KORERO FROM FRASER

Welcome to Week 8 everyone. The end of the first term is approaching very quickly now and despite some hiccups with the weather and industrial action it has been really nice to have a settled and much closer to normal start to the year.

The impact of the last three years on students and people in general, in terms of their wellbeing, is now being explored by many researchers and people in the field of mental health and wellbeing. As a school, we are certainly acutely aware of a growing need for us to be able to grow our understanding of different mental health and wellbeing challenges that are presenting themselves in young people more frequently. I would also add that the impact of technology use, particularly social media and being connected 24/7 also add to the challenges we as parents and our young people face. Across NZ school attendance has become a significant issue for many schools, and this is linked to a range of wellbeing issues in many instances although it is a far more complex issue than just this.

Next term I have been granted a ten week sabbatical to further explore the topic of student wellbeing and support. This means I will not be at school for the term with Mel Moore taking on the Acting Principal role. Over the course of the term, I intend to read some of the latest research related to student wellbeing and support, as well as visit schools both locally, nationally and in the USA to observe and learn from what they are doing. My intention is to reflect on the strengths of what we currently have in place and then pull together some of the opportunities we may have to improve support for students and whānau in the area of wellbeing. I look forward to sharing what I learn with you all and I am grateful for this opportunity that TeachNZ provides to 40 secondary principals a year.