Narooma High School has a whole team devoted to supporting students' development into well-balanced young adults ready for the next chapter of their lives.
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Shirlee Rowland is head teacher of wellbeing/learning & support and languages.
She works closely with student support officer Toni Smith, the school's counsellors and its year advisors to engage internal and external service providers who support student and family wellbeing.
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It takes a village to raise a child
Ms Smith is a former youth worker who helps advocate for and support students, provides a safe listening space and guidance, and devises strategies to cope and work through what is troubling them.
That can range from stresses over school work and assessments to the very complex like loss and grief.
"We also have Aunty Karen who is senior leader of community engagement so it is fairly broad team plus we have our Year 6 advisors and headspace and any other external organisation, depending on the need," Ms Rowland said.
Ms Smith said it is individualised support to help students get where they want to be.
"It has been identified there is a real need for this in schools to give them access to these services early in life so it is early intervention rather than post," Ms Smith said.
Programs include Breakfast Club which runs Monday to Friday thanks to the generosity of Woolworths and Campbell Page and Fit for Life run by the Police and Community Youth Club whereby they visit every Tuesday to play sports with the kids before school.
"It is that it takes a village to raise a child mentality," Ms Rowland said.
"Everyone pitches in and does a bit to assist young people's development."
Transition programs
Ms Rowland's team also facilitates the transition program for its feeder schools in Bodalla, Narooma, Tilba, Cobargo and Bermagui.
The team along with the year advisors for 2024 and 2025, visit the schools to answer the pupils' questions about high school and start forming relationships with them.
They are hosting an open night at the high school for parents of students in Years 5 and 6 on March 21 from 5.30 to 7pm.
Japanese, Dhurga
Ms Rowland teaches Japanese which is mandatory in Year 7 and has a Year 9 elective class "who are a very keen bench and pretty awesome".
Ms Rowland also leads project-based learning for Year 8 students with a different subject each term.
One project, with the help of community support, will be Dreamtime studies with a goal of presenting a story to kindergarten kids complete with illustrations and some Dhurga words dropped in.
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