School wellbeing team
The wellbeing team at Girraween High School comprises numerous teaching staff. Each member of the team possesses a specific role and expertise that helps inform the whole school wellbeing program, as well as the response to individual concerns.
Principal
Mr Leigh Crangle
Deputy principals
Mr Saher Youssef, Ms Eloise Burgess and Ms Sarita Venkataya
Head teacher wellbeing
Ms Aartee Saki
Year 12 advisers
Ms Maria Thoms and Ms Lisa-Maree Denniss
Year 11 advisers
Ms Lekshmi Sreedevi Amma and Mr Paul Fogarty
Year 10 advisers
Ms Sylvia Park and Mr James Lu
Year 9 advisers
Ms Victoria Low and Mr Frank Serratore
Year 8 advisers
Ms Tania Hogan and Mr Michael Harris
Year 7 advisers
Ms Jennifer Nguyen and Ms Rupinder Kaur
Counsellor
Ms Yolanda Campos (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri)
Ms Fiona Bergin (Wed)
Learning and Support Teacher
Mr Wayne Trott
Roles
Senior executive
Support for students, parents, wellbeing team and broader school community; response to serious incidents; reporting of high significant concerns
Head teacher wellbeing
Monitoring of individual incidents and whole school trends; management of year advisers, counsellor and learning and support teacher; incident resolution; maintenance of confidentiality standards.
Year advisers and assistant year advisers
Support for individual students within a year group; monitoring of trends within a year group; delivery of wellbeing program; 'first point of contact' for parents and students.
Counsellor
Point of referral for students causing concern; liaison between senior executive, head teacher wellbeing and parents; mental health support and referral
Learning and support teacher
Support for students experiencing difficulties with organisation, motivation or academic progress; development of support strategies.
It is important to recognise that nearly all teachers filling wellbeing roles are required to teach on a full-time basis in their curriculum area. This contact with students in the classroom is imperative to the building of rapport and maintaining the support on students. The wellbeing team meet on a weekly basis to discuss student wellbeing at the school. Each year adviser addresses their year group on a weekly basis, using this opportunity to discuss any issues that may be pressing within a year group.
Goals
- To provide a safe, supportive and quality learning environment where students can develop a range of lasting skills that enable them to flourish academically, socially and emotionally.
- To maintain and develop a whole school wellbeing program, informed by current research into child psychology, as well as contemporary developments in teaching and learning.
- To respond to incidents in a professional and caring fashion.
- To reinforce the principles of positive education, including the development of the school's positive education model and positive expectations framework.