Head of Department - Mr Nicholas Faulkner
A whole-school approach to Student Wellbeing
With multiple points on contacts, here at
Cavendish Rd SHS our primary focus is about creating well-rounded, resilient
individuals who are capable of thriving personally, professionally and
socially. At the heart of this approach is bringing our students happiness and
overall wellbeing to the forefront of their education. The whole-school
approach is designed for students to recognise their personal strengths and
characteristics within and enable them to foster positive relationships,
harvest their emotions, prioritise their health, excel intellectually and lead
purposeful lives. Our age specific programs equip students with much needed
skills to confidently navigate their way through their schooling life and
beyond.
PSC - Pastoral Care
Horizontal Wellbeing (Year
Level)
Pastoral Care is a year level based program promoting the growth and wellbeing of each
student, as well as the broader school community. It focuses on cultivating an
environment and culture that supports the physical, social, intellectual, emotional
and spiritual development of every student.
Our pastoral care program has a GEM framework with our main focus areas –
Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and overall Emotional Literacy.
All curriculum provided is theoretical and practical expertise of the year
based ideologies and works in unison with the programs delivered.
Key Focus
Year 7 – Empathetic Connections and Digital Literacy
Year 8 – Mindfulness and Kindness
Year 9 – Fixed and Growth Mind-sets
Year 10 – Rite of Passage and Gratitude
Year 11 – Leadership and GRIT
Year 12 – Real Life resilience
Key stakeholders
PSC teachers are the forefront of our pastoral care program. They are managing academic performance and wellbeing of their students in that year group. There is an emphasis of creating a holistic, well-rounded student using evidence based learning of the resilience project while enhancing student growth with purposeful actions.
Year level deans will coordinate and manage individual year groups while being the point of direct contact for student wellbeing across the year. Year level deans have strong knowledge of working with variety of diverse students and are able implement strategies to increase academic performance and student wellbeing rigour.
PS - Peer Support
Vertical Wellbeing (7 – 12)
Peer Support is a vertical house system based centrally around Cavendish Rd SHS houses Page, Harrop, Johnson and Harpur.
Peer support lessons are driven by the Peer support leaders (generally year 12's) encouraging them to be at the Centre of their learning.
Through this we empower students with practical skills and strategies to positively navigate life and relationships, increase connectedness with each other, reduction in bullying behaviours, improved resilience and a greater sense of responsibility.
A major focus of Peer Support is the delivery and understanding of the 5 C's at Cavendish Rd SHS and how we can grow as a “Cavroadian".
- Challenge
- Cooperation
- Courtesy
- Commitment
- Consideration
Every two weeks in PS we will focus on one of the 5 C's and participate in a variety of activities surrounding that topic.
Key Staff Members
PS teachers work
simultaneously with Peer Support leaders who deliver our Peer Support lessons.
They provide real life context and guidance to students and add value to
classroom discussions, activities and emphasize a real life approach.
PS leaders take a holistic view of their class and come to know the students in
all domains of school life. This area of responsibility enables our leaders to
display personal growth, respect and connect with students across the school.
HOD Wellbeing remains central to our model of wellbeing and meets with Peer Support leaders on a regular basis to provide them with resourcing and
leadership cues to deliver Peer Support lessons to their class. The lessons
focus on student interests, abilities and areas for personal growth while reflecting
on being a “Cavroadian”.
"Students don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care"
- Sheila Beth - Leadership Speaker and Author
Divulge deeper into Cav Rd Student Wellbeing
The Cavendish Road Wellbeing plan delivers emotionally engaging program providing practical, evidence-based, positive mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness. Through presentations, school curriculum, teacher diaries and our app, we seek to help all Cavendish RD SHS student to become mentally healthy.
The philosophy of GEM is a simple but effective tool to establish student's mindset approach to the topic of mental health and Wellbeing.
Gratitude
The more privileged we are the more trouble we sometimes have feeling gratitude – and here in Australia we are (mostly) privileged.
Being grateful doesn't mean we can't aspire for more, but it does mean more mindfully noticing what we already have. Joy comes from within.
Empathy
The ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes means genuinely considering others and being present for them, which ultimately means you are more likely to act in a kind way. This may be a smile or asking, 'are you ok?'.
