From the Deputy Head Master
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen
At Trinity, we take the welfare and wellbeing of your sons very seriously. One way this is reflected in the School’s procedures is through the Welfare Teams. If a member of the staff or parent has a concern about a boy’s wellbeing or mental health, a referral is generated and triaged at the weekly Welfare Team meetings at the Senior School, Middle School, Preparatory School and Junior School. Each referral is handled individually, and a team approach is taken for each case. A referral may involve the TESS Counselling and Psychological Support Service, it may involve the TESS Academic Support Service, or it may require a referral and liaison with external professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, paediatricians or community mental health teams. The Welfare Teams continue to meet during lockdown. Recommencing this week, your sons were asked to respond to Skodel, our weekly wellbeing pulse check. They are asked three questions; how they are feeling, what things are having a positive or negative impact on their wellbeing, and the third question asks whether they would like to talk to someone. We will ask your sons to respond each Wednesday to help us, and you, keep our fingers on the wellbeing pulse.
An integral aspect of our commitment to the welfare of your sons, is the Counselling and Psychological Support Service. Mr Tim Smith, Ms Sandi Bell, Ms Sue Boursiani, Ms Cara Chillari and Mr Micah Boerma make up the TESS Counselling and Psychological Support Service Team, and all of whom are Registered Psychologists. Your son may never require their services but, if he does, he will be in good hands.
If you sense your son needs support, if you notice he is not his usual self, or if he verbalises that he is struggling with his emotional health, it is important to keep open lines of communication in your family and with the School. Encourage him to talk with a trusted adult, a family member, his Housemaster, or confidentially with one of our School Psychologists who continue to provide remote counselling sessions, support and advice during lockdown. The Counselling and Psychological Support Service may be contacted on 9581 6035 or send a confidential email to ecare@trinity.nsw.edu.au
Alternatively, you may prefer to point him in the direction of some of the online services where he (and you) can speak, anonymously if you choose, to a trained professional. For example, he (and you) can chat with e-headspace at https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/ or you can talk with someone at the Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. We encourage your son to speak openly with the people in his support network about how he is feeling, to continue to engage in activities, and to maintain his social and family connections.
Bradley Barr | Deputy Head Master – Summer Hill
