Visitor drops in
Speaker Leila Khan
Mental health and wellbeing was at the top of the agenda at St. Columbkille’s Primary last week when staff, pupils and parents welcomed world renowned author and public speaker Leila Khan to the school.
Leila, who is a self-mastery expert, teacher and mentor of personal transformation, hosted a special mental health and personal health and wellbeing-focussed assembly.
Leila, who is winner of ’Outstanding Woman in Business, in Scotland’ and recently spoke on stage to around 2000 people at the National Achievers Congress in London, agreed to help the school kick-start its Family Learning programme by looking at the importance of adult and child mental health and general health and wellbeing.
She also offically opened the school’s new Family Learning Room.
Head teacher Andy Gray, who said Leila’s assembly was an inspiration to the pupils and parents, commented: “The importance of mental health and general health and wellbeing among our pupils and wider school community is increadibly important. If we can help our pupils develop a positive growth mindset and develop mental resilience strategies, then we can predict that this will impact positively on the young person’s attainment across the curriculum.”
Leila learned about the school’s health and wellbeing pupil programme, which includes Nurture and Give Us A Break Groups, a Combined Use of Sand Tray Talk and Draw (CUSTTAD) group, and a health and wellbeing forum.
She also heard about initiatives the school offers both pupils and families, such as the adult literacy and numeracy programme, the English as an additional language homework club and Project 31, which helps parents deal with issues which may be preventing them building a positive relationship with their children.
Leila met six parents at the MultiCultural Cooking Kitchen on its launch day, when they were presented with their REHIS food safety and hygiene certificates by Lanarkshire Community Food and Health Partnership manager, Gordon Thomson.
The Multi-Cuiltural Cooking Kitchen will run on the last Friday of each month within the school’s Family Learning Room.
Its next focus will be on Cantonese cooking, before moving on to traditional Kenyan cooking.