Student Services @TC
““Wellbeing is the development of the capabilities necessary to thrive, contribute and respond positively to the challenges and opportunities of life.” ”
Establishing inclusive places of learning where students feel connected, known, and are treated respectfully by their peers and adults is essential for young people to achieve their full potential. TC’s whole-school wellbeing framework is designed to support this process through a natural, relational and authentic approach. In this way, our wellbeing model integrates throughout our community organically and is embedded within all that we do. It is not separate from learning but intertwined and integral to it.
Strong Relationships and Connections
At our core, we believe that all students should have at least one key adult staff member with whom they naturally connect and can go to as their first port of call. TC’s passion-based learning model naturally supports this, as we see our students building strong connections across the various learning contexts of our school.
Our teachers and school staff are key personnel in setting the overall positive climate and culture of the school and contribute to this by supporting student wellbeing within the following evidence-based areas:
Student Confidence
Encouraging a growth mindset
Normalise the struggle – Failure is a learner’s best friend
Provide continuous feedback and assessment
Support the concept of ‘self as learner’
Maintain clear behavioural expectations so that all learners can feel safe
Student Engagement
Establish learning environments that are welcoming and inclusive
Facilitate learning that is appropriately challenging for all students
Build on student passions and interests by facilitating opportunities for authentic student agency within learning
Student Motivation
Model being a learner
Listen and action student feedback
Invite and welcome students to learn and seek help
Co-create high quality learning
Connect
The Connect Mentor supports students across their broad schooling experience. Mentors frequently work with students over multiple years, getting to know them and their families, and being an additional support and advocate for our students.
A Connect mentor meets with their group 2 times a week on a Wednesday and Friday
Connect Mentors:
Answer student questions and concerns
Advocate on a student’s behalf to enable access to required supports
Guide students through the annual course counselling process, including review of subject selections and 5-year plans
Engage in conversations around personal and group learning
Utilise ICT platforms to monitor student personal growth
Disseminate school information regarding supports and events
Build awareness of local and world events
To read more about the Connect program’s structure and purpose, please click here.
Increased Support
In addition to these more natural links, we understand that there are times and circumstances where the complexity of a student’s needs may require additional support and services to be put in place. In these instances, we have various teams available to increase support where and when it is needed.
Our aim is to facilitate successful learning outcomes for our students by reducing social, emotional and economic barriers to education within a safe and inclusive school community. Our Student Services staff provide solution-focused interventions regarding a wide range of social, school, family and emotional issues that may impact negatively on school engagement and learning.
Community Executive Teams
Our school communities of Blue, Gold, Green and Red are a key part of our wellbeing and learning structure, which works towards ensuring that every student is known, supported and has positive experiences during their time at TC.
Each Community Executive Team (CET) consists of a Community Director, Community Leaders, an Educational Support Attendance Officer and Youth Workers. These teams generally form the first point of contact for students, parents/carers and teachers to discuss and access support for any higher level needs or issues that a student might be experiencing.
This team also works with Connect Mentors, to provide community links, foster connectedness, and oversee learning and wellbeing for those students within each Community.
Our CETs are located within S Wing and are staffed by team members between 8:00am - 4:00pm Monday to Thursday and 8:00am - 2:30pm on Friday. In most cases, these teams will be available and contactable during these times for students to drop-in.
The work of CETs revolves around:
Bullying/Harassment
Requests to change class
Friendship issues
Immediate grief responses
Stress/workload issues
Study plans
Social media issues
General anxiousness
Attendance
Specialist Wellbeing Services Team
The Specialist Wellbeing Services Team (SWS) extend on the work of the CET to provide additional health and wellbeing support to TC students and community. They work together with students, staff, parents/guardians, as well as community organisations and local agencies to offer every student at the school access to support. The SWS Team will become involved when more intensive escalation supports are required due to the complex nature of the student’s needs.
The SWS Team comprises of:
Social Workers - provide short term case work, individual and small group support and crisis intervention. They coordinate external support services and advocate on behalf of students to outside organisations. Social Workers provide consultation to teachers and are also part of Student Support Group Meetings (SSGs) where advice is provided around mental health and wellbeing.
Mental Health Practitioner (MHP) - provides short term intervention for students with mild to moderate mental health needs and liaises with the relevant internal and external services where students need more intensive support. Signed consent is sought before commencing intervention services.
Psychologist - provides an assessment service to investigate whether a student has a disability and/or learning difficulty. They also provide expertise and advice on supporting students with learning difficulties in the classroom. Signed consent is required before commencing the assessment service.
Our SWS Team is also located in S Wing. This space is staffed:
8am to 4:30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
8am to 4pm on Wednesdays
8am to 2:30pm on Fridays
Specialist Wellbeing Services Referral Process
All referrals to SWS are made through the CETs, via the Compass referral process, to inform this team of escalations, supports or interventions required. SWS only receive referrals through this process. Parents/carers concerned about a student should contact the relevant CET via the emails provided above. Please note that if a situation is an emergency, parents/carers should contact 000.
Referrals will be allocated to the SWS team member that is most appropriate based on need, experience, knowledge of the student/family and current capacity. Our SWS team consists of social workers, a Mental Health Practitioner and an psychologist. Our team will endeavour to contact a student/family within 48 hours after referral allocation. However, this will depend on the priority and urgency of the supports needed.
Learning Supports
Learning Support includes a wide range of supports for students with additional learning needs. This work involves all students who are funded under the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) as well as those students whose diagnosis means that they require adjustments and/or modifications to their curriculum. These adjustments and supports are designed to allow students to access their education and experience success. Support is determined through consultation with parents, teachers, students and also includes input from any external professionals such as psychologists or speech pathologists.
Learning support work is informed by evidence-based diagnoses and recommendations from professionals. Students’ Individual Education Plans are discussed at SSG meetings where all those involved in supporting the student are included in planning and goal setting.
The Learning Support area is assisted by a team of Educational Support (ES) staff who work in the classroom to support the teachers in the delivery of their curriculum. ES staff work at the direction of the classroom teacher and work across all subject areas.
Our Indigenous Support Mentor works with Indigenous students both in and out of the classroom. Their role includes being part of SSGs and to liaise with teachers regarding culturally appropriate content and approaches to learning. They provide classroom support across a range of subjects.
An important focus of this work is to consider cultural safety within the school environment, including the implementation of indigenous art and design throughout the school space.
Community Integrated Learning
Community Integrated Learning encompasses a broad range of school programs that support wellbeing, community, and learning at TC. Our Community Integrated Learning program builds school connectedness and belonging, fosters positive mental health outcomes, as well as generates improved academic outcomes.
Activities in this space include:
Community Integrated Learning weeks
Connect TV – our very own show exploring topical themes, student achievements, and school events
Development Learning - study skills, inclusive sex education, respectful relationships, driver safety programs, drug and alcohol education
Student Leadership – peer support, student leadership roles, community engagement
Whole school events and carnivals that build and celebrate the many communities we have at TC
Community Integrated Learning Weeks
Each term TC explore a Community Integrated Learning theme. Students explore aspects of this theme in their classes and during Colour Community events with the aim of building shared experiences and a strong sense of belonging and connectedness. Examples of previous themes include: ‘Body, Mind, Spirit’, ‘Global Citizenship’ and ‘Our Place on Country’.