My name is Sherrin Bell, and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the Guidance Officer.

What does the Guidance Officer do?

The role of the Guidance Officer is to: advocate, provide short term counselling, analyse and interpret  a variety of psychoeducational assessment and individual student support, provide recommendations and advice to students, teachers and parents concerning educational, behavioural, mental health and family issues and liaise with external agencies who also support students.

How can a student access the Guidance Officer?

• All students require parental consent to access support from the Guidance Officer.
• Teachers and school staff can refer a student to the Guidance Officer by the S.W.A.T Team referral process.
• External agencies and health professionals such as GPs, Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS), Child Safety, psychologists and psychiatrists can also contact the Guidance Officer if a permission to share information form is signed.

IMPORTANT! Please note that accessing the support of the Guidance Officer is voluntary and students can decline an invitation to meet with me.

Confidentiality:

The Guidance Officer works within the boundaries of confidentiality. This means that I do not share anything the student discusses with me unless they disclose:

• They are experiencing thoughts or have plans to hurt themselves.
• They are experiencing thoughts or have plans to hurt someone else.
• They have been hurt / abused by someone else (eg: physical, emotional, neglect and sexual abuse).

In the event of disclosure, I will contact you, as the parent immediately, with the exception of student protection matters where there may need to be some discretion involved.

Tips for Term 1

You may have experienced or are continuing to see mixed emotions from your children about returning to school. Some students will be ready and excited to start a new school year but not all students will be thrilled with the idea of coming back. Here are some helpful tips on how to support your student and encouraging a positive mindset for returning to school:

• Be positive about returning to school

Have conversations with your child and ask them how they are feeling about returning to school. What are they looking forward to? Is there anything they are worried about? If your child expresses anxiety, reassure them that this is normal.

• Be prepared

Ensure you keep up-to-date with what the school year is going to look like. Parents are provided with regular updates when school events return and in what format. Make sure you explain to your child the happenings of the school activities. Knowing what is happening will provide your child with confidence. If circumstances change, be honest with your student and encourage them to talk about how they are feeling. We are living in uncertain and ever-changing times. It is important that we encourage our children to develop flexibility and resiliency and how to put those skills into practice.

• Having conversations with your student about COVID-19

A lot of parents have expressed to me concern about how to discuss the current pandemic with their children. It is up to the parent whether or not they choose to discuss the pandemic with their children, however it should be noted that many children may often discuss the topic in the playground. The Principal is actively notifying the schooling community when they have been alerted to positive cases within the school.  If you would like some advice on how to discuss COVID-19 with your child, here is a helpful age-appropriate link from a reputable site:

• Re-establish routines

Holidays usually mean later bedtimes, longer sleep-ins, more screen time, different meal times and foods, different activities, different people in the house (friends, family). Now is a good time to start getting back to school-time routines. Earlier bedtimes, set meal times, less screen time. This will help not only your student but yourself get back into the swing of things.

• Update the school

If there have been any changes to family circumstances over the holidays (eg: grief or loss, change in care arrangements, parental separation), please advise your class teacher so that they can monitor your child. All staff at Wondall Heights State School want to be sensitive to individual student circumstances and provide support where required.

• If you need help and support

If your child is struggling with the return to school, you are not alone. Please contact your class teacher and let us know your concerns.

Parents and carers also need to take care of themselves! There’s a reason why they say to fit your own oxygen mask before helping anyone else. Here are some support services for young people and parents:

• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800;
• Parentline: 1300 30 1300

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Warm regards

Sherrin Bell

Guidance Officer/Provisional Psychologist