of the following date:

• Monday 7^th August -“ Carmen Road Safety -“ All Year 11 students (9am -“ 10.30am)

For more information on our Pastoral Care program, please visit:

https://www.stpats.vic.edu.au/en/st-patricks-college/pastoral-care/

I would encourage all students and parents to fully engage and participate in all of our wellbeing programs on offer, as they are an integral element of our broader mission to educate the whole person.

Kind regards, Bradley Murray, Pastoral Care Coordinator

Let’s Make Term 3 Your Best Term Yet! By Rebecca Petrie

Now that we are all settled back into our routines, let’s think about how we can make Term 3 your best term yet. VCE students, this is the time to pull it all together and get across that finishing line. Our tips:

• Set some SMART goals. Make them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time limited. For example: -I want to improve my test scores in Math to 90% by the end of this term.- Then figure out strategies to make your goals a reality.

• Re-visit and tidy up your study routine. Make a study timetable and stick it on the fridge so everyone can see it.

• Parents, ask your boys how their studies are going. Boys, tell your parents more detail than -School’s okay-. Have a conversation about school without any added distractions such as the TV in the background.

• Communicate with teachers if you are getting behind or struggling. It is better to get on top of it before it feels overwhelming.

• Talk with your pastoral care teacher, year level coordinators or counsellors if there are things happening in your life that makes school difficult, or makes it hard for you to concentrate.

  Remember, the counsellors can help with goal setting, getting organised, creating study routines, help you start tricky conversations and listen to any issues that are causing you stress or worry.

  You can contact us directly- to organise a time to chat by emailing me rpetrie@stpats.vic.edu.au

  Have a great week.

  Rebecca Petrie, Provisional Psychologist

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