Wellbeing has become a nationwide focus. The Education Review Office and the Ministry of Education have both released documents with guides and goals for improving student wellbeing. There is a myriad of books on stress and anxiety alleviation in the Self-Help section of bookstores. The latest Listener has dedicated 12 pages to ‘Expert Advice in an Era of Anxious Kids’.

Columba College has determined that there is a need for a strategy to drive the school’s awareness of the wellbeing needs of our students and to provide a plan for nurturing a culture of wellbeing (hauora) to meet contemporary needs. The Wellbeing for Success Strategy has therefore been developed which sets out the vision, goals and objectives to guide Columba College in our response to meeting the wellbeing needs of the school. The strategy incorporates initiatives already in place for supporting the wellbeing of students and will identify further opportunities to improving and enhancing their wellbeing.

There are various hypotheses as to what causes stress for our students. However there are definite indicators that one factor could be the enormous amount of screen time our students are now exposed to. Learning and studying is online, communication is online, and entertainment is online. As a result of so much time spent online, less time is being spent on ‘doing things’, on creating, on developing skills, on human interactions. Emma Woodward, child psychologist says that without human interaction, there is a ‘subtle but malignant impact on the development of our children’s well-being’. Developing brains need human interaction if they are to function effectively.

At Columba College we are aware that another factor that causes stress for our highly motivated and high performing students is ‘assessment anxiety’. The over assessment of NCEA is adding to the pressure our students face, as are the expectations they place upon themselves and the communication between departments regarding the timing of assessments. To that end we are looking closely at our timetabling, at the quantity of assessments given and are making an effort to avoid overburdening our students with clashing assessments. This will take some time to be worked out between each department but rest assured we are working towards making this happen.

Our Wellbeing team is: Mrs Hayes (Principal),  Ms Lindsay ( Well Being Coordinator), Mrs Hayden (Health Coordinator), Mrs Corbishley (our new Guidance Counsellor) Dr Macleod (our new Chaplain/Religious Studies teacher ), Mrs Parks (our new Boarding Manager),  a great team of experienced and caring Deans, friendly and approachable Form teachers, as well as all staff members who are on the alert for signs of students who look like they might need a listening ear. As a school we are pulling together to create ways to lessen the anxiety levels of our students and to encourage them to lead more balanced lives. In particular we would like to see the students making time to engage in activities that do not involve a screen, and that give them a sense of vitality.

Watch this space as we unroll the various initiatives we have planned for the year; some of which include: a Tuesday lunchtime Wellbeing Drop-in Centre in the Year 13 Study Room, lunchtime workshops designed specifically to address issues being faced by students and evening talks for parents. In the meantime, keep in touch and remember to praise those beautiful sons and daughters of yours and remind them that they are perfect just the way they are.