Mindfulness
The ability to be calm and present; and choosing what you want to focus on at a given moment. Harvard research shows that it is not something that happens naturally… with 49% of our time thinking about the future, 34% about the past and only 17% spent in the present. Interestingly we have the most influence over the present, yet on average spend so much more of our waking hours thinking (worrying) about what has been or has yet to come.
Be a GEM
Encourage yourself and those you care about to try practicing the following each day:
1. Gratitude - identify 3 things you are grateful for or things that went well for you today
2. Empathy - be kind to someone (a smile, asking 'are you ok?')
3. Mindfulness - be calm and present (5-20mins each day)
Year Level Events
Year Level events are run through the school
year to support the running of the school's Pastoral Care Program. The aim of
these year level events are to aid and support the actions of the PSC program
and how further expand into real life application. These also involve year
level celebrations and student leadership.
Year 7
| Year 8
| Year 9
| Year 10
| Year 11
| Year 12
|
- Year 7 Camp
- Orientation Obstacle Course
| | - Year 9 Leaders
- Year 9 Camp
| - Expanding Gratitude linked to Rite of Passage
| - Year 11 Leadership Camp
- Dinner Dance
- Senior Jerseys
- Student Leadership
| - Formal
- Graduation
- Final Assembly
|
Wellbeing Events
Across the school year Cavendish Rd SHS is
extremely passionate and involved in supporting community initiatives and
fundraisers. The student council are active in participation and look to run
events throughout the entire year. These may include but not limited to:
Term 1
| Term 2
| Term 3
| Term 4
|
January:
- Promote 4 pillars and 5C's
- Introduce Leadership team and house cup
- Swimming Carnival (Sports Prefects and House Captains
February:
- International Women in Scence Day (STEM Prefects)
- Valentine's Day (Arts Prefects)
- Lunch time activities
March:
- World's Greatest Shave (Community Prefects)
- Pi Day and Maths Team Challenge (STEM Prefects)
- Harmony Day (Cultural Prefects)
- International Women's Day
April
- ANZAC Day March
- House lunch time activities (Sports Prefects)
| May:
- Arts on the Green (Arts Prefects)
June:
- World Environment Awareness Day
- Silly Socks Day (Community)
- World Refugee Awareness Day (International Prefects)
July:
- NAIDOC Week and Mabo Day (Indigenous Prefect)
| August:
- National Science Week (STEM Prefects)
- Can Food Drive (PS Leaders and Student Council)
- Book Week (Community Prefects)
- Wear It Purple Day
- Australia's Biggest Morning Tea
September:
- 40 Hour Famine begins (Community)
- RUOK Day (Community)
| October:
- Cav Quest (Arts)
- World Teachers Day
- Mole Day (STEM Prefects)
November:
- Senior Gift Presented
- Year 12 farewell
- Graduation
- Awards Night
|
Student Support Services
Guidance Officers
The school's Guidance Officers are trained counsellors who are available to speak with students and parents on matters concerning the welfare of students. This includes personal, academic and career counselling, cognitive assessments and appropriate student placements. Referrals to various support agencies are available.
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| School Based Youth Health Nurse - Sandra Chesney Our Youth Health Nurse works with students, staff and parents to: address concerns about health and wellbeing; create a more supportive healthy school environment; connect people to other support services inside and outside of the school. This is a confidential service. |
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| School Chaplain - Jules Neri
Chaplains complement other school-based support services focused on promoting student wellbeing. They do this through facilitating pastoral conversations and social and emotional groups and supporting whole school wellbeing activities.
School chaplains operate in the 'promotion, prevention and early intervention' space rather than the 'treatment and continuing care' space inhabited by many other helping professionals. They work in a support role, rather than in a counselling or case management role, referring complex issues onto other professionals and specialists. School chaplaincy services are available to everyone in a school, and students, parents/carers and staff all access chaplaincy services. While chaplains aren't employed to counsel or case manage, they do complement other school support services by offering support through pastoral conversations. Another important feature of school chaplaincy is its high regard for spirituality, an integral part of overall health and wellbeing. School chaplains provide opportunities for students, parents/carers and staff in schools to explore their spirituality and to take advantage of spiritual strengths, assets and resources available to them. Our Chaplain Jules is available on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
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