Staff and students encouraged to check in and ask R U OK?
We spoke to Milton Public School about their R U OK?Day activities and how staff and students learnt about looking after themselves and checking in with those around them.
During August 2021, Milton public school used R U OK?Day to involve staff and students in conversations about mental health and wellbeing. Liz Ford, Head of Staff Wellbeing, explained the activities they organised and the impact of the day on the whole school community.
Can you tell us a little bit about your school and the R U OK? event you held?
The event was Milton Public School's R U OK?Day, which we held in the middle of Term 3, during our Wellbeing Week. There were multiple events going on and staff had no meetings, allowing them more personal time.
Why did you decide to hold the event?
The school has been reviewing its wellbeing policies, mostly around students, but we felt staff also needed to be involved. Our aims of the day were pretty simple:
- Create community awareness of mental health and R U OK?Day
- Teach students the signs to look out for if someone is struggling, and what to do if friends are not OK
What events did you organise for staff?
We wanted to provide opportunities for staff to concentrate on their wellbeing. We ran a free yoga class in the morning and provided a free coffee van for staff to access drinks of their choice. Staff also had extra release time away from their classes so they could do their own work or meet colleagues for a cuppa and chat.
To encourage conversations, staff shared photos of themselves partaking in their wellbeing activities (going to the gym, enjoying dinner, horse riding, surfing etc) on the staffroom noticeboard. They also shared their wellbeing strategies, through interviews we conducted asking them how they deal with stress at school and their tips for others.
What about the students? What did R U OK?Day look like for them?
Students were encouraged to wear yellow and orange, which got everyone talking in classrooms. Teachers conducted lessons accessed via the
R U OK? Education website. Students also watched films which explored human emotions to help start conversations about helping friends.
Can you tell us about the impact of this event on the whole school community?
Our Wellbeing Week gave staff and students a chance to reflect on their wellbeing and that of their colleagues and fellow students. Students learnt the R U OK? message, how to be a good friend and what they could say or do if they spotted the signs someone was struggling. It created awareness in the school and local community around mental health and R U OK?Day, while staff had the opportunity to relax and check in with each other.
What were the highlights of the event?
Staff absolutely loved the yoga, so much so that we've decided to continue doing it once-a-week moving forward. Staff relayed that there were some great conversations in their classrooms and the students loved the R U OK? lessons and dressing up in yellow and orange. Staff have fed back what they enjoyed, what they need and what they want to do for R U OK?Day in 2022.
Thanks for sharing with us.
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
For students, learning how to support their peers and talk about how they feel is an important life lesson, so where better to start than in the classroom? These resources for primary, secondary and tertiary educators and institutions will help students everywhere have an R U OK? conversation.
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