Welcome back to Term 3. In my last report I took the opportunity to encourage parents/carers to spend some time connecting with your students through informal conversations. Given the weather that we have had over the last two weeks, hopefully you had the opportunity to engage in these discussions with the young people that you are supporting.

Staff have taken a considerable amount of time to complete school reports with these being generated at the commencement of the school holidays. While you are automatically drawn to assessment tasks and exam results, I draw your attention to the reporting of social and emotional competencies within this document. The competencies of organisation, confidence, persistence, engaging in relationships and resilience have been identified as the key tools in supporting wellbeing for learning. The contributions that parents and carers can make in supporting these skills is undeniable. If you see an opportunity to support your students, I encourage you to do so. Making sure that all resources are right to go for Semester 2 classes assists with organisation. Modelling skills in perseverance as you go about your daily duties is one way to demonstrate this skill. I really encourage you to acknowledge growth that your student may have displayed in these skills.

Tonight, Damascus College is conducting its inaugural Middle Years Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum. The forum is focused on a community response in supporting students with their mental health and wellbeing. The College will outline services which are available on campus, online and within the wider Ballarat community. A speaker from Ballarat Youth Mental Health will attend to discuss various services which are available. The College will also discuss results obtained from student surveys, and what this indicates about the levels of mental health and wellbeing of our students. Tickets are still available for this event and can be purchased through https://www.trybooking.com/CJFIW.

The wellbeing team looks forward to supporting our students throughout the semester.