Community Relations and Wellbeing by Clare Lacey

At Newcastle Grammar School (NGS) we have deliberately chosen Positive Education to bring together best practice teaching and learning with acquiring the skills and mindsets to flourish. As a Visible Wellbeing School, we have a shared language for what we have always known – positive relationships matter. As psychotherapist Esther Perel asserts, “The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.”

As humans we are hard-wired for connection and our wellbeing is directly linked to the experiences that we share with others. Schools are such important places to build relationships that not only help us to rise to both academic and social challenges but that transcend time and have the capacity to sustain us throughout our lives. It is always wonderful to see the power of these lasting relationships at our annual school reunions—sharing moments and memories from school, even twenty or thirty years later, is very special.

At NGS, a strengths-based approach has been adopted across the entire school as part of our Positive Education programme. This is not only applied within the school, but it also extends through the entire landscape, including our alumni. As our communities begin to socialise again, the need for connection and shared experiences is apparent and our events team is busier than ever creating ways to reengage with our stakeholders—past, present, and future.

We curate opportunities for members of our extended school family to offer their strengths. One annual event that showcases inspiring alumni stories is our Year 11 Positive Education Conference which focuses on “Me, We…Us.” Through sharing in the strengths and stories of our alumni, our Year 11 students learn about the importance of relationships and other positive psychology principles such as growth mindset, grit, flow, gratitude, and mindfulness. Every year our feedback indicates that students love their interactions with our alumni volunteers and appreciate the power of being part of something bigger than themselves.

Later this year we will launch our intergenerational School Ties Breakfast Series, which will be another example of the strength of NGS relationships over time, with current students in attendance with their alumni parents or grandparents.

We are also very excited to bring our Wellbeing Breakfast series to the broader Newcastle community to share our strengths-based approach along with some of the wellbeing practices, strategies, and interventions that we use to help our community and local businesses flourish. It is very exciting to be part of a positive ripple effect that takes the language of wellbeing beyond NGS and into the wider world.

Relationships really are central to our subjective wellbeing and vital to our experience of being human. We are very proud of the way we support positive relationships across our entire community at Newcastle Grammar School.

Clare Lacey
Committee Member/ Regional
Head of Community Relations
Newcastle Grammar School