As you would be aware, students undertook the whole school Annual Wellbeing Survey last month. In the previous newsletter, we shared some results surrounding physical and social wellbeing, and our students’ awareness of the support structures at the College. It is my pleasure to continue to share with you the data on our students’ mental wellbeing, as well as key research and the support networks available.

Research has shown that goal setting places an important role in helping promote focus and aspiration. At ERC we are committed to helping the boys develop clear and achievable goals. Recently, these were made accessible to parents via TASS. I encourage you to talk regularly your son(s) about his goals and helping him to develop strategies to achieve these.

As we know, feeling stressed, anxious and/or worried is a normal reaction to challenging situations and environments. However, for some young people this feeling sticks around a little longer than they would like. Headspace provides some valuable tips to help young people manage anxiety. For more information on how to support your son(s) mental wellbeing, please access this link.

Communication, honesty and respect are foundations of healthy relationships. Ensuring that consent is understood and obtained is evidence of the respect that people have towards each other, no matter the situation or circumstance. It is fantastic to see that over 99% of students at Edmund Rice College understand the concept of consent and can identify when/how it is granted. This link provides a detailed explanation of the importance of consent in education and why we, as a College, place great emphasis on it.

A strengths-based approach focuses on identifying an individual’s personality traits and characteristics that can best support their growth and development. Having a positive mindset and utilising personal strengths allows students to find creative ways of engaging with challenges that they may encounter on their academic journey. Over the last couple of years, students in Years 7, 11 and 12 at ERC have had the opportunity to identify their top five strengths through the MyStrengths program. As the data above indicates, our sons can identify their personal strengths and utilise them to show learning and growth in their choices. This link provides a student perspective on the value of a strengths-based approach in their own lives, both academically and personally.

I also take this opportunity to remind parents of the College’s subscription to the My Strengths parenting courses, which are available to all our ERC parents free of charge. A link to these courses can be found here.

Mrs Hughes
Director of Pastoral Care & Wellbeing