Pastoral Care & Wellbeing
We are here to support you and your family
The College has a beautiful Pastoral Care Team available to our students and we continually strive to provide a range of support services to care for and support our students and their families.
We would encourage you to make contact with your child's class teacher or Home Group teacher initially, should you or your child require support, however, you may also wish to make contact with our Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Chantal Macpherson.
The role of the Student Welfare Officer is to provide support, assessment, and advice about student well-being, across the College from Prep-Year 12. This also includes working alongside other support staff to provide pastoral care and support for staff, parents, and carers of our school community. Teachers and other staff members may also refer a student for additional support due to escalating or significant concerns.
It should be clarified that the role of the Student Wellbeing Coordinator is not as a ‘school counsellor’ and that as a College, we are unable to provide ongoing counselling support.
The Student Wellbeing Coordinator may provide support to students over a designated period, however, if a student requires ongoing and extensive support, the Student Wellbeing Coordinator will liaise with external agencies for further assistance as necessary.
If you wish to make an appointment with our Student Welfare Officer you can email a request for an appointment on a suitable day and time or arrange a time to speak over the phone.
Please regularly check the College website and Parent Portal for further information to assist with coping strategies and well-being tips as we continue to adjust to the changing requirements brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Useful links
Government and health information and updates; support and information articles and advice:
Emerging from COVID-19 Restrictions
- Caring for your family's emotional and mental health as restrictions ease
- Re-setting friendships: What Parents Need to Know About the Return Back to School
- I'm not ready to go back to normal: Videos and articles to reassure young people that it's okay to not feel okay
Counselling Support
- Beyond Blue Support Service
- Beyond Blue - Looking After Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Outbreak
- Kids Helpline
- Lifeline Support Service
- NQ Connect - Free Online & Phone Counselling & Support Services for North Queensland Families
- Queensland Government Mental Well-being Support
Communicating with Children About the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Child Mind Institute - Talking to Kids About The Coronavirus
- Coping with Challenges with Coronavirus (video for children aged 4 - 11 years)
- Talking to Kids About Scary Stuff (video)
Parent & Carer Resources
- Black Dog Institute - Coronavirus: Anxiety, Stress & Wellbeing
- Department of Health - Mental health and COVID-19
- eSafety - Key Issues with COVID-19
- eSafety Commissioner - COVID-19: An Online Safety Kit for Parents and Carers
- Federal Government Launches Coronavirus Australia app and WhatsApp feature
- Headspace - How to Cope With Stress Related to Coronavirus
- Mindspot - 10 Psychological Tips for Coping With Coronavirus
- My Child is Struggling Because Everything is Cancelled
- Parent Expert, Maggie Dent - Calming Anxiety & Fear in Children
- Queensland Health - Activities for a stronger mental wellbeing
- Queensland Health - How to look after your mental wellbeing in a crisis
- Seasons of Growth Program - Self-Care & Wellbeing: During Times of Uncertainty
- World Health Organisation - Helping Children Cope With Stress During COVID-19