Wellbeing Report | Term 4, 2021
We’ve had a big year in wellbeing at Mac.Rob! We’ve welcomed four new staff members to our Wellbeing and Engagement Team over the course of 2021, including myself (Psychologist and Head of Wellbeing and Engagement), Katrina Adams (Clinical Psychologist and Wellbeing Coordinator), David Nguyen (Psychologist), and Jessica Francois (Psychologist). We all joined Clair Griffiths (Social Worker) to form the current team, and we work closely with our Principal and Assistant Principal, Heads of Middle and Senior Schools, Level Coordinators, and teaching staff, to ensure that our students are supported during their time at Mac.Rob.
Many students have been provided with individual counselling this year, to assist them in managing difficulties that they’re facing. In addition, we have worked with students on a broader level, to support them in building their mental health.
Our Wellbeing Sardines activity in Term 2 was a great way to introduce students to methods of self-care, such as practising mindfulness and gratitude. We also worked with students in Year 9 and 10 on establishing a sense of belonging and collective identity, understanding mental health, and supporting friends, whilst Year 11 and 12 students received information about stress and anxiety management and improving sleep. As part of one seminar, our Year 9 students created a mosaic tile that represented them and then formed a human mosaic of sorts!
We also launched SchoolTV – an online wellbeing resources for parents, and we provided parents with information via a webinar, focussing on a how they can support their children’s mental health. A recording of that webinar can be found below:
Finally, we are working together with all Mac.Rob staff to create a school environment that promotes wellbeing, by interacting with students in a way that helps them to build strong foundations for mental health, emotional intelligence, resilience and independence.
Parents are invited to use our SchoolTV resource to find out information about any wellbeing issues that might be of interest. As your children embark on a the summer holidays, this might be an ideal time to think about how you can support them to build resilience, by taking risks, venturing outside of their comfort zone, meeting new people, and trying new things. You can learn more about this here.
We are looking forward to 2022, when we’ll continue to work with students, parents and staff in supporting the wellbeing of our students.
Dr. Bridget McPherson, Head of Wellbeing and Engagement