index

Pastoral Care Resources: -

Pastoral Care occurs in a variety of ways. At Birdwood, we have a weekly session with our Home Group called Social and Living Skills (SALS). This gives us a timeslot in which to discuss issues such as well-being and self-esteem, risk-taking, peer pressure and drug and alcohol abuse.

In our other day-to-day teaching, much of this work also occurs informally, by modelling desirable attitudes and behaviours and by discussing issues as and when they arise. It is therefore difficult to be prescriptive about Pastoral Care, but I have provided some focus issues for each year level: -

The Federal Government has produced some excellent resources as part of its drug strategy - "My TV" - resilience and drug education for lower secondary students,
and "Rethinking Drinking" - alcohol education for lower to middle secondary students.

These should be in all schools and parts of them could be incorporated into years 8-10.

Year 8

All Year 11 students attend the SAPOL Driver Education Seminar. This professional and frank presentation leave students in no doubt as to what their obligations are, and what consequences exist.

All Year 11 students attend the Mock Crash. This is followed by a de-briefing, with frank input from Andy Kirk (insurance fraud investigator), local undertaker Andrew Kleeman and a number of Police, Ambulance and CFS personnel.

Home Group Teachers discuss incidents as they occur in the community. Students are given practice questions from the Learner's test - whether they have a licence or not, we believe it is good revision.

At this level, it is also appropriate to use the Federal Government resource "On the Edge" - Resilience and Drug Education for upper secondary students.

	Welcome to Birdwood High School's Road Safety Education Site Birdwood Curriculum Development Sponsored by the Motor Accident Commission
Pastoral Care Resources: - Pastoral Care occurs in a variety of ways. At Birdwood, we have a weekly session with our Home Group called Social and Living Skills (SALS). This gives us a timeslot in which to discuss issues such as well-being and self-esteem, risk-taking, peer pressure and drug and alcohol abuse. In our other day-to-day teaching, much of this work also occurs informally, by modelling desirable attitudes and behaviours and by discussing issues as and when they arise. It is therefore difficult to be prescriptive about Pastoral Care, but I have provided some focus issues for each year level: - The Federal Government has produced some excellent resources as part of its drug strategy - "My TV" - resilience and drug education for lower secondary students, and "Rethinking Drinking" - alcohol education for lower to middle secondary students. These should be in all schools and parts of them could be incorporated into years 8-10. Year 8 The main focus for Year 8 students is on safety as a "pre-driver". In other words, a pedestrian, cyclist, skateboarder or passenger. TransportSA has published an excellent book called "Your Turn", which should be in your school. This contains a wide range of resources suitable for Years 8 and 9. In many ways, years 8 and 9 are the forgotten years of road safety, and we believe it is time to redress this imbalance. "Your Turn" Unit 1 - Risky Business on the Road looks at risks for skateboarders, pedestrians and cyclists, then goes on to look at risks for passengers and drivers. There are a number of useful activities aimed at recognizing and controlling risks. Unit 2 - The Key Players has three sections - Know yourself, Know your vehicle and Know your environment. "Know yourself" has a really useful quiz on alcohol, and a reaction time test. "Know your vehicle" has a safety checklist for a bicylcle - a good pre-cursor for car maintenance and roadworthiness in the future. Year 9 By Year 9, a number of students are travelling with older siblings, and often with friends. One of the unique features of a school with 14 school bus runs is the mixing of different age groups. We therefore talk to Year 9's about making sound decisions about whose car they get into, and the risks and consequences of breaking the law. "Your turn" Unit 3 - Expect the Unexpected has three topics - Accident vs Incident, Crash Realities and Crash Costs. This section is about debunking common myths, such as the notion that crashes cannot be prevented or avoided. Activity 3:3 - How much does a crash cost? is particularly useful for starting a discussion on the wider implications and long-term impact of that one bad decision. Unit 4 - Being Safe and Unit 5 - Over to You give students some strategies for avoiding danger and taking positive steps to ensure their own safety. This could also be used for Year 10 students if time runs out at year 9. Year 10 Our main focus at Year 10 is to look at the impact of bad decisions, reinforced by the school's health programme, which concentrates on drug and alcohol use. The Federal Government resources "Cannibis and Consequences" and "Rethinking Drinking" are also appropriate here. There are also several computer programmes, such as BAC and Let's Party, which simulate the effects and consequences of alcohol consumption. Students can dial in a certain number of drinks in a given time, and look at the consequences on computer. Fatal Vision Glasses are also available, which simulate drunkenness and demonstrate how difficult it is to walk (let alone drive!) These glasses are available from several sources, including Safe Drive Training Australia. We show all Year 10 students the DVD "In the Blink of an Eye", which explains the devastating effect of road deaths on the community, including emergency workers, families and friends. Local police officer Dave Pearson introduces the film and talks about consequences from a "local copper" perspective. He is often accompanied by Naomi Edmead, who lost her husband in a local crash and actually made the film. Copies are available from Dave Pearson. Year 11 All Year 11 students attend the SAPOL Driver Education Seminar. This professional and frank presentation leave students in no doubt as to what their obligations are, and what consequences exist. All Year 11 students attend the Mock Crash. This is followed by a de-briefing, with frank input from Andy Kirk (insurance fraud investigator), local undertaker Andrew Kleeman and a number of Police, Ambulance and CFS personnel. Home Group Teachers discuss incidents as they occur in the community. Students are given practice questions from the Learner's test - whether they have a licence or not, we believe it is good revision. At this level, it is also appropriate to use the Federal Government resource "On the Edge" - Resilience and Drug Education for upper secondary students. Year 12 Year 12 students also attend the Mock Crash, and are encouraged to take part in the Roadsafe Driver Awareness course. ( a one-day course for students with p-plates). Discussions about peer pressure, planning ahead, avoiding risks and encouraging well-being and self-esteem continue. Particular emphasis is placed on major events, such as schoolies week and "after-social" parties, with a view to having a backup plan to get you home in an emergency. All schools should also have the mental well-being resource "Mind Matters", which also has some excellent resources about grief, well-being, self-esteem and mental health. A number of teachers are uncomfortable talking about some of these issues, so use trained counsellors and chaplains where possible. There seems little doubt that a number of road crashes result from poor self-esteem, a fatalistic approach to life and depression, possibly with suicidal tendencies - there are too many unexplained single-car crashes. Unpleasant topics, but vital if we are serious about safety!