Students learned about local services available to support their wellbeing when Woodhill State School had its annual Wellbeing Day on 12 October.
See photos at end of story.
There was sunflower planting and healthy gaming, physical activities like pickleball, rugby league and martial arts, showcases from Beaudesert High’s early learning group, Songbirds and Indigenous dancers, and mingling with Wongaburra Men’s Shed, local police and firefighters.
Each student carried around a brown paper bag they had decorated themselves, filling it with flyers, business cards and information from local service providers to take home with them.
The school’s Wellbeing Day is aligned with World Wellbeing Week, which promotes the wide-ranging aspects of wellbeing, including social, physical, emotional, financial, career, community and environmental wellbeing.
Organisers Hailey Mayes, who is a teacher aide at Woodhill State School, said it had become a highly anticipated event on the school calendar and beyond.
“We make sure it’s held during Mental Health Week, and it’s our raising awareness about what we have to support the students and their families within the community,” she said.
“After Covid hit, it was quite obvious that there were other businesses suffering at the same time, so we opened it up for them to be able to come and promote their business, to help them as well, and we decided to stick with that approach because it works.
“We started doing Wellbeing Day before Covid hit, then due to Covid we weren’t able to do it, then when the restrictions lifted, we thought it would be a great idea to do it this way.”
She said the Wellbeing Day made a difference beyond the school community.
“The Wongaburra Men’s Shed, for example, weren’t able to do all the excursions and things they used to be able to do, so it was a way for them to come out and still be able to do something for their mental health too,” she said.
“Mental health is a big range of things, and that’s why we try to cater for sporting and music and crafts, the emergency services and more.
“The kids ask me from the start of the year, ‘are we having this again?’”
