A Time of Welcome and Support

Across two evenings, Monday 9 February and Monday 16 February, our schedule of Family Welcome and Parent Information evenings have been significant events. In the Junior School, we were fortunate to hear from Madhavi Nawana Parker, Director of Positive Minds Australia, whose session on Raising Happy and Resilient Children reminded us of the powerful role we play in the lives of the young people in our care. Her message about being “the calm in the children’s storms,” normalising problems and supporting them to build the skills of resourcefulness and resilience resonated deeply with many of us. 

The Junior School session also included an invaluable Cybersafe workshop for Year 4 families, facilitated by Cybersafe Families, which provided practical strategies for keeping our children safe online. This complemented the important messages shared with our Year 3–6 students earlier in the day, reinforcing our collective commitment to digital wellbeing. 

Year 8 & 9 parents/guardians were provided with valuable insight into supporting adolescent wellbeing. Clinical psychologist Dr Tom Nehmy, Director and Founder of Healthy Minds, presented Seven Secrets to a Healthy Mind, outlining key ingredients for effective self-management of mental health and offering practical reflection questions and conversation starters for parents to use with their daughters. His engaging and thought-provoking delivery left the room energised, with attending families and staff continuing to reflect on his insights and advice for nurturing mentally healthy young people throughout the middle school years.