Wellbeing activities celebrated in secondary school

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School (SPCGS) in Dublin 8 is a small school with a strong sense of community and care, where students can flourish and learn while having a sense of uniqueness, and where leadership and teamwork can be nurtured.

Each year, wellbeing activities take priority on the school calendar, and student committees and teacher liaison team members ensure that both students and teachers feel connected and supported. A range of activities are carried out throughout the year, providing training, teamwork, leadership and learning about the importance of wellbeing in our daily lives.

• Mentor programme

  Our first initiative begins in late August, where our new Form 1 students are assigned a mentor from Form 5 to help them with the transition from primary school and settle into school life. In SPCGS, we aim to support the personal and academic growth of our incoming first years who are in the early stages of their school career and to promote excellence in teaching, learning and academic leadership.

  In the 2020/21 school year, our 12 selected mentors began their role on 27 August with great enthusiasm and adaptability. They ensured our 47 new first years felt welcomed on their first day of secondary school, provided COVID-19 training and participated in ice-breaker activities. Each first year was introduced to their mentor, while a tour of the school and instructions about the timetable and locker were provided. Mentors signed a contract on boundaries and confidentiality, and agreed on meeting times with their mentees for the month of September.

  During the month of October, the mentors regularly checked in on the mentees and, as a reward for the first years’ participation in school life, a Halloween party was organised with treats and a movie. They also promoted the Green Ribbon campaign within the school community and highlighted the importance of “talking things out”.

  Our mentors developed an excellent working relationship with the first years and a good network of support developed. In December, our mentors introduced the initiative of carepacks.ie and supporting giving back to the community. A Christmas card activity to our local nursing home, The Croft, was organised, and the mentors completed a teaching lesson on kindness, supporting the elderly and how to write a Christmas card.

  In January, our school term began through remote learning. Our mentors checked in on each first year on our online platform, Teams, and encouraged all first years to keep up with their schoolwork and to look after their mental health by taking one of our mental health challenges during lockdown.

  During our Easter term, the mentors provided each first year with their induction programme certificate and organised a scavenger hunt for each first year as a token of their congratulations. Our mentors finished their role with pride and received their certificate for volunteering in this school programme. The school and all the community enjoyed watching our mentors flourish in their roles and the new first years transition into secondary school life!

• Cycle Against Suicide: HEADSTRONG

  In October, SPCGS joined the Cycle Against Suicide programme, which is an evidence-based programme and is designed as a whole-school approach to mental health. It supports mental health education in schools, reduces stigma, promote resilience, and fosters a sense of belonging among young people. Its schools’ programme, HEADSTRONG, can be used as part of a school’s self-evaluation process (SSE) in wellbeing. This programme also promotes the Indicators of Wellbeing in Junior Cycle: Active, Responsible, Connected, Resilient, Respected, Aware.  

  To begin the programme, a committee was formed through an open invitation to all year groups within the school to gain a wider shared vision and goal for all groups. Once the committee was formed, working alongside our school liaison team – myself, Ms Harrington; Ms Tyrell; Ms Kennington; and social, personal and health education (SPHE) teachers - we identified both compulsory and optional themes that we wanted to cover within our school. The committee was provided with training and a task to carry out their duties with clear goals and aims of the programme.

  Themes such as “anxiety” and “where to look for support within our school community” were the first topics covered. First years were the target group here and, with the assistance of the mentors, a pastoral tour was organised. Junior SPHE teachers, along with the committee, covered the topic of anxiety and ways to cope with different strategies. The guidance counsellor explained the service within the school and how to make an appointment.

  Bullying and cyber safety was the next theme to be covered. The Committee organised a slogan competition and a rhyme activity to help remember how to stop bullying and prevent it within the school community. This tied in with the Anti-Bullying Week held within the school by Ms Sweeney, and students gained a lot of knowledge and tips.

  During LGBTI+ Week, the Student Council and the committee worked together on highlighting awareness around stand-up week.  A whole-school approach happened during that week, while engaging in quizzes, terminology and participating in a rainbows jumper day with money raised going towards BeLonG To Youth Services.

  SPHE classes and the committee continued to raise awareness throughout the remainder of the year online through remote learning activities and during the phased return. Online activities were used from the e-learning platform by Cycle Against Suicide and the inspiration of our team. The remaining themes of resilience, self-image and cyber safety were covered with a variety of workshops, a talk from Paula O’Connor, and a visual board of Instagram versus Reality to highlight positive self-image and self-talk. A teacher appreciation card was created for all our teachers and mental health challenges such as baking, problem-solving, hiking, running, and dancing were encouraged during the month of January. Our sixth years were given a welcome back boost of encouragement with some goodie bags and words of inspiration at an assembly by Kenny Egan, former Olympian boxer.

  Our team promoted this programme through various platforms and gathered huge support in the aim to win the award for the school. Celebrities from RTÉ Radio 1 and psychologists recognised the hard work of the team and committee and wished them every continued success for the future.