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Focusing on positive mental health

 The theme for this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week is Growing Together and focuses on growing emotionally and finding ways to help each other grow. Challenges and setbacks can help us to grow and adapt and trying new things can help us to move beyond our comfort zone into a new realm of possibility and potential. However, emotional growth is often a gradual process that happens over time, and sometimes we might feel a bit ‘stuck’. 

We encouraged our students to consider how they have grown and how they can help others to grow.

To tie in with Children’s Mental Health Week and as part of TGS’ ongoing focus on wellbeing, a number of events were organised, including:

 
  • An off-timetable Mental Health Awareness Day for Year 8 students delivered by TGS staff and external specialists, with sessions on the following topics: reframing negative thoughts, unconscious bias, managing stress and anxiety, mental health and sport activity, creating a present mindset, team building activities.
  • A visit from representatives of Headstart who set up a stand at lunchtime.  This provided students with the opportunity to talk to them and Miss Simmons (TGS’ Mental Health Coordinator) about mental health, emotional wellbeing, their experiences around it and ideas for promoting positive mental health. There were various activities to try out such as mindful colouring and exploring your unconscious bias.
  • A workshop for Year 7 parents delivered by a representative from The Charlie Waller Trust entitled ‘Communicating with your teenagers whatever their mood’.

Following the half-term break students will attend an assembly on the ‘the four hormones of happiness’.

I really enjoyed mental health day! I thought it was a great way to get more aware and educated to help us in future stressful situations. My friends and I learned many useful new skills and techniques which will benefit us. We did some very enjoyable activities and overall it was great.

Year 8 Student on Mental Health Awareness Day.

I just wanted to say thank you for taking a day out of the curriculum to focus on something so important. I think it's a great idea and I fully support what you're doing.

Parent of Y8 student.

It was nice to have a day to clear our minds and only focus on our mental health. 

Year 8 Student on Mental Health Awareness Day.

I was pleased to see how well the students engaged in the Mental Health Awareness Day and noted their commitment to putting the skills and tools they have learnt into practice in their day-to-day lives. My thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to make the day possible.

Mr Cejudo, Assistant Curriculum Director, Year 8

Tagged  Wellbeing 
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