Triage, Treatment and Teaching

Hello lovely Community,

I hope you are all well and had a beautiful break. It is so lovely to be back with you for Term 4.?

One of the many pleasures of my role is that I get to regularly speak to students and parents about various wellbeing supports and strategies. Everyone’s story is different and so every conversation is unique. There are, however, many universal truths about the human experience that continue to endure.?

When it comes to wellbeing interventions there is no panacea. When we are sick it is natural to want to find a remedy, but we don’t always know the best medicine. Sometimes we need a glass of water and a good sleep, other times we need a listening ear and a kind heart, while other times we need a professional who has the expertise to diagnose and prescribe. All these approaches are valid and contribute to our healing and holistic health.?

In addition to the importance of triage and treatment, when it comes to wellbeing, teaching is vital. Ideally, we would rather teach than treat, offering our young people an understanding of Wellbeing Science and how they can support themselves to flourish. That does not mean though that we do not offer the appropriate supports when they are needed. Indeed, our young people, even as they grow into not-so-young people, will always need us and wellbeing is about ongoing education.?

One way that we can offer wellbeing education is through Service Learning. One of the founders of Positive Psychology, Chris Peterson, famously said, that Positive Psychology could be summed up in three simple words… Other People Matter. So perhaps one of our most powerful wellbeing tools doesn’t live within us, but in the experience of others. When we are brave enough to lean into empathy and truly imagine the experience of others, that is when we can grow and simultaneously learn about ourselves and the world around us. This is wellbeing… feeling good, functioning well and doing good.?

Last Sunday our beautiful NGS Community demonstrated the extraordinary power of imagining the experience of others as we participated in Got Your Back Sista’s national fundraising campaign, I RUN FOR HER which seeks to address the appalling rates of domestic violence in this country. It was an absolute honour to see so many of our students, teachers and parents come together to support an incredible cause while also learning about their own wellbeing. This is the beauty of harnessing our strengths in the service of others, not only do others benefit, but we do too.?

In many ways events like I RUN FOR HER represent everything that is good about the human experience and everything wellbeing is all about. Got Your Back Sista offers triage, treatment and teaching as they support women and children in the community through their experiences of domestic and family violence. For us, last Sunday offered an opportunity for education, action and a lot of fun. In amongst some heartbreaking conversations about the abhorrent and insidious nature of domestic violence there was also joy. The moment that all the NGS participants completed the run and held hands to cross the finish line was incredibly special, representing the power of coming together for a shared purpose. It was also a symbol of the good that can come when you make wellbeing visible and offer people a chance to be part of something bigger than themselves.?

I am very proud to announce that NGS raised a total $8424! I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the students who participated and who helped to raise this incredible amount of money. It was amazing to see all the donations on our fundraising page from grandparents, brothers and sisters and family friends. On the day it was also so wonderful to have so many parents there to cheer us on. I would like to express my gratitude to our amazing new Wellbeing Prefects, Charlotte and Julian for their support, all the students who participated and my lovely colleagues who got involved… Big shoutout to Dr Parsons, Mrs Grant, Mrs Keane and Mr Ireland. Thank you so much! If you are interested in looking at some of the photos from the day, please go to the Got Your Back Sista Facebook page.?

I would now like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our beautiful Wellbeing Prefects for 2024/2025. I am so excited to work with Charlotte and Julian as they serve the NGS Community. They introduced themselves at the Year 7-9 Assembly this week and next week they will speak to Years 10-12. One of their important messages was inviting interested students to join them on the Wellbeing Team. All students are welcome, and we will be meeting on Mondays at lunchtime in HG6. We look forward to seeing you all there from Week 3.?

Wishing you all a wonderful Term 4. Please be in touch if you need anything, I am always here. I look forward to working with you all as we triage, treat and teach the ways of wellbeing together.?

Take care, sending love,?

Ms Marnie Thomas?