Mrs Sonia Ensoll - Guidance Officer

Dear Parents, Carers, and members of our School Community,

We have had an extremely busy start to the year. Our students are working hard to be here, to be engaged and to grow – academically and socially.

For some students, as we come to the end of Week 6, school-refusal may be starting to occur.

This can be hard on families and carers especially, but also hard for students themselves, as it can very often stem from anxiety, which is an internalised mental health difficulty. Other times it can be related to a fear of something (real or otherwise), or an avoidance of an experience/class that your student participates in, as per their timetable.

Some early warning signs at home may include:

The good news is that working together and seeking support from school staff can really improve the chances of your student getting back to school. Acting early is vital.

To make a referral to our Student Support Team for school refusal, please email myself, the School Guidance Officer and the GO-Wellbeing at the following email: GuidanceOfficer@stanthorpeshs.eq.edu.au , or ring the school office to make an appointment on 07 4681 5888. Alternatively, a trip to your local GP to talk about what is going on for your student (when you notice a pattern of early warning signs) would be extremely useful and could assist school and home to work together wonderfully.

Take care of yourselves and please reach out if you need to talk.

Sonia Ensoll – Guidance Officer – smain0@eq.edu.au