Santa Maria Wellbeing Programs and Initiatives

Our wellbeing programs and initiatives are driven by our Mental Health Strategy and also our Wellbeing Scope and Sequence. Created over a 12-month period and informed by ACARA’s social and emotional learning continuum, leading research and the emerging needs of our young people, our Wellbeing Scope and Sequence defines the social and emotional skills we aim to equip our students with across year groups.

In accordance with our Wellbeing Scope and Sequence, we address a range of mental health topics during regular pastoral care time – such as body image, mental health and social media, perfectionism and failure, and resilience. We’ve also developed specific programs, including:

The Balance Program
A targeted co-curricular program for Years 7 and 8 students who may be exhibiting low-level anxiety, irregular mood, or social concerns.

Reason for Being
Our Year 9 transition to upper-school transition program with a difference. This is a unique program to Santa Maria that focuses on shifting our students’ thinking and challenging them, as they come into their senior years, to consider who they want to be as young adults.

Year 11 Eat, Play, Sleep Series
This series of workshops is specifically created for our Year 11s to provide them with practical strategies to manage the stressors of their senior years. We delve into strategies to maintain healthy sleep hygiene, eating and relationships with food, and stress management.

Interpersonal Communications Skills
Introduced across the Year groups in 2023, our specific skills for interpersonal connection and conflict negotiation are re-iterated in workshops and group activities.

Understanding and Regulating Emotions

This series of workshops has been specially developed for our Year 7 students and includes practical, hands-on activities to help them understand their emotions and regulate them as appropriate.

Understanding dyslexia

Developed by our amazing friends in the Learning Enrichment Department, these workshops help students with Dyslexia diagnoses understand their diagnosis and the supports available to them.

Understanding ADHD

Developed in conjunction with our aforementioned Enrichment friends, these workshops offer insight and understanding for students with ADHD diagnoses.

Parent webinar series

Our parent workshops and webinars, which run approximately every semester, cover topical issues such as social media, body image, and communicating with teens. They are typically well-attended (and a lot of fun!).

That’s not all! We also guide students to monitor their wellbeing via the iYarn App which explores health across areas like sleep, schooling and relationships, and can help us identify students who may be at risk (more here).

We also run events like Mental Health Fitness in May, Body Kind Week, Odd Socks Day, and RUOK Day with the help of our Wellbeing Captain and Mental Health Ambassadors.