School TV
Because parenting doesn't come with instructions, SchoolTV is a wellbeing resource implemented at our school to help support you in the challenges of modern-day parenting relating to youth mental health and wellbeing.
Parenting is a learning journey and SchoolTV supports families by providing credible information from trusted sources with practical strategies to help alleviate some of the challenges being faced by young people today.
Watch video interviews with leading wellbeing specialists and browse a library of resources. Each topic is accompanied by factsheets, podcasts, books, articles, apps and other videos.
This award-winning resource helps families build relationships, foster connections, enable understanding and break down barriers to navigate a pathway towards better mental health and wellbeing for young people. It will assist you in starting those conversations on topics that can sometimes be awkward or difficult to tackle.
Parents and caregivers are the greatest influence on a young person's life and SchoolTV focuses on empowering confident parenting.
“The wellbeing of today's youth has never been more challenging.” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
SLEEP
Students today have extremely busy schedules, with ever increasing responsibilities at school and at home. Many kids, especially adolescents, are going to bed later and later and are at risk of sleep deprivation. This affects three areas of a child’s development: psychological, physiological and psychosocial. All three are essential to a child's growth, learning ability and overall wellbeing. Sleep is vital to a child’s overall development and is as important as diet and exercise.
Sleep also strengthens a child’s immune systems and supports their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of aggressive behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn about the importance of sleep and how sleep deprivation can have adverse effects on a child’s health and wellbeing.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
THRIVING IN YOUR FINAL YEAR
It's no secret that the end of school can be a huge source of anxiety for both students and parents alike. Studies have shown that over 40% of final year students suffer from high-level anxiety or stress, with some even suffering from depression.
It is important to prepare a student's brain for success. Studies show there is a clear link between students taking care of their health, and their overall productivity during the final year of school. Understanding how best to support your child's health and wellbeing during this time will help them perform at their best. The student brain has a lot going on, so understanding how it works will help them get the most out their brain power. Acknowledge that not all stress is bad. The art is in finding the right balance. Having the right amount of stress can encourage students to be at their optimal level of alertness, and improve behavioural and cognitive performance. It helps tune their brain and focus.
In this Special Report, parents and care givers will be presented with a number of strategies on how best to support their child during the final year at school.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
DISCUSSING WAR AND CONFLICT
With the recent escalation of conflict involving Iran, children may be hearing or seeing distressing updates through the 24-hour news cycle, social media and conversations at school. Even when events are geographically distant, repeated exposure to images, headlines and commentary can heighten anxiety, particularly for young people whose understanding of the world is still developing.
It is important for parents and caregivers to be mindful of overexposure, as constant coverage can amplify fear and uncertainty. Reassurance is key. Children need to feel safe and supported as they process complex global events.
Before beginning these conversations, take a moment to check in with your own emotions. Children often take their cues from the adults around them. Remaining calm, listening openly and offering reassurance can help your child regulate their feelings and maintain a sense of security.
This Special Report provides practical guidance to help families navigate conversations about war and conflict in a measured, age-appropriate way, while reinforcing hope, empathy and resilience. We encourage you to take a moment to review the information provided.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
WELLBEING BAROMETER 2026
The Wellbeing Barometer survey is an important annual check-in that helps our school better understand the wellbeing of our students. Each year, the survey provides valuable insights into young people's experiences, highlighting areas of concern, recognising strengths and resilience and reinforcing the importance of early, preventative support.
This year, the survey has been reviewed and refreshed to further refine the information shared by parents and adult carers, helping provide a clearer and more meaningful overview of wellbeing across our school community. These updates support more accurate insights while maintaining the same commitment to privacy and confidentiality.
Your participation is strongly encouraged. We ask that you take a few moments to complete the survey for each of your children, based on your observations from the past 12 months. All responses remain anonymous and are reported only in aggregate.
By capturing a broad picture of students' emotional, social and mental wellbeing, the survey helps us respond more effectively to the evolving needs of our school community. The insights gathered assist in identifying emerging trends, areas of strength, and opportunities for early intervention, ensuring support can be targeted where it is needed most.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
SCREEN TIME
As a result of the global pandemic, there has been a noticeable shift in the amount of time people spend on screen-based devices. Families are transitioning back to pre-COVID routines but many are still struggling to re-establish the boundaries and rules around screen use. Some continue to deal with digital conflict and tech-tantrums on a daily basis. The latest research found that 77% of teenagers spend more than five hours on screens per day, but it is important to note that not all screen time is considered equal.
Parents play a crucial role in modelling a positive and healthy approach to using screens and assisting children to navigate the content they watch. It is better to model and mentor screen use, rather than monitor it. Children tend to do more of what they see us do, and less of what we tell them to do. However, it is still important to outline the risks and highlight the benefits of screen use to ensure you keep a balanced attitude. Encourage discussions around the issues that people experience in monitoring their screen time and be honest about your own difficulties.
Parents need to remain firm in their approach to managing screen time. Excessive screen time can be detrimental to a child’s overall wellbeing. Ensuring the correct privacy settings are in place is vital to prevent children from being inadvertently exposed to inappropriate content or online predators. Parents need to also be mindful of the potential impact screen time can have on a child’s social, emotional, educational, behavioural, and even physical domains.
In this edition of SchoolTV, care-givers will be provided with a range of guidelines and strategies to help manage screen time at home.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
STARTING YEAR 7
When a child starts high school, they suddenly become one of the youngest and newest kids at school all over again - a small fish in a big pond! The transition between Year 6 and Year 7 is one of the biggest jumps in a child's life and is a very important milestone. This can easily become a daunting time for students and parents alike.
Starting Year 7 poses many new challenges, but also exciting opportunities. It comes with a number of mixed feelings. Some students may be feeling a little anxious about their expectations of starting Year 7 and finding their place in the "big pond". As your child grasps new skills and engages in new study practices, it is important for parents to be supportive, but also realistic in their expectations. Parents and students can easily become overwhelmed during this time of transition but, there are a number of strategies that can be implemented to start things off on the right foot!
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
FRIENDSHIP & BELONGING
Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a young person’s wellbeing. It gives them a sense of security helping them feel valued which in turn builds their confidence.
Positive friendships are an important part of the journey to adulthood. Adult carers can support their child or teenager by providing guidance in the many social and emotional skills required for a healthy relationship. This will help them to obtain, retain and maintain friendships. However, not all friendship are regarded as positive. Sometimes young people develop negative or toxic friendships. Therefore it is also important for them to learn how to identify, avoid or deal with such a friendship.
In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to support their young person’s friendship so that they experience a sense of belonging.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.
SCHOOL TRANSITIONS
Whether it is starting school for the first time, moving up to a higher grade or embarking on a journey through secondary school, there is no doubt that any school transition is a very exciting time for children and parents. It means your children are growing up!
However, transitioning is an ongoing process. It can continue long after students have entered their new environment and may encounter difficulties at a number of different stages. These stressors may appear as anxiety and frustration and result in negative or disruptive behaviours. Such behaviours can become problematic making the transitioning process even more difficult for children and parents.
In this edition of SchoolTV, parents will learn practical strategies to assist your child during the transition process and reduce stress and anxiety levels.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school counsellor for further information or seek medical or professional help.