No Images? Click here
Dear Friend of PLC Lighthouse
A Message From Director of Wellbeing, Chonny James
This week is Wellbeing Week. Held around this time each year to coincide with WA Mental Health Week, Wellbeing Week is a culmination of so many of the values and initiatives that our students and staff spend time on throughout the year.
Led by our incoming Wellbeing Captain, Erin, and her team, the theme for this year is ‘mental health starts where we live, learn, work and play’.
Our Boarding House and broader boarding community may understand the significance of this theme more than most. The Boarding House Wellbeing Programme, ‘From Strength to Strength’ is a leading and well-established programme that supports the changing social-emotional needs of boarding students at each age group.
A cause close to the heart of our boarders is The Blue Tree Project and this week our Senior School students were involved in painting trees blue on the Quad. The Blue Tree Project’s mission is to help spark difficult conversations and encourage people to speak up when battling mental health concerns.
Newly appointed Senior Boarder, Cassidy, explained why the boarders have initiated activities in support of the Blue Tree Project over the past year:
‘We are passionate about supporting our current and former boarding families. The Blue Tree Project is all about bringing life and purpose to older trees which helps us spark conversations. We think it’s important to connect PLC further with the regional areas so when members of our PLC community are out in the country and see a blue tree it sparks a conversation in the car that it’s OK to not be OK.’
PLC Old Collegian, Sophie Rodda, was also interviewed on PLC Radio about mental health and her Wear Your Strong foundation.
You can learn more about both the Blue Tree Project and Wear Your Strong below.
Thank you to all the staff and students involved in Wellbeing Week. Your passion and commitment to promoting wellbeing and raising awareness around mental health has certainly shone through.
- Chonny James, Director of Wellbeing
The Blue Tree Project
The Blue Tree Project was founded by Old Collegians and sisters, Kendall and Erryn White, and is an initiative that raises awareness about mental health.
The project encourages people to choose a dead tree that needs a "blue lease on life" and paint it in memory of a friend who lost their life to depression or has battled the illness.
The sisters started the foundation after their brother, Jayden, took his own life in November of last year. Blue trees have since been painted across the country, including in remote locations in the Northern Territory and New South Wales.They act as a symbol to stand strong like a tree and to reach out if you are struggling with mental illness.
Wear Your Strong
Wear Your Strong sells hair scrunchies to raise awareness for mental illness in Australia, and proudly supports beyondblue.
Old Collegian, Sophie Rodda, explains why she started Wear Your Strong:
"I’ve started Wear Your Strong because I want everyone to increase their knowledge on mental health issues. I want to reduce the stigma. Mental illnesses are so often invisible and by wearing your strong scrunchie you can show your support for those that are suffering silently on the inside while they keep their brave happy faces on the outside for you all to see. Wear your strong scrunchie to show you are ready to talk when they are, and when they need you. It might not be right away but through time, when they understand their feelings themselves they will want to."
Meditation at PLC
Please join Lesley Kaye and Jess Lethbridge to find out about Meditation at PLC.
Date: Tuesday 29 October
Time: 7.00 pm - 8.30 pm
Venue: PLC Lighthouse
Lesley Kaye is the Head of Science, Yoga Instructor and Mindfulness Meditation facilitator. She is passionate about meditation and is completing a Masters’ Thesis at UWA investigating the effect of Mindfulness Meditation on an adolescent’s wellbeing and stress. She aims to educate PLC students about the benefits of mindfulness meditation and offer them tools to manage their wellbeing in daily life.
Jessica Lethbridge is a Clinical Psychologist with a passion for wholistic intervention and preventive work. Jess previously taught Mindfulness skills in a hospital setting and since working at PLC, has facilitated Mindfulness classes with our parent community and taught our Years 7 - 9 students about the benefits of Mindfulness in their Flexi classes.
The evening will comprise of a 20-minute presentation with a Q&A session and then a 15-minute guided meditation.
Meet the Lighthouse Team - Emma
Tell us about your family and where you’re from.
I’m from Munglingup, which is 100 km west of Esperance. We live on a station called Ned’s Corner and farm canola, wheat and breed black angus cattle. I’ve been there for about 15 years, so pretty much my whole life. I have one sister, Edie, who is in Year 9 and also boards here at PLC.
