Student Health and Wellbeing
Our Student Wellbeing Strategy and the work that all staff at Coorparoo State School undertake with regards to student health and wellbeing is complemented by Be You.
As a Be You Learning Community, our staff are equipped with resources to initiate conversations about mental health and to provide practical strategies to identify and provide early support to students.
Be You also provides system wide tools for noticing emotional changes and strategies on how best to respond to these. When we act in ways to get things back on track, we can make an enormous difference to their mental health and improve their educational outcomes.
Mental health conditions can be complex and are often different for each child and these exist on a continuum.
At Coorparoo State School we use the Be You Mental Health Continuum as our guide; to increase our understanding of mental health, and to assist us in determining the level of concern (via our support referral pathway). These actions are determined by our Whole Child Learning Supports Team which proactively responds to all such referrals.
The Be You Mental Health Continuum
At one end, Flourishing represents optimal functioning in which a child or young person feels good, functions well, relates well with others, and approaches their learning with purpose, curiosity and optimism.
Next are children and young people who are Going OK. They experience good mental health and an absence of frequent or significant feelings of distress.
In the Struggling range are children and young people who may come to the attention of educators due to more noticeable but generally time-limited periods of distress which have a mild impact on their behaviour, learning and relationships.
These experiences may either be a) an expected part of development and growing up, b) an expected emotional reaction to challenging life circumstances, or c) the early signs of an emerging mental health condition.
Finally, children and young people at the far right-hand-side of the continuum have thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are distressing and are a severely impacting everyday activities.
Children and young people shift back and forth along the continuum.
Mental health changes over time in response to different stresses and experiences. There are many factors, both internal and external, that affect where someone generally sits on the continuum, and also where they sit at any given point in time.
Most children and young people sit at the positive mental health end of the continuum, most of the time.
In our everyday role as educators, our aim is to continually help nudge students towards Flourishing so that they may each reach their full social, emotional and academic potential.
However, many children and young people will demonstrate changes in their relationships, behaviour and learning that suggest they may be in, or are moving towards, the severely impacting end of the continuum.
Development and context matters
When thinking about where a child or young person is on the continuum, we consider their age as a very wide range of emotions and behaviours are expected at different stages of development.
We also consider the context and what's going on in their life. Strong emotional and behavioural reactions are understandable and expected when someone is faced with difficult circumstances and should not necessarily be considered signs of a mental health condition.
Thoughts, emotions and behaviours are also influenced by many other factors that need to be considered, such as temperament, cultural background, and the presence of learning and developmental disabilities.
Determining whether a change in a child or young person can be explained by age and context or whether it's the early signs that a mental health condition is developing, can be hard and may only become clear over time.
That said, it is not our role to diagnose or make conclusions about a child or young person's state of mental health.
That's what mental health professionals do. The Mental Health Continuum is merely a guide to increase our understanding of mental health, assist in determining our level of concern and inform our actions.
Student Wellbeing Strategy 2020-2024
Created in 2020, the strategy has at its core fundamental definitions included in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, namely the 'Aims of Education' (Article 29) that determines our obligation towards:
The development of the child's personality, talent and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential … the development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural identity, language and values … the preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirt of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes and friendships among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin.
The goal of our strategy: To create a positive school culture that embeds student wellbeing into all aspects of school life.
What guides us: Australian Student Wellbeing Framework (Student Wellbeing Hub), Student Learning and Wellbeing Framework (Queensland Department of Education), Acting Compatibly with Human Rights (Queensland Human Rights Commission)
What we aim to achieve: To develop and implement a framework that provides every student with the strongest foundation possible for them to reach their aspirations in learning and in life. The vision is to create school wide learning communities that promote student wellbeing, safety and positive relationships so that students can reach their full potential.
The 2020-2024 Coorparoo State School Student Wellbeing Strategy seeks to absorb this into a framework of design, development, implementation, review and consolidation.
