Wellbeing is the concern of all staff at Dripstone however there are various personnel on the staff available to students who have problems or concerns they wish to discuss. Students should make an appointment with the person they wish to see. Our Team works closely with Year Level Coordinators in monitoring student wellbeing and provides appropriate support.
School Counsellor
The school counsellor provides comprehensive counseling programs to students, staff and the community through: personal and group counseling, liaison / advocating with school staff regarding student welfare, referral and liaison with established networks of welfare agencies and personnel and staff support.
Home Liaison Officer (HLO)
The Home Liaison Officer maintains communication links between the school and families through phone calls, home visits and record keeping of student absences. The Home Liaison Officer provides support to students and their families with all attendance issues.
School Nurse
The Health Promoting School Nurse focuses on Health Promotion and Primary Health Care. Immunisation programs are run during the year e.g. HPV (Human Papilloma Virus ) for year 7 girls and all year 8 students are offered Boostrix (Adult Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis) and Varicella (chickenpox). A Manoux test for Tuberculosis is conducted annually for year 8 students who are indigenous or born overseas.
The school nurse assists classroom teachers in subjects related to health such as, first aid, contraception, alcohol and drugs, management of asthma and other medical conditions. Students are encouraged to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water and to eat a healthy diet. FREE dental treatment is available to all Middle School students.
Defence School Mentor
The Defence School Mentor Program provides the practical support and services of our Defence School Mentor (DSM).
The DSM’s key role is to help provide a smooth transition into and out of the Dripstone School community for ADF children and their families.
Our DSM assists with students in a variety of ways:
- Transition in and out of schools
- Assisting in classrooms on a regular basis with Defence children
- Supporting students during times of parental absence (deployment, professional development or other military reasons)
- Supporting teachers in behaviour matters
There are 4 key areas of the defence program:
- Welcoming
- Integrating
- Parental absence support
- Farewelling