Student Wellbeing

What We Believe

At Hillbrook we believe everyone plays a role in the wellbeing of our students.

Student support at Hillbrook takes many forms and all staff accept collective responsibility for all students, whether or not those students are in their classes.

Home Teachers

Each class has a Home Teacher, whose role it is to know each student well and to be in touch with their progress. The Home Teacher is also usually the first point of contact for parents who have any concerns about how a student may be going academically or personally.

A parent would contact a Home Teacher for any of the following:

  • General homework queries/issues
  • Study habits
  • Assessment schedules
  • Friendship or other social issues
  • Extended absence due to illness
  • Planned absence outside the regular holiday periods
  • Changes to family situation
  • Changes to health or medications
  • Behavioural expectations
  • Discipline of students over minor infringements
  • Uniform and grooming enquiries
  • Settling into class
  • Case management support of students needing additional specialist support within the school
  • Student attendance concerns

Year Coordinators

Every year level has a Year Coordinator, whose role it is to organise year level events, regularly liaise with and provide advice and/or assistance to the Home Teachers/Subject Teachers. The Year Coordinators in 2024 are:

Year 7 – Year Coordinator  – Claire Lenihan

Year 8 – Year Coordinator – Claire McNeilage

Year 9 – Year Coordinator – Tasha Romeo

Year 10 – Year Coordinator – Chantal Hargreaves

Year 11 – Year Coordinator – Mitch Burey

Year 12 – Year Coordinator – Vicki Hansen

Year Coordinators are the point of contact for the following:

  • Issues which may affect the entire year level
  • Student wellbeing and/or social concerns
  • Year level specific events
  • If a Home Teacher cannot be contacted
  • Concerns regarding subject selection and changing subjects
  • Concerns regarding assessment load
  • Case management
  • Concerns regarding content in the subject curriculum
  • Student attendance concerns
Head of Student Wellbeing

The Head of Student Wellbeing, Kerrin Holland, liaises with and provides advice to teachers and students across the School. Kerrin can be contacted regarding:
 

  • Social or emotional concerns
  • Enquiries about the Student Wellbeing Program
  • Friendship or other social concerns
  • Student goal setting
  • Child protection concerns
  • If a Home Teacher or Year Coordinator cannot be contacted
School Counsellors

The Student Counsellors are responsible for student welfare and for course and careers counselling. They can also be contacted for any of the following:

  • Serious or significant mental health concerns
  • Ongoing behaviours which are presenting a problem for the student’s learning, academic and social success
  • Matters of a confidential nature
  • Liaison with doctors and mental health professionals working with students
  • Child protection concerns

You can read more about their support and contact details here.

School Chaplain - David Adams

Hillbrook’s Chaplain is responsible for developing, organising and leading the presentation of all school ceremonies during the year. These include religious ceremonies, such as the Easter Service, as well as school ceremonies including the Welcome to New Staff, ANZAC Day and the Year 12 Farewell Assembly. This practice serves to remind us that God is the grounding of all we do.

Our Chaplain is the coordinator of Religious Studies and weekly Chapel Services. Be sure to watch one of his infamous online Chapels here.

David Adams is available to be contacted for the following:

  • Matters surrounding faith
  • Child protection issues
  • Matters of family or other confidential issues
  • Social or emotional concerns
Enrichment Centre

The Enrichment Centre provides advice and assistance for students with individual needs, ranging from learning difficulties and disabilities through to students’ special talents and interests.

The staff work closely with teachers and parents so that students with special needs are integrated into daily classes wherever possible. You can read more about the support the Enrichment Centre provides here.

Parents can contact the Enrichment Centre regarding:
 

  • Students struggling with study habits or routine
  • The ability to cope with high school or year level work load
  • Specific literacy or numeracy support
  • Modification to usual school program
  • Support for assignments and examinations
  • Assessment of literacy, numeracy and organisational skills
Student Protection Officers

School Protection Officers are a contact for students to liaise with if they are feeling unsafe; or to whom they can make complaints of harm, inappropriate behaviour or sexual abuse. You can find more information regarding Student Protection and our Student Protection Officers here. 

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Learning responsible behaviours

In an age of uncertainty and rapid change, young people face difficult tensions and choices.  At Hillbrook we aim to empower our community to make positive choices. Our core values of balance, collaborative behaviour, continuous learning and personal development are the key elements of the school’s approach.

The Declaration of Rights & Responsibilities is the working document on which student expectations and behaviours are founded. The fundamental principle of the Declaration is the need to balance rights and responsibilities and the broad aim is to encourage this balance and to enhance the welfare and progress of students.

Hillbrook aims to be pro-active in supporting students and to ensure they are aware of, and understand school policies and rules. Year Coordinators are responsible for each year from 7 to 12.

If a student makes a mistake or contravenes school policies or rules, a member of the Student Wellbeing Team and the Year Coordinator will address the issue with the student to ensure they understand what has gone wrong, what the consequences are, and a positive pathway going forward.

Students in Hillbrook Student Wellbeing Program

The framework for our Student Wellbeing Program revlolves around the work of Daniel Goleman and Peter Senge in their book, The Triple Focus.

Focusing on Ourselves…being engaged with what feels important, what we are enthused by, and building the skills and constructs that we can improve as we progress. Working on the part of the brain [prefrontal cortex] on managing ourselves – staying attentive. The ability to be mindful of distractions and impulses. The brain uses the same circuitry that helps us focus on a goal to also manage destructive emotions. It is a learnable skill and has significant potential for success in learning and life. It is a focus on what is happening to the brain and developing Cognitive Control.

 ‘Students must learn to pay attention to attention itself.’

 Tuning in to Other People… focus on other people, understanding how other people feel and how they think; using effective social skills, cooperation and teamwork. It forms the basis for empathy.  In the working world these skills are in the best team members, good organisational citizens and effective leaders.  Social-neuroscience teaches us about – ‘mirror neurons’ based on what we see in another person, their movements, emotions, and even intentions. It is not enough just to know how other people think or feel; we also need to be concerned about them and be ready to help.

 Understanding the Larger World… People have an innate capacity and intelligence to understand interconnectedness and systems. Cultivating an understanding of the larger world; cause and effect and action and consequences helps young people grow in their response to the dynamic complexities in which we live.  Being aware of and thinking about the larger world helps them to recognise the impact of time delays when exploring cause and effect and finding where unintended consequences emerge.

When students learn how to appreciate higher levels of social complexity, it not only deepens their understanding but also heightens their empathy in the context of every real societal issues.

 

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