In 2021, our school participated in a National Youth Wellbeing Survey titled whataboutme.nz. The survey was completed by just under 7,500 young people in schools across Aotearoa. Due to Covid, it took a while before we received the national results to draw a comparison with our results.

A random selection of students from years 9 to year 13 took part in the survey. Participation in the survey was anonymous.

Analysis of the results has provided important information about what it is like to be a young person in New Zealand. In most areas, our data showed that Aquinas was well above the national results, but the following areas were of concern for our school.

Mental Health is becoming more prevalent in society. For us at Aquinas, the two areas of concern are:

• Students feeling overwhelmed at times.

• Self-harm.

Sexual activity among young New Zealanders is of considerable concern: A significant number of our students have indicated that they are sexually active.

We would like parents to take the time and have a conversation with their children about these topics. If you find this difficult to do, please reach out to the services we provide at school or outside agencies — whichever you feel comfortable with.

Services Available at School:

• Mentor Teacher or any staff member your child feels comfortable talking to.

• Year level Dean

• Assistant Principals of Pastoral Care

• Male and Female Counsellors

• School Nurse and Doctor are available every Thursday

Thank you for your ongoing support of our Pastoral Care Team. Please feel free to reach out to us for any further support you may need.