Director of Mission and Pastoral Care P-12

Our academic resilience journey at Santa Sabina

In Semester 2 we have continued to work with students across the College, with a focus on students from Years 7-12,  on improving academic resilience. A number of opportunities have been made available to students this term that will help prepare them for the challenges of Year 12. We have also continued our participation in the Black Dog Institute’s Future Proofing Project with our Year 9 students as well as conducting our own surveys to ensure that we have a data-driven, evidence base for the programs we will put in place for 2023 and beyond.

Taking charge of Senior Study Stress – UTS workshop

Year 11 students took part in a workshop presented by The Kidman Centre at UTS on Tuesday 11 October. This session was appropriately timed to capture students at the end of their Year 11 Courses or at a midway point for IB students. This workshop provided strategies for students to handle some of the normal feelings of anxiousness and stress that come with the final year of their studies at school. Students walked away from this workshop with the capacity to create their own ‘recipe card’ for dealing with study induced stress.

Stepping Up to Year 12 Day 2022

On Wednesday 18 October all Year 12 students were involved in a Stepping up to Year 12 Day where they had the opportunity to have one-on-one discussions with our Academic and Pastoral Care Staff Leaders that covered areas of challenge and achievement from their Year 11 studies thus far and collaborative goal setting for Year 12. Students also spent time with their Pastoral Care teachers with a follow up to the Managing Stress workshop they completed the previous week. We were then joined by some of our Dominican Sisters to celebrate a Liturgy together where students were presented with their Year 12 badges and an inspiring prayer card created by the Dominican Sisters. This day was a sound combination of academic, pastoral and spiritual care that has allowed Year 11 to launch into their final year of schooling at Santa Sabina.

Study Without Stress Program

Ms Janine Barr and Ms Monica Bentivoglio are currently facilitating The Study Without Stress Program for selected students to help with their stress management as they prepare for their final HSC and IB studies. Study Without Stress (SWoS) is a program for students in Years 10 to 12 that equips them with knowledge and practical tips on how to approach and overcome the stress associated with heavy workloads and exams in the final years of high school. The program uses Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques to help participants get the most out of their final years at school whilst keeping stress to a manageable level. We will continue to run this program with small groups of students in 2023. 

Black Dog Institute Future Proofing Survey Year 9 2022

Our Year 9 students are currently participating in a five-year mental health study involving more than 6300 teenagers and facilitated by the Black Dog Institute. The aim of this Future Proofing Study is to devise preventative initiatives and to improve the overall situation of teen mental health. This study has already shown an increase in distress levels experienced by the students involved (6300 across Australia) over the past three years from 22% to 33%, with females experiencing higher levels than males. These data trends continue to be used by the Pastoral team to inform our planning and approach to the Pastoral care of all our students. 

Student surveys in Years 5-11

All students from Years 5-11 have recently participated in school-generated surveying regarding their wellbeing. These results will help to ensure staff knowledge of students is as wide-ranging as possible and that the College uses the data from such surveys to inform future plans in relation to Pastoral Care programs and all aspects of our wellbeing programs at the College.

Student Ministry Formation and World Youth Day

Our Dean of Mission invites students to become more involved in our faith tradition in this important article in this edition of Veritas Voice. Please have a look:

Melanie van der Meer
Director of Mission and Identity