Wellbeing Update | 2023 Reflection
It has been a wonderful year in the Wellbeing and Engagement Team at Mac.Rob, as we have continued to develop programs aimed at developing our students’ foundations for mental health, emotional intelligence, resilience, and independence - these are the qualities and skills that are required for our students to lead successful, contented lives.
Throughout the year, students in all year levels have participated in Connect, where lessons focus on helping students to develop and sustain a strong sense of wellbeing. This year, we introduced lessons aimed at building effective study skills, and we taught students to use a process called Emotion Coaching to support their friends. Our students are now equipped with strategies for regulating their own emotions, and for providing others with empathy. Some of our students produced amazing representations of the Emotion Coaching process - an example of this is the infographic below, which was created by Yuna, Hunar and Shenaya in Year 10. Preethika, Pragna and Meenakshi in Year 10 also created an incredible Emotion Coaching game - you can give it a try here!
Connect also featured Careers lessons, where students engaged in tasks and activities that helped them explore future career pathways, develop their resume and career portfolio, obtain microcredentials, and investigate different professional industries.
Our SRC Wellbeing Action Team has also been very active this year in providing students with amazing experiences to promote their wellbeing. The team created and distributed a wellbeing magazine to all students, and facilitated Club Eustress regularly. Their work culminated in an incredible Wellbeing Expo, where students enjoyed activities focussed on gratitude, mindfulness, joy, teamwork, and increasing serotonin! They also facilitated a very successful Speed Dating event, where students were able to meet new people and make new friends.
We also celebrated RUOK? Day this year, with the help of our FAM Committee, and, in conjunction with the Health and PE team and our IB students, we held our very own Mac.Rob World Cup! This coincided with the amazing feats of the Matildas in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, but at Mac.Rob, Japan were the worthy victors after a tense penalty shootout in the final! This was another great example of our amazing sense of community at Mac.Rob.
Our Subschool and Counselling teams have continued to provide psychological support to students who are experiencing mental health difficulties, and two of our Counsellors, Clair and Beni, facilitated a group program for Year 9 students, allowing them to develop personal and social confidence and greater connections with their peers. We have also provided professional learning to staff, helping them to function as trusted adults for our students.
We have continued to provide parents and carers with information about how they can support their child’s wellbeing, through our Little Lessons videos and podcasts, which are available on the Wellbeing & Careers page of our Family Portal.
Little Lessons: The Podcast!
The second episode of our Little Lessons Podcast is now available!
Each episode of the Little Lessons Podcast, hosted by Dr. Bridget McPherson, Head of Wellbeing and Engagement, features a guest staff member from Mac.Rob, who offer their wisdom and expertise to parents and carers. Little Lessons aims to provide parents, carers and family members with information and ideas about how to raise children who are resilient, independent and well, and how to partner with our educators at Mac.Rob to ensure that your child receives the best education possible for them.
Our second Little Lesson podcast explores one of the key wellbeing frameworks we use at Mac.Rob: “Holding, Modelling, Mentoring”. The episode features Phillip Thiel, a teacher of English and Literature at Mac.Rob. Bridget and Philip talk listeners through the theory of Holding, Modelling, and Mentoring, and provide examples for how these three concepts can be practically applied at home and in the classroom.
You can listen to the episode below, or subscribe to the Mac.Rob Podcast channel on SoundCloud for all the latest!
Wellbeing is a crucial aspect of our work at Mac.Rob, as we know that learning and wellbeing are inextricably linked. Our students will learn more effectively if they feel well, and this experience of feeling well and learning well will set them up for success in future. We look forward to continuing this work in 2024.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or feedback about wellbeing at Mac.Rob, at bridget.mcpherson@macrob.vic.edu.au.
Dr. Bridget McPherson, Head of Wellbeing and Engagement