What did you do over the holidays?
I went to Cambodia on the Service tour and then went home to the station for a week. Sometimes we help on the farm – particularly during harvest. I’m not home that much for harvest anymore, but I used to be the one who had to run all the food and water out to all the workers. We also sometimes help out rock picking and give Mum and Dad a hand with the cattle.
What’s your favourite thing about boarding?
I love all the ‘housies’ – like Ms Langdon and Ms Kolka – they’re like my other mothers. I can talk to them about anything. Living with all the girls is the other thing I love most. I think leaving boarding school is going to be really hard, because you’re not going to be surrounded by your friends, who kind of become your sisters, all the time.
It’s Wellbeing Week – how do you manage your wellbeing?
For me, sleep is really important. I try to make sure I go to bed at a decent time, and sometimes have naps in the afternoon or weekends if I feel like I need to catch up. Talking about things is also really important for me. I always talk to one of the housies. It might not be a big deal, but I feel like it’s good to get things off my chest. I also have a few really close friends who I can tell everything to – it’s not even about their response necessarily, it’s just feeling like I can tell them.
02 Active: Personalised Strength & Conditioning Programmes
Did you know...
At the PLC Lighthouse, Strength and Conditioning coaches are available to Years 10 - 12 students between 6.00 am - 8.00 am and 3.30 pm - 7.00 pm, Monday to Friday. If you book in a session with them, together they will help you create a personalised workout. Best of all there is no charge to use the gym or have the coaches write your programme!
These programmes can be made for solo workouts, or for groups, so you can exercise with your friends.
With Summer sports season coming up, can create a specific programmes to help you physically improve for your preferred sport. They’re a great help if you need that little bit of motivation to work out or are new to exercising.
Our qualified Strength and Conditioning coaches are at the PLC Lighthouse every day before and after school and are dedicated to helping you out, so book in a session now!
- Caitlin Hunt, O2 Active Founder
Reflections With Sue Tredget
#gratitude
‘Gratitude’ is a word that is frequently overused and sometimes misunderstood. It is derived from the Latin word gratia – meaning grace, graciousness or gratefulness.
It is a thankful acknowledgement of the goodness in our lives. It connects us to something much bigger than ourselves, whether to other people, nature, the universe or a higher power.
It’s common to see people posting on social media, expressing their gratitude below a perfectly curated photo. I think you know what I’m referring to… #humbled, #blessed, #grateful (I’m as guilty as charged, by the way).
I’m not questioning the sincerity of the gratitude, but it’s easy to feel grateful when all is well in our world. The irony is that the more we have to be grateful for, the less grateful we often are. We forget to stop and take stock of all that is good in our lives. We complain about daily irritations and lose sight of the bigger picture.
As I was recently reminded, if you have food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over your head and a car to drive (or be driven in), you are indeed blessed on a global scale and have much to be grateful for.
The test of how much gratitude someone genuinely feels comes when they face adversity...
O2 Active Exercise Recommendations: Joint Hypermobility
What is it, and Who’s at Risk?
Being hypermobile is when your joints move in excess of their normal range of movement. By repeatedly pushing past 'normal' range, the joint gets micro traumas which can lead to a more serious injury, like joint dislocation, ligament strains/tears or tendon inflammation.
The American Journal of Medicine found that generalised joint hypermobility may be found in up to 20% of female youth but the condition seems to improve with age as muscles become stronger and tighter.
Generalised joint hypermobility is seen quite often in athletes who perform sports which require a high level of flexibility like gymnasts, swimmers and dancers.
Why it needs to be addressed
Generalised Joint Hypermobility (GJH) can be associated with muscle and joint paint at night and during or after activity. Having hypermobile joints increases the likelihood of getting an injury, and when you do get injured it takes longer to repair. The ankle, knee and shoulder are the most commonly affect joints in children. Joint injuries are more likely in individuals who do not exercise, because the strength to support and protect joints adequately is reduced if muscles are not maintained.
14 McNeil Street, Peppermint Grove, WA 6011
+61 9424 6444
