WELLBEING WEEK
March 6th—10th, 2017
Work Out - Your Future
Depends On It
Exciting activities all week
for students, staff and parents
This year our Wellbeing Week focuses on the area of fitness and mental health. The theme chosen
is Work Out - Your Future Depends on It. As Wellbeing becomes a compulsory area of the new
Junior Cycle there is a huge need for an emphasis on teaching coping strategies for youth mental
health.
One of the indicators for wellbeing is that of being active. Recent research by Professor Niall Moyna
from DCU and Operation Transformation clearly shows that girls, and particularly teenage girls, are
less active than their male counterparts. The need for physical activity is ever greater in a society
where parents drive their children to school, lifestyles are more sedentary and online activity totally
preoccupies most teenagers time. This year we are very fortunate to begin our Wellbeing Week
with Professor Niall Moyna presenting his research and his very strong message to girls to get
exercising more. National agencies such as Jigsaw, Reach Out, Teenline are involved in supporting
our activities as well as other companies and personal trainers who are giving of their time and
expertise to promote the linking of exercise as a coping strategy around being fit for life in all of its
aspects and being better equipped to deal with the stresses of life.
Our school take our responsibility for developing life skills in our young teenage girls most seriously
and it is from this that our Wellbeing Week developed four years ago. Our Student Council play a
crucial role in designing and leading many of the initiatives over the course of the week.
In Coláiste Bríde we recognise that schools are an ideal environment to help with the promotion of
student mental health and wellbeing. If a students’ mental health is not supported and cared for,
the academic requirements of schooling can become impossible to achieve. Providing students
with a variety of coping strategies throughout the week will give students a tool kit of ideas to help
their wellbeing when things get tough. There is no 'flat pack' solution to student wellbeing and what
works for one student won't necessarily work for another. This is why we deem this week to be of
such importance in our school calendar.
We have created many close links with our community and many outside agencies are invited in
throughout the week to promote their services and show how accessible help and support can be.
We have some students who have been trained as peer mentors for mental health by Jigsaw. Last
year our school was the first recipient of National Workplace Wellbeing Award, sponsored by the
Mercer Group, for a medium sized enterprise, reflecting the commitment to Wellbeing throughout
the year for staff and students.
With physical activity being the focus of the week this year we have lunch time challenges, silent
discos and mindful mile walking planned. Teachers’ wellbeing is also at the forefront of planning
for this week. Yoga classes, healthy breakfast, mindfulness classes, hot stone massages will be the
order of the day.
For the past three years we have successfully run a “Wellbeing Week” for both staff and students
of our school. Each day of Wellbeing Week has a specific focus i.e. Friendship and Anti-bullying,
Think Positive, Fitness and Relaxation, Healthy Eating and ending with Rainbow Day representing
Pride in ourselves as individuals. Each day had a designated theme with three student council
members and a teacher to organise it. Many of the initiatives are put in place by our Students’
Council for each other and for all staff – one such initiative was that every single person on arrival
in school one morning received a “post-it” with a positive comment stuck to their locker or
computer. It was an amazing sight and was so appreciated.
During the week all members of the school community – students, staff, parents, Board of
Management are encouraged to look at their Wellbeing. During Wellbeing Week all of the initiatives
have been very successful – some of the most popular among staff have been yoga, massage, fruit
skewers at break-time, extended lunchtime where staff bring in a variety of dishes and everyone
eats together and a 5-minute daily slot “drop everything and breathe” which is conducted over the
intercom for all staff and students.
 “Wellbeing, or the lack of it, can affect a students’ engagement and success in
learning” – NSW Government, Australia
 Student wellbeing is enhanced when schools connect with and draw on the
experience, contribution and support of their communities
 Teachers play an important role in providing learning experiences and
opportunities that develop and shape the character and wellbeing of our young
people
 Students who have high levels of wellbeing tend to have better cognitive
outcomes in schools – Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation 2015