We aim to build a culture of the ‘whole person matters’, where our young akōnga feel worthy and have a sense of belonging here at St Hilda’s.
Student Hauora, Wellbeing
Growing Hauora is what we do here at St Hilda's. We aim to guide and support our ākonga to have the courage to lean into learning about their own hauora. Whereby students can understand themselves better in the wellbeing space and work towards building a kete of tools and strategies that they can use to boost their own wellbeing.
5 ways of Wellbeing:
https://mentalhealth.org.nz/five-ways-to-wellbeing
THE HOW: The five ways of wellbeing are the how you can take ownership of your wellbeing and learn what works for you when your wellbeing needs a boost.
Connect: Positive social interactions make us feel happy, connected and secure. Building meaningful relationships with family/whānau, friends, the community and connecting with the spiritual aspect of your life, goes a long way to increasing your sense of belonging and strengthening personal wellbeing.
Give: Carrying out acts of kindness, whether small or large, can increase happiness, life satisfaction and general sense of wellbeing.
Notice: Paying more attention to the present moment, to our thoughts and feelings and to the world around us, and practising gratitude and forgiveness through mindfulness or prayer/meditation, boosts our wellbeing.
Keep Learning: Learning, remaining curious and setting goals are important for everyone at every stage of life. It helps children’s brains to grow healthy and strong, helps them to learn social skills and community values. A love of learning as a child can prevent depression in later years.
Be Active: Being physically active is proven to boost our wellbeing and decrease stress, depression and anxiety.
Te Whare Tapa Wha:
https://mentalhealth.org.nz/te-whare-tapa-wha
THE WHAT: Te whare tapa wha is a model by Mason Durie that underpins our health curriculum, where the focus is on building a balanced and supported four walled whare; taha tinana (physical wellbeing), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing), taha whānau (social wellbeing) and taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing).
Further Readings
Teen Esteem+ provides a variety of articles to help parents and students with teenage issues. https://www.teenesteem.org/
Anxiety in Children and Teens: A Parent's Guide
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/anxiety-in-children-and-teens.htm
Online Safety: Netsafe have recently updated their online safety resources for New Zealand parents. This includes a new downloadable parent guide to Instagram. To access these resources please use the following link: https://netsafe.org.nz/advice/parenting/
The Cyber Safety Organisation, Safe on Social (www.safeonsocial.com)
Self Compassion: To read the recent research from Dr Kristin Neff about how learning self compassion can change your daughter’s life for the better, please click this link: https://self-compassion.org/
Perfectionism: Perfectionism: How to Help Your Child Avoid the Pitfalls.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/young-adult/Pages/What-Fuels-Perfectionism.aspx
Helpful Books:
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Beautiful: Being an Empowered Young Woman by Naomi Katz
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Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy and Fulfilling Lives by Rachel Simmons
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Full of Ourselves: A Wellness Program to Advance Girl Power, Health, and Leadership by Catherine Steiner-Adair and Lisa Sjostrom
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Girls Without Limits: Helping Girls Achieve Healthy Relationships, Academic Success, and Interpersonal Strength by Lisa Hinkelman
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No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong, Confident, and Compassionate Girls by Katie Hurley
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Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self Esteem, and the Confidence Gap by Peggy Orenstein
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Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls by Lisa Damour
