As we welcome our students back to Term 3, amidst the troubles of COVID-19 a concerted effort is being made to ensure the students' connection to the College community and wellbeing remain a high focus.
Many of our students are confident, are familiar with the systems we have in place at the College and they know how to reach out for help if they are feeling anxious or in need of assistance. Wanting to ensure we provide a means of seeking help, the College (after a trial at Year 8 and Year 10 in Term 2) has introduced an online ‘check in’ system called PULSE.
So what is PULSE?
PULSE is a tool for measuring the week-to-week wellbeing and engagement of students. It tracks the wellbeing of individual students so that the College can respond to those who express a need. It also tracks anonymised student sentiment about their engagement with the school so that the school can make changes based on student voice. Each week your child’s Year Level Leader and Campus Director gain an insight into how your child has responded to the very simple question of how they are feeling.
Why are we doing it?
The primary reason is to ensure all our students have the ability to reach out and indicate they would like some help. Research strongly indicates that measuring student wellbeing in a way that is both comprehensive and timely will enable schools to provide support at both the individual and cohort level. We are using PULSE to get more useful and actionable insight than traditional long-form wellbeing surveys.
How does it work?
Once a week, students will be prompted by email to complete an online 'check-in'. Time is used during Homeroom to allow students to ‘check in’. Four to five minutes is all it takes. The check-in consists of five to six questions and although it is encouraged, the use of PULSE is not mandatory.
What is the impact on your child?
The goal is to have a positive experience and give our students a safe way to make their voice heard and give us their opinion on their experience at school.
What information are you collecting and who is going to see it?
We are collecting two kinds of information:
- Identified: with each check-in, students will be asked ‘how are you feeling?’. This question is asked every week and is 'identified' ie. the student's identity will be attached to their response. This is important if a student asks for help.
- Anonymous: the remaining questions are all anonymous. The school will not be able to see the student's identity. The College will use this to gain insight into overall engagement of students and design programs that better meet needs if necessary.
What happens if your child asks for help?
When we set up PULSE for your child they will be assigned an escalation point within the school if they need assistance and be given the option to be contacted by the relevant staff member. They will also be given the option to speak to someone else if they prefer a different person.
As is sometimes the case, students when at school can mask how they are feeling. If this is the case with your child, we would appreciate your input into how your child is coping, so we can better assist them. Your child’s Homeroom teacher is a great person to contact as they greet them every day.
If you have any questions about this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact me.
