Focus on wellbeing never so important
MARCH 12, 2020, is a day that will be forever ingrained in the memory of the school community at St Michael’s College.
There was no script. An impromptu staff meeting that afternoon instilled a confidence in staff as we realised the impetus we had placed on well-being, and its centrality in the school experience, would help us through this unprecedented experience.
St Michael’s College is recognised for the supportive environment it provides for our students, building life skills and resilience and a strong sense of connectedness to school. All stakeholders play a central role in providing direction in implementing a comprehensive and integrated approach to well-being at the College.
With school closure came a collaborated approach to managing the COVID-19 situation. Our core well-being team links up remotely each week to consider and implement actions and initiatives to meet the emerging needs of our students, staff and the wider community. Our staff links remotely through a virtual staffroom to build the ever-important staff relationships. Regular communications are issued to students and staff via the School App and our school website. This has been supplemented by the creation of a new Twitter handle @WellbeingSMC.
Staff are keenly aware of the difficult challenges students are facing in these extenuating circumstances. Students are supported academically through virtual classrooms and Google Classroom. Our school ethos does not encourage a myopic focus on academics alone. Supporting our students emotionally is also integral to the teaching and learning at the College. Year heads and tutors connect with students at regular intervals on various platforms.
Having engaged with the HSE’s School Health Promotion Model for many years, the College has acquired the status of a Health Promoting School. This coordinated whole school approach ensures promotion of wellbeing and mental health permeates all aspects of our school life and culture. The Student Care Team meets each week online with the responsibility of overseeing the response to the emerging situation and the co-ordination of ongoing operations whilst making contingency plans to deal with the nuanced needs of our students in the future. In a show of solidarity, Darragh Lynch, a sixth-year student, addressed his fellow students by way of letter encouraging students to engage in HSE recommendations to alleviate the spread of COVID-19.
We have come to realise this has become a marathon, not a sprint, and we do not yet know where the finish line is. Together through communication, connectivity and resilience, we can successfully continue the journey through this time of uncertainty and achieve our objectives together.