Mental Health Awareness Week

Between 12-16 May, we will be celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week. Throughout the week, different activities will be taking placeto raise awareness and equip students with things that they can do to take care of their mental health.

The theme for the week, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is community, and with that in mind, we will also be fundraising! Money raised will be donated to two local charities – Teen Talk and Wiltshire Treehouse – both of which have supported numerous students and families within our school community. 

Sheldon Ice Bucket Challenge

Our main fundraising activity will be the Sheldon Ice Bucket Challenge. Launched today by Mr Lynch, students are invited to take part.

All they need to do is:

• Fill a bucket with ice cold water.
• Pour it over themselves or ask someone to pour it over them.
• Donate via JustGiving (suggested donation is £5)

Donations will go to 4Youth (South West), a local youth organisation that operates the TeenTalk counselling service.

When completing the challenge, students may wish to record their efforts. Before the water is tipped over them, they are encouraged to explain to the camera why they are taking part in the challenge, e.g. to raise money for mental health. If you are happy for videos of your child(ren) to be shared on our social media accounts, you can send the video to Mrs Dare, our Digital Marketing Lead, using WeTransfer and entering the following email address: ldare@sheldonschool.co.uk. By sharing the video, you are consenting to footage being used within school and on our social media platforms.

Mr Lynch has promised that if we raise £500, he will take part in the challenge himself. So, what are you waiting for? Other family members are welcome to take part too!

Other Activities

In addition to the Ice Bucket Challenge, the following list outlines what else we have planned for Mental Health Awareness Week, along with how you and your child(ren) can get involved:

• Charity Visits. Teen Talk and Wiltshire Treehouse will be joining us for lunchtimes during the week to raise awareness of what they do and how they can support students.
• Tutor Work. Delivered in tutor time, tutor work during the week will focus on mental health. Developed by Sixth Form Wellbeing Ambassadors, the sessions will explore positive mental health and encourage students to consider how they can boost their mental health, for example by fulfilling acts of kindness.
  Assemblies. Throughout the week, assemblies will be delivered to year groups by Sixth Form Wellbeing Ambassadors, focusing on the theme of mental health and community.
• Wear It Green Day. On Thursday 15th May, and for a £1 donation, students and colleagues are invited to wear an item of green clothing or a green accessory to show support for mental health. Please note, this is not a non-uniform day and students are expected to wear their normal uniform with the additional green item. Donations will be collected during tutor time.
• Green ribbon pin badges. As the global symbol for mental health awareness, green ribbon pin badges will be purchasable from main reception for a £2 donation.
  Year 7 Raffle. From Tuesday 6th May to Tuesday 12th May, we welcome donations of prizes from Year 7 families (and beyond), which can be delivered to the Year 7 office (next to the library). Raffle tickets will be available for Year 7 students to buy for £1 per strip from Monday 12th May, with the raffle drawn on Friday 16th May.
• Year 8 Row-a-thon. On Tuesday 13th May, Year 8 students will be invited to take part in rowing the equivalent distance from Sheldon School to Big Ben (approximately 100 miles). Students can pay £1 to take part.
• Year 9 Cake Sale. On Wednesday 14th May, Year 9 students will be hosting a bake sale. Our wider school community are invited to contribute to the cake sale, with donations delivered to the Year 9 office (in the Dance Studio block) on Tuesday and/or Wednesday morning. As a nut free school, we kindly request that contributions are nut-free. Labelling of key allergens on home-baked goods would also be appreciated, where possible.

Students are also invited to complete their own challenges throughout the week. For example, Year 8 students are being encouraged to take part in a digital detox, limiting screen time throughout the week to boost their mental health. If your child wishes to take part in their own challenge, please let us know what they have decided to do. Other fundraising activities will also be taking placing at other points during terms 5 and 6.

We hope that students and the wider Sheldon community will enjoy what we have planned for Mental Health Awareness Week. Highlights from the week and an update of our fundraising efforts will be shared in the next copy of the Sheldon Standard and on social media.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Update

Whilst on the topic of mental health, we would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of a number of changes and updates to our provision for mental health and wellbeing, which have been implemented since September to raise the profile of positive mental health and mental fitness. To date, these have included:

• The introduction of new mental health referral and reflection processes, which are more student-focused and enable closer monitoring of student wellbeing. 
  An increase in the number of interventions available to support students’ mental health. As part of this, we are working closely with the Wiltshire Mental Health Support Team, who now have a base at Sheldon School to offer low level CBT interventions.
• Access to further counselling provision via the Wiltshire Children and Young People Emotional Wellbeing Service. This provision is alongside a private counsellor, who works at Sheldon School for two days each week.
• Additional training for Pastoral Leads to enhance the range of interventions that are offered to students through one-to-ones, with a focus on supporting anxiety, managing anger and coping strategies. 
  The formation of a team of Sixth Form Wellbeing Ambassadors, who are supporting with raising the profile of positive mental health and mental fitness throughout the school. 
• The implementation of emotions cards within one-to-ones with tutors so that students can unpick how they are feeling about different areas more easily. 
  The introduction of wellbeing activities and tutor work in tutor time, to equip students with a wider range of strategies that are designed to support and improve their mental health and wellbeing.
• In addition, the school website has been updated to provide a clear overview of self-help resources and interventions that are available to support students with their mental health and wellbeing, both in and outside of school. There is also a section that explores ‘Support for Parents and Carers’. Click here to learn more 

For more information or to discuss this in further detail, please contact your child’s Head of Year or Miss Owen, Associate Assistant Headteacher – Senior Mental Health Lead, at mowen@sheldonschool.co.uk.