The end of Term 2 is rapidly approaching and so is winter! The cooler weather has seen more Defence students attend Defence Club activities, due mostly to the fact that the Drop Zone is nice and warm.

I have been able to meet ADF students who have not previously attended the clubs which has been lovely. 

DEFENCE PEER MENTOR

Jackson has a strong family military history, is an Army Cadet and is undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award.  He is also quite the trombone player playing the Last Post at our ANZAC and Remembrance Day school services.

COFFEE AND CHAT

Last week saw our second DSM/Parent catch up at the Providence Splash and Play for 2022. ADF Parents new to RVSSC were able to enjoy a free coffee while meeting parents of existing families, sharing experiences of postings and deployments, making new connections within the school, DMFS support services, the Family Liaison Officer and myself.  Ripley Valley SSC's Principal, Brendan Krueger; Deputy Principal Daniel Pym and our illustrious Chaplain, Kristian Atkins also attended the morning tea.

Parent Coffee and Catch coffee mornings are held once a term. I look forward to hosting the next ADF parent catch up in Term 3.

DEFENCE WEEK

RVSSC has a significant ADF student presence with 50 families and nearly 70 ADF students. That is approximately 10% of the school population.

In week 3 of Term 3, RVSSC will highlight the ADF lifestyle with DEFENCE WEEK. The focus of Defence Week will be how the military lifestyle impacts Defence families. A presentation from an ADF member at a whole school assembly and a display in the Library are currently being planned.

Defence Students are subject to frequent moves, extended parental absences, isolation from extended family networks and operational deployments.

These disruptions are hard for all members of a Defence family, however at a time of social and emotional development, teenagers find these experience’s particularly challenging.

Some of our ADF students have been to several schools by the time they get to high school while others are already at their 2^nd or 3^rd high school. 

The objective of Defence week is to educate those outside of Defence to the challenges faced by ADF families. The Defence School Mentor Program aims to create an environment that can be understanding and supportive to ADF students when they post in or out of our College or in times of separation from their loved ones.

We live in uncertain times. The constant, up to the minute, sometimes exaggerated or misleading information that pours out from television and social media can be overwhelming for anyone, but can be source of extra anxiety for students who have loved ones in the ADF.

DMFS SUPPORT

For more information on the Defence School Mentor Program you can head to:

https://defence.gov.au/members-families/Family/kids/education.asp

To contact the Defence School Mentor:

Email: tcoop203@eq.edu.au

Phone : 0436 944 525

I wish everyone a safe enjoyable winter school holiday.