Community Corner

Live4Life shines a light on youth mental health

Once again we are proud to be participating in the Moira Live4Life initiative and we had an amazing day at our Year 8 launch Live4Life is a mental health education and youth suicide prevention model designed specifically for rural and regional communities.

Our Year 9 Live4Life Crew consisting of Lyra Mete, Sam Stillard, Matilda Waser, Savannah Kernaghan, Melissa Voeurn, Olivia Thompson and Josh Edwards did a great job introducing the Year 8 cohort to what the Live4Life program is all about, as well as outline some of the things they will learn throughout the year.

After a series of presentations detailing how the program is making a difference to the lives of young people in the regions, the students split off into groups and rotated through several activities including face painting, Jenga, connect four and biscuit decorating!

Year 9s provide digital mentorship

Twice during the term our Year 9 Service class ventured down to Cobram Community House to get actively involved in the Digital Mentor Program

The aim of this program is to help and support elderly community members by building their confidence and skills using digital technology such as computers, the internet and mobile devices

Our students were on hand to provide support to the community members present and answer any questions they had relating to the use of these technologies. In an ever-changing digital landscape, this program is a fantastic initiative and one we look forward to assisting with more in the future!

‘Youth Stop’ donation

On the final day of Term One, we had a gold coin donation Through the generosity of our families and carers, we were able to donate over $380 dollars to the new ‘Youth Stop’ building This was previously the Youth Op Shop on Bank Street This is a new meeting point where the youth of Cobram can convene with their friends

ANZAC Appeal

Whilst we are on the topic of fundraisers, we must thank the members of our school community who kindly donated to the RSL’s ANZAC Appeal by purchasing a badge

We sold virtually a full box worth of badges and raised several hundred dollars in the process which was donated to the RSL's Patriotic Fund.

Teen Mental Health First Aid training

Our entire staff have now completed Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training, which was led by licensed instructor David Mellington.

This training program is designed to provide practical skills-based education to equip whole school communities with the skills and confidence to identify and respond to mental health problems or crises in young people

The MHFA training was conducted over two day-long sessions during which David presented information on various mental health conditions experienced by young people, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders He also taught our staff how they can practically implement the mental health first aid action plan ALGEE in situations where we suspect someone is experiencing a mental health crisis or showing early signs of a mental health illness. The ALGEE action plan is provided below

A - Assess for risk of suicide or harm

L - Listen non-judgmentally

G - Give reassurance and information

E - Encourage appropriate professional help

E - Encourage self-help and other support strategies

The art of kindness

Throughout Term One, our Year 1/2 students have been learning about the importance of being kind to people they don’t know as part of the Bounce Back program.

The students created beautiful pictures and wrote letters about themselves, including their hobbies and their favourite things for the residents at Cobram Regional Care.

The residents of Cobram Regional Care were delighted to receive the students’ letters and pictures from Ms Bate and they are already looking forward to future opportunities of engagement.

Cobram AGS community unites to launch 2023 school year

We experienced an incredible turn out for our 2023 'Welcome Evening' at school. It was great to convene as a school community after the summer holidays and in particular, welcome our new families and guardians into the fold

The temperature sored and the snags and burgers were certainly sizzling, while our Ukulele Club delivered a great performance for the crowd of onlookers, and the queue seemed to be never ending for 'Funky Faces' face painting The parents versus students game of dodgeball was particularly epic and a great way to end the night

This evening wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of our students in Years 11 and 12 who volunteered in various roles throughout the night, as well as our staff