Page 9 - Harvest Connect Volume 23 - Issue 11

From the Wellbeing Team Dear Parents and Families,
Having good mental health is key to the healthy development and wellbeing of every child. Kids need good mental health - not only to be able to deal with challenges and adapt to change, but so they can feel good about themselves, build healthy relationships with others and enjoy life.
At Harvest Christian College we are committed to implementing policies and practices that research shows can improve students’ mental health, emotional well-being, and overall academic achievement.
A healthy and supportive school environment helps children and adolescents develop the skills they need to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
School connectedness can play an important role in the wellbeing of young people. School connectedness reflects a students’ belief that peers and adults in the school support, value, and care about their individual well-being as well as their academic progress. Students who feel more connected to school are less likely to engage in risky behaviours (alcohol or drug use), more likely to engage in positive health behaviours (physical activity and healthy eating), more likely to have higher grades and test scores, have better school attendance, and graduate high school.
To support school connectedness and create a healthy and supportive school environment at Harvest Christian College we:
• Provide professional development on classroom management Reinforcing positive behaviour through praise and establishing rules and routines;
• Provide professional counselling services to support the development of positive mental health and wellbeing. Harvest Christian College currently has three staff dedicated to the mental health and wellbeing of our students with varying backgrounds in counselling, social work, family wellbeing, and chaplaincy;
• Provide a Wellbeing space for students who may seek support/break during the school day;
• Work to connect young people with community-based programs which can provide youth with a network of supportive adults; and
• Provide parents and families with resources that support positive parenting practices such as open and honest communication.
If you have questions, or would like more information about the wellbeing services provided by our college please phone Neridah Boraso on (08) 88214945
Seeking help
If you have any concerns about your child’s mental health, you or your child can contact some of the services below. Remember that it doesn’t hurt to ask, and these services will be happy to help you work out if you need help and what service would be most appropriate;
Headspace is a youth-focused mental health service for young people aged 12 to 25. For more information, see their website at www.headspace.org.au
Headspace provides online counselling and telephone support to young people aged 12 to 25. They can be contacted at eheadspace.org.au and on 1800 650 890.
Kids Helpline is a 24-hour telephone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25. They can be contacted on 1800 55 1800 and at kidshelpline.com.au.
Lifeline is a 24-hour telephone counselling service (13 11 14). www.lifeline.org.au has other online information and referral services.
National StandBy provides bereavement support to people affected by suicide: https://standbysupport.com.au/
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
9 SERVING the Yorke Peninsula for over 20 years