As students prepare to return to school next week there are concerns about the anxieties and mental health needs that may surface following the traumatic bushfires in the region. And while schools may have counsellors available, they and teaching staff may also be experiencing their own issues.
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In a fortunate coincidence though on the day before school returns, Merimbula Public School has planned to run a professional development day for its staff on mindfulness and wellbeing.
The five-hour Karma Kids course was booked six months ago and uses yoga and breathing exercises to help reduce anxiety and bring concentration and focus to students in the learning enviroment.
It's something that principal Michelle Hulme is passionate about.
"We've had a massive focus on wellbeing for the last three years," Ms Hulme said.
She said the results speak for themselves with a massive reduction in suspensions and less disruptive behaviour in the classroom.
"We have seen a number of positive affects on student academic results at Merimbula PS. We've seen a reduction in the amount of incidents where children need to have 'time-out' off the playground, more students choosing to access classroom and playground 'chill-out' areas as well as dramatically reduced behavioural incidents, severity of incidents, and suspensions.
"Suspensions have reduced from 65 incidents (40 students) in 2017, to 35 incidents in 2018 (21 students) to only six students receiving one short suspension throughout 2019. We hope to improve further on this in 2020 and beyond. Introducing a school-wide approach to mindfulness and yoga techniques will hopefully assist with this," Ms Hulme said.
She said suspensions took place to allow for staff, parents and carers (and where relevant the department's regional support staff and local agencies) to put support plans in place for the child's successful return.
Karma Kids CEO Beth Borowsky who will run the course said that children would be absorbing the stress of adults around them.
"In the light of what is going on with the bushfires there's a whole additional layer of stress going on. When things are going down you can bring it back in easy steps without resorting to detention," Ms Borowsky said.
She rails against the "poisonous onslaught of social media and the internet" saying social media is causing enornmous stress and anxiety with kids spending too much time hunched over screens.
She said the aim is to provide learners and educators with essential skills for thriving in the world we live in today.
"These practical techniques deliver proven results that help teachers manage challenging classroom situations - keeping children engaged, calm and focused. The same tools can be used outside the classroom to manage workload, stress and to enhance personal productivity," Ms Borowsky said.
In addition to the Merimbula Public staff, Ms Borowsky will be training staff at Little Nippers on March 21 and will hold a public training, open to early childhood and primary teachers on March 23.
