ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY Weekly Newsletter
INSPIRE AND TRANSFORM: THE DIFFERENCE OUR PUPILS MAKE
ISSUE 15.2 JANUARY 24TH
2014 FOR PARENTS, CARERS, FAMILIES & PARISHES
Ben Davis, Acting Headteacher Grassyards Rd Kilmarnock KA3 7SL 01563 526144 www.saintjosephsacademy.co.uk Twitter: @StJoAcad
This cute thing is a grey seal pup. Remember when Mrs. Pyott’s Home Room raised money for Hessilhead Wildlife Trust before Christmas? Well, this is what they saved. We received a lovely letter of thanks from the Trust (not from the seal - they can’t write) and hope to work with them again.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Inter-generational Conference
Please take some time and make a special effort to read the short piece below.
Staff from Volunteer Centre East Ayrshire are organising an inter-generational conference here in St Joseph’s Academy on Friday 14th March. Residents from a local sheltered housing complex will attend and pupils from 4 EAC secondary schools will be present but we need your help!
On Tuesday we enjoyed the first of four presentations from The Samaritans. They focused on the support they can provide to all people and on the issue of mental health in general. They also encouraged our S6 pupils to consider becoming volunteers. Later that day we met as a whole staff to discuss the issue of young people’s mental health and look at the school’s developing strategy for promoting good mental health and developing confidence and resilience. First and foremost we want to remove any stigma from mental health; we should be able to talk about it in the same we do about other, physical conditions. Secondly, we would like to emphasise that young people in the school are not alone and can talk to any adult about difficulties, uncertainties or challenging emotions they are experiencing. As a Catholic community of faith our absolute priority is acting out of love and concern for the wellbeing of all members of the community, particularly the most vulnerable. We would ask parents and carers to talk to young people about their feelings and their mental health and to approach the school with any concerns. We can provide support and have access to more specialised services if they are needed. Nobody needs to feel isolated or unable to ask for help, in fact making that first step and asking someone to assist is a brave and important thing to do.
If you are aged between 40 and 60 years old and would be able to spend the day in school talking to older and younger people about stereotyping, please contact Claire McInally by phone through the school office or by email on claire.mcinally@east-ayrshire.gov.uk The day will consist of a drama performance and discussion, some workshops and you would even get a free lunch!
The Samaritans can be contacted using the details below: 01563 531313 Email Samaritans: jo@samaritans.org Visit our branch: Samaritans Kilmarnock 45 Titchfield Street Kilmarnock 01563 531313