Project: Funding:
Young and Free Powerful Minds, Powerful Bodies $5,000
St Patrick’s School, Katanning, has a high percentage of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) students. The school identified multiple health concerns among students, including a decline in sports participation, consuming unhealthy food at lunch breaks, and a lack of emotional resilience and coping strategies.
The ‘Young and Free Powerful Minds, Powerful Bodies’ project aimed to implement a sport and physical education program to increase physical activity, improve mental health and self-confidence among students.
Healthway funding supported teacher relief, sporting equipment, guest speakers, stationary resources, promotional material, catering, and education classroom resources.
Project activities
- In partnership with Beyond Blue, an assessment of the students’ current social and emotional wellbeing was undertaken to identify health concerns and identify priorities for action.
- Weekly mental health education sessions, including a resilience workshop, inviting all parents and the school community to attend.
- Tennis and soccer clinics for students, parents and teachers, which included healthy lunches.
- The school canteen hosted fortnightly healthy food theme days, including mango frappe day.
- A ‘Fruit and Veg’ week, where the school canteen provided tasting and education sessions and student rewards were given to those who packed fruit and vegetables in their lunchbox.
- Lunchbox and water audits.
- Developed and implemented a Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy and Healthy Eating School Policy.
Sustainability
- In partnership with the Foodcore Nutrition Services, the school established a nutrition committee, involving students, parents and teacher representatives to improve the school’s canteen menu and to develop a Healthy Eating School Policy.
- The school signed up to the Crunch&Sip® program, providing set healthy snacks for students.
- The school enrolled a staff member in Mental Health First Aid training, who also assisted in developing the school’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy.
- The school subscribed to the KIDDO program and is continuing to offer education and resources on fundamental movement and physical literacy skills to students.
