Wellbeing at Mac.Rob: Connect and the Learning Mentor Program
2022 has featured the commencement of two new programs at Mac.Rob: Connect and the Learning Mentor Program (LMP). Every student is part of a Connect Class, and should also have attended 1-2 Learning Mentorship Program sessions this term.
Connect sessions occur on Mondays and Thursdays. Every Monday, students take part in activities that are targeted at building socioemotional skills, thereby enhancing our students’ mental health, emotional intelligence, resilience and independence. Term 1 has focussed on helping students to develop a strong foundation for mental health, ensuring that they engage in behaviours and practices that help them to feel well, such as maintaining a good sleep routine, managing their time well, and connecting with others. The themes we’ve explored at each year level this term include:
Year 9: Time management, sleep, self-care.
Year 10: Social skills, belonging, making friends, time management.
Year 11: Identity development and values, belonging, making friends, time management, study skills.
Year 12: Identity development and values, study skills, time management, sleep.
Many of our students have reported that they really enjoyed the activities that helped them to connect with their peers, such as learning the art of small talk, and preparing and using conversation starters to help them to get to know each other.
At Mac.Rob, we have a strong focus on “Wellbeing in Action” - we want our students to apply their learning to improve their lives. I would encourage parents/carers to talk to their children about the things they’re learning about in Connect, and to encourage them to think about how they might use these ideas and strategies in their everyday life.
Families can learn more about the Connect Program here.
“Wellbeing in Action” is also the focus of our Learning Mentor Program. In Term 1, all students have used this program to think about ways that they might improve their sleep, time management, or social connection. Students explored the benefits and costs of changing one aspect of their lives, in order to build motivation for this change. Every student developed a goal in one of these areas, and their Mentor supported them to implement their goal outside of sessions, reviewing and refining it over time to increase the chance of success. We have been so impressed by our students’ thoughtfulness, creativity, work ethic, and commitment to this process, and many students have seen fantastic outcomes as a result of this.
Again, it would be wonderful for our students to have conversations with their parents/carers about their LMP goal. This might involve discussion of why they chose their goal, how they progressed towards achieving their goal, and what obstacles they faced in pursuing their goal. It might also include discussion about what your child might like to focus on during LMP in Term 2.
Families can learn more about the Learning Mentor Program here.
As always, parents and carers with any questions about Wellbeing at Mac.Rob can contact me at bridget.mcpherson@macrob.vic.edu.au. Parents can also access resources regarding a range of wellbeing topics at our online SchoolTV portal.
Wishing you all the best for a wonderful school holiday break!
Dr. Bridget McPherson, Head of Wellbeing and Engagement