| When we collectively seek to develop these aspects of wellbeing: |
| IDENTITY AND AGENCY | PUBLIC SPIRIT | EMOTIONAL REGULATION | COGNITIVE REGULATION | SOCIAL SKILLS |
Culture & connection Empowerment & self-independence Inclusion & belonging | Engagement with peers & community Student voice Service & responsibility | High expectations & authentic relationships Recognition & respect of differences Strength recognition | Academic resilience & self-efficacy Creativity & innovation Agility & curiosity Growth orientation | Self-management & responsible decision making Empathy & communication Optimism |
| When we collectively embrace the needs of all children to be and to feel: |
| HEALTHY | SAFE | ENGAGED | SUPPORTED | CHALLENGED |
A curriculum that reinforces the health & wellbeing of all students by addressing these four dimensions of health: PHYSICAL MENTAL EMOTIONAL SOCIAL A school wide approach to addressing lifetime fitness/exercise knowledge, attitudes, behaviours and skills. Promotion & reinforcement of healthy eating patterns. Collaboration with parents & caregivers and community in promoting sustainable hygiene practices. Emphasis on developing & maintaining positive relationships. | A school wide framework that defines & upholds principles of SOAR through this model of delivery: EXPLAIN
MODEL
REHEARSE
REVIEW Opportunities to access safe & supportive environments across the school. Access to a supportive network of peers, staff, family and community in the context of ensuring 'stable & predictable" environments. Simple processes to report harmful, unsafe, unethical and bullying behaviours. Participation in safe, organised events across the school day. | A clearly defined framework around challenging, engaging & intentional instruction for all staff. Defined school processes and opportunities that reinforce academic rigour, civic responsibility & social engagement. A rigorous curriculum that promotes real world understanding, global relevance & application of learned content. Access to a range of inquiry based, experiential learning tasks. | Personalised learning & expectations for all students in meeting academic & social goals. Access to whole child learning supports be them academic, social or emotional needs. Deliberate and mandated authenticity of relationships. A differentiated approach to teaching & learning, extra-curricular endeavours & opportunities. Clearly defined & consistent behaviour response protocols & processes. | A current, challenging & comprehensive curriculum across all content areas accessible by all. Deep analysis of quantitative & qualitative evidence to support & define future academic & social learning opportunities. Identification and offering of cross curriculum priorities for all learners. A curriculum & pedagogical framework that provides opportunities for all students to develop critical thinking & reasoning skills, problem solving competencies and digital proficiencies |
| Then we can expect to see, embedded into action, a learning process that empowers all learners to engage in their learning - through the language of growth & development and a belief that all students are capable of learning successfully (Coorparoo State School Powerful Learning Framework 2020) |
Our work in this field was recognised in 2021 being awarded the Queensland Department of Education Regional Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools. https://coorparooss.eq.edu.au/our-school/awards-and-achievements
Consolidating our work in this area, are nationally accredited and endorsed programs that include:
Be You Mental Health Continuum
https://beyou.edu.au/resources/mental-health-continuum
Australian Curriculum General Capabilities (Personal and Social Capability)
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/personal-and-social-capability/
Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (Victorian Education Department)
https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/ResourcePackage/ByPin?pin=2JZX4R
SAFEMinds
https://safeminds.org.au/schools/nip-it-in-the-bud/
Zones of Regulation
https://www.zonesofregulation.com/learn-more-about-the-zones.html
THE ZONES OF REGULATION
WHAT ARE THE ZONES OF REGULATION?
The Zones of Regulation framework and curriculum (Kuypers, 2011) teaches students scaffolded skills toward developing a metacognitive pathway to build awareness of their feelings/internal state and utilize a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness. This includes exploring tools and strategies for mindfulness, sensory integration, movement, thinking strategies, wellness, and healthy connection with others. The Zones of Regulation provides a common language and compassionate framework to support positive mental health and skill development for all, while serving as an inclusion strategy for neurodiverse learners, those who have experienced trauma, and/or have specific needs in terms of social, emotional, and behavioural development.
The Zones of Regulation creates a systematic approach to teach regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete coloured zones. Integrating in cognitive behavior therapy, students build skills in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functioning, and social cognition. The framework is designed to help move students toward more independent regulation while also honouring and respecting each student and their unique self.
The Zones of Regulation curriculum incorporates Social Thinking® (www.socialthinking.com) concepts and numerous printable visuals to support students in identifying their feelings/level of alertness, understanding how their behavior impacts outcomes, problem solving conflicts and learning what tools they can use to regulate their Zones.
THE FOUR ZONES: OUR FEELINGS & STATES DETERMINE OUR ZONE
The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone.
The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions; however, one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.
The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone. This is the zone where optimal learning occurs.
The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.
The Zones can be compared to traffic signs. When given a green light or in the Green Zone, one is “good to go". A yellow sign means be aware or take caution, which applies to the Yellow Zone. A red light or stop sign means stop, and when one is the Red Zone this often is the case. The Blue Zone can be compared to the rest area signs where one goes to rest or re-energize. All of the zones are natural to experience, but the framework focuses on teaching students how to recognize and manage their Zone based on the environment and its demands and the people around them. For example, when playing on the playground or in an active/competitive game, students are often experiencing a heightened internal state such as silliness or excitement and are in the Yellow Zone, but it may not need to be managed. However, if the environment is changed to the library where there are different expectations than the playground, students may still be in the Yellow Zone but have to manage it differently so their behavior meets the expectations of the library setting.
BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING THE ZONES
INCLUSION: The Zones provides a compassionate framework to support positive mental health and social/emotional learning (SEL) for all, while serving as an inclusion strategy for learners with neurodiversities, those who have experienced trauma, and/or have specific goals related to their social, emotional, and behavioural development.
BEST PRACTICES: The Zones integrates best practices around Trauma Informed Care and mental health supports, aligning with the CASEL core competencies. In addition, The Zones incorporates numerous best practices for instruction with learners with neurodiversity. STEP 1 -
PROACTIVE/SKILL-BASED: The Zones shifts the overall mindset in school environments from a behavioral lens to a universal skill development lens, fostering a healthy school climate.
COMMON LANGUAGE: The Zones provides a neutral and simple language and a systematic framework, improving communication for students and staff.
EFFECTIVE: Schools report implementing The Zones of Regulation increases both student and staff skills and efficacy in SEL while decreasing the need for punitive measures within a school site.
Explore Coorparoo State School - SchoolTV website to find additional parent resources via: https://coorparooss.eq.schooltv.me/