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This week has been particularly exciting with the Year 7’s traveling to Port Augusta for their Aquatics Excursion. Whilst it was not quite the camp we had planned, we are grateful the Aquatics Team were flexible enough to accommodate the changes and welcome our students there this week. Year 8’s will go up for a similar day excursion in week 8.
Next Friday is our Athletics Day and we are pleased to be able invite parents and family to attend and cheer on the students. We always appreciate any help parents are able to provide on the day as there are many different jobs to be undertaken. If you would be keen to help out on a particular event please let the school know beforehand, otherwise feel free to jump in and help on the day.
The Governing Council AGM will be on Tuesday 29th March starting at 7 pm. Please consider attending the meeting even if you do not have any plans to be on the Governing Council. We also invite you to be a member of the Governing Council. We are in need of quite a few members this year after a number of parents have completed their term. If you have questions about what is involved please don’t hesitate to contact Kathryn Hansen on 8662 4111 or myself.
Thank you very much to all of our school community for being proactive and keeping your children at home if they are unwell and promptly getting tests done as required. This has certainly helped us to keep our families updated and informed where necessary.
Tyler Hogan - Principal
This week we ran two separate excursions with our Year 7 Classes. On Tuesday, 7B travelled to the Port Augusta Aquatics Centre and Wednesday was 7A’s turn.
Students got to have a go at windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking and sailing… with a little bit of free time swimming thrown in! We were very fortunate to have two beautiful days weather-wise with sunshine and just enough wind for the sails.
While the disappointment about the cancelled camps is still being felt by all, we are very grateful that the full days of aquatics were able to take place. Lots of stars had to align for this to happen, so thank you to:
- Wayne Hanley for being our last-minute bus driver
- Mr Palmer and Mr Gillard for coming along
- Simon and the team at the Port Augusta Aquatics Centre for their enthusiasm and amazing instruction throughout the days.
We were so impressed with the students’ behavior, manners and enthusiasm over the two days – it’s great to hear from the Instructors what a great bunch of students we have at GHS! Well done to all of them! We can’t wait for the Year 8s to have their turn in a few weeks!
Kate Seidel - Middle School Coordinator
Helping teens cope with bad world news
When bad news breaks – like the distressing situation in Ukraine – it can be hard to avoid being affected, especially when it’s all over TV and social media. Knowing how to discuss it with young people can be even more of a challenge. We’ve put together some tips on how you can help teens learn about current affairs in a healthy way and what you can do if bad world news is getting them down.
How teens might react
Young people spend lots of time online, so it's common for them to be exposed regularly to news about natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism, war, deaths and other distressing events when simply scrolling through their social media apps.
When they come across bad world news, they might feel:
- anxious and worried
- sad and depressed
- scared
- helpless
- confused
Combine this with the normal ups and downs of adolescence, and the teens in your life might be feeling like it’s all too much.
How to help teens cope with bad world news
Open the conversation
If you can sense that your teen seems down or that something is off, the first step is to figure out what the issue is. Try asking them how their schooling, friends and hobbies are going. Be non-judgemental and offer to listen if they have anything on their mind.
Get more tips on figuring out what’s up with your teen.
Acknowledge their feelings
Whatever’s going on with them, they need reassurance that it’s okay to feel the way they do. Acknowledging that they might be feeling stressed, down or helpless reassures them that you care about them and see their concerns as valid.
Dismissing a teen’s worries can negatively impact their wellbeing and make them less likely to come to you in the future whenever something’s wrong.
Switch off together
Ask them whether they want to take a break from the news. They could listen to some music or do some of their usual hobbies or self-care activities.
You could also offer to take a break with them: go for a walk, play a game or prepare a meal together.
For the long term, you and your family could agree on some ground rules around the news. For example:
- Only check the news at one or two set times per day.
- No news or social media during family times, such as at the dinner table.
- Make sure that everyone spends at least 15 minutes a day on self-care or an activity they enjoy.
Have ‘no news’ time with your teen
It could be useful for them to have some time where they don’t talk or think about what’s going on with current affairs. Offer to have ‘no news’ time together. When hanging out with friends and other family members, your teen could also mention that they don’t want to talk about the news.
Learn more about world news together
Discuss world news together
There are many benefits to teens being involved in discussions and debates about current events and news stories. By discussing the news with them, you’ll be encouraging them to take an interest in their community, to increase their knowledge of topical issues, and to think critically about what’s going on.
They will be able to get different perspectives and learn to develop their own ways of seeing things. Learning about bad world news can be an opportunity for parents to discuss with teens what a ‘better’ world might look like and how it could be achieved. Talking about events can also help them to process what’s happening.
What can your teen do to help with world issues?
Help your teen accept their level of control
There are usually things, big and small, that a person can do to help a situation. Despite this, one person on their own can rarely stop things from happening. Learning to understand how much influence they have over something is an important step in reducing the stress your teen might feel when hearing bad news.
This isn’t to say that they shouldn’t try helping; in fact, taking positive steps to help people and the community around them will improve their wellbeing. However, we all need to understand the best ways we can contribute to a cause, and learn to accept our limits.
Our Youth service has some more tips to help your teen cope when things feel out of their control.
Using these tips, you can help your teen develop the skills to cope with bad world news. They’ll be building their resilience as a whole and be better equipped in the future to deal with whatever comes their way.
Need to talk to someone right now?
National 24/7 crisis support for young people is available from:
· Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 https://kidshelpline.com.au/
· Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/
Lifeline: 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au/
Kate Cameron - Wellbeing Coordinator
Governing Council AGM - 29th March, 7:00pm
Are you:
- Keen to see how Gladstone High School works?
- Keen to know the principal, Teachers and other staff well?
- Eager to make a difference in your child’s life?
- Keen to make a difference at Gladstone High School?
- Keen to be a part of an exciting future at Gladstone high School?
Meetings are held twice a term. For more information please contact Gladstone High School on 86622171 or Kathryn Hansen (GC Chairperson 2021) on 0438363123.
We would love for you to be a part of our team!
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