Director of Wellbeing, Matthew Porter
From the Director of Wellbeing, Matt Porter
Wellbeing Interviews
On Monday of this week students and their families had their first opportunity for a sit down conversation with their Wellbeing Mentor. A care feature of the Wellbeing model is the continuity of care. Beginning in 2017, students will have the same Wellbeing Mentor and the same Head of House all the way through their Senior School journey. The Wellbeing Mentor plays an integral role in forming positive connections with our boys and supporting them throughout their education; academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. The purpose of Monday’s interviews was to put a face to a name, make your first experience with the College for the year a positive one and open the channels of communication.
One of the biggest protective factors in adolescent mental health and wellbeing is social connectedness and positive relationships. Positive relationships between students and school staff help to create a school community where all students feel safe, supported, valued and respected. This is likely to be especially important for those students who are exposed to a number of risk factors in their home, school and in the broader community.
Any parents or families who were unable to attend or have information regarding their sons that they wish to share, please contact the Wellbeing Mentor, Head of House or myself.
Student Representative Council (SRC) Applications
Waverley College aims to provide each student with a variety of leadership offerings, curricular, sport, co-curricular and pastoral programs to support their learning journey. Participation in student leadership is highly encouraged in order to promote student voice and enable participation in decision-making processes within the College.
The SRC will act as a conduit between boys and young men of Waverley, teaching staff and the College executive. This group will have a significant role to play in the Social Justice programs and the opportunity to develop change initiatives in the best interests of the student body.
In 2017 there will be a significant restructuring of the SRC in line with the new Wellbeing Model. There will be 16 positions for each year level, 2 per house with 96 total positions available across the College. Applications must be submitted in writing to the Wellbeing Centre Reception Desk, 3rd Floor, Conlon Building no later than 5:00 pm on Monday 20th of February.
Wellbeing Launch Parent Information Night – Thursday 2nd March, 6:00-7:30pm
The show of positive support and feedback from our parents and the wider community has been nothing short of outstanding. There have been a flood of emails and phone calls from those wanting to find out more about the College’s commitment to holistic personal success. We are fortunate to have a large number of parents, friend and relatives with valuable skills and expertise in aspects of wellbeing, pastoral care and positive education.
We are running a Parent Information Evening for those of you who wish to find out more about the purpose built wellbeing curriculum or offer your input in shaping the learning experience of our boys moving forward.
I am delighted to work with our Guest Speaker James Cummins from the Positivity Project on this exciting venture. For more information on James’ work please see the link below. More specific information regarding the evening will be distributed by email in the coming days.
https://positivityproject.com.au
