Although Evie D (Year 8) still has a few years to go before she reaches Year 12, she often finds herself thinking ahead and worrying about ATARs, the HSC and future university choices. But on Thursday 20 November, she was grateful for the chance to set all of that aside during Years 7–8 Wellbeing Day. “Instead of focusing on schoolwork, we made things and relaxed together,” she explained. “A lot of the time, I’m stressed about getting my work done and thinking about what I want to do for the rest of my life. So it was nice to take a break from all that.”
That pause is exactly what we hope students experience on Wellbeing Day. The event is intentionally designed to step away from regular classroom routines and instead build positive habits that students can rely on when facing future challenges.
Bonding together and becoming closer will be really important as we move into our senior years and beyond.
Virginia G (Year 8)
We know that prioritising wellbeing helps our girls reach their full potential, develop resilience, improve learning, strengthen relationships and navigate the complexities of life. It’s also vital that these habits form early, which is why Wellbeing Day focuses on Years 7 and 8 students, building on the strong foundations of our Junior School Wellbeing program.
This year’s activities began with a friendly volleyball match between the two year groups, as physical activity is a powerful way to reduce stress and anxiety. It also proved to be an excellent team-building opportunity, as the girls worked together within their year groups to claim victory.
As Virginia G (Year 8) shared, “Playing volleyball against Year 7 was such a fun thing to do. It let us relax and just be kids, and we also got to know each other better. Bonding together and becoming closer will be really important as we move into our senior years and beyond.”
After the game, students moved through a series of mindfulness activities designed by our School Psychologist, including meditation and writing friendship notes to one another. Then, working in small groups, the girls took part in a series of craft sessions, including creating clay magnets and making friendship bracelets. While simple, these activities help students learn practical relaxation and de-stressing techniques that we hope will stay with them throughout their lives.
Many girls named this as their favourite part of the day, with Amy M (Year 7) and Grace L (Year 7) sharing that magnet-making was “really fun and creative”. Amy added that she especially enjoyed getting to know new people in her year group as they worked and shared ideas together.
