All staff at Mount Eliza Secondary College possess the skills and knowledge to assist students to achieve their personal best. Student health and wellbeing is a key feature of teachers’ roles, as it provides opportunities for students to be acknowledged for their efforts and develop a positive self-image.

In addition to the commitment by all staff at Mount Eliza Secondary College we have a Wellbeing Team that is comprised of the following positions:

​​Assistant Principal (Student Wellbeing and Management)

Cassandra Willis provides leadership, direction, and support for the review, development, and implementation of wellbeing programs, services, structures, policies, and procedures across the College.

Youth Worker

Ben Davey is responsible for case management, liaising with external services, contributing to focus days and organising and facilitating wellbeing programs.

Social Worker

Mel Toprak is responsible for case management, liaising with external services, contributing to focus days and organising and facilitating wellbeing programs.

Mental Health Practitioner (MHP)

Stella-Marie Pavlou’s role includes:

• mental health prevention and promotion
• short term support for students including direct counselling
• coordinating supports with other services for students with complex needs.

Secondary School Nurse (SSN)

A key role of our SSN, Suzie Adsett, is to support Health Promotion & Primary Prevention in Secondary Schools:

• Collaborative teaching
• Targeted or small group work
• Curriculum development

Referrals can be made to the SSN for an individual health consultation with a focus on referring out to external agencies to provide targeted support.

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At Mount Eliza Secondary College, we take a positive, proactive approach in the wellbeing of students at the college by implementing programs that work on building a student’s resilience and social skills. Some of the programs undertaken at the college are:

• Art Therapy
• Equine Therapy
• Canine Therapy
• Breakfast Club
• Hands on Learning
• Social Thursdays
• Inclusion group
• Pride and Allies
• Transition Programs
• Respectful Relationships

The Wellbeing team are also available to work with students who may be experiencing difficulties in a range of areas, for example:

• Mental Health
• Family Relationships
• Personal health and identity
• Study techniques and time management
• Personal and social skills, eg. anger management
• Building positive self-esteem and self-confidence
• Self-Care – Relaxation, stress management, sleep, hygiene, nutrition and mindfulness

The Wellbeing team liaise with a number of key agencies within the Department of Education and the community to ensure students and families have access to further support. These include services such as:

• GP’s and Local Health Services
• Police Community Liaison Officer
• Student Support Services
• Koori Education Support Officers
• RRRR (Rights, Resilience and Respectful Relationships) team
• Safe Schools team
• Navigator Program
• Headspace
• Private Psychologists
• Mornington Peninsula Shire
• Mornington Peninsula Youth Shire Network
• Uniting Care
• The Corner
• eSafety Commissioner
• Family Care