Wellbeing Update

eSmart Digital License+

Vicky Gemmell

Deputy PrincipalStudent Wellbeing and Development

As part of the Quaerite Wellbeing Program, the Year 5s and 6s have embarked on earning their eSmart Digital Licenses� Shelford makes use of eSmart guidelines and resources to embrace the benefits of technology while reducing children’s exposure to cyber risks The eSmart Digital Licence+ sees students engaging in an online intelligence-building experience, which explores the knowledge and skills they need to harness the opportunities, as well as deal with the challenges, of the digital world

Staff Professional Learning

Pauline Cutajar

Head of Junior SchoolStudent Wellbeing and Development

At Shelford, we are incredibly fortunate to have innovative student wellbeing programs and robust wellbeing support structures In support of this we are committed to the ongoing professional development of our staff�

This term, there have been three Student WellbeingProfessional Learning workshops delivered to staff by members of our Counselling Team. The first of these was around Test Anxiety

The session with all staff provided education around the relationship between stress and performance, the differing effects of test anxiety, its symptoms, potential causes and importantly, strategies for supporting students A Webinar for parents has also been developed on this topic

Year 12 Leadership Project

Rebecca Wright

Year

11-12

Coordinator

The Class of 2023 have engaged in an Ethical Leadership program that challenges students to reflect on the values that are relevant to them as individuals and the values they believe describes their cohort as a collective At the conclusion of their first session the students decided to encapsulate the values of Kindness, Community and Acceptance in 2023

With their values statement in mind, the culmination of Semester 1’s program challenged students to devise ways to put these values into action Part of this action plan included the Class of 2023 devising a leadership, Legacy Project We challenged students to reflect on the way they could leave Shelford a better place and on ways they could contribute to the school to demonstrate their values�

The Class of 2023 decided on the remodelling of the Paul Simpson Memorial as their legacy project� They devised a proposal for its development including a mission statement that aligned the project to their values and engaged in fundraising efforts to make this project a reality� In Term 3 they look forward to making this project a reality

Professional Learning workshops were also run on supporting neurodivergent students – one for all staff, and one for VCE teachers Someone who is neurodivergent processes information, learns, behaves, and communicates in ways that are not typical of most individuals; people who are autistic, have ADHD, dyslexia, or other specific learning disorders fall under the umbrella term of neurodivergence

While it is unclear how many people are neurodivergent, statistics in Australia range from 12% to 40% of the population Research suggests that girls are more likely than boys to internalise their difficulties, leading to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem Neurodivergent girls also commonly ‘mask’ (hiding or suppressing aspects of their diagnosis to gain greater social acceptance)�

These workshops aimed to develop teachers’ understanding of neurodivergence and provided information on how neurodivergence can present in a school setting, as well as practical strategies teachers and staff can use to help these students meet their potential