Welcoming defence families to our school community

A significant number of the students in our school come from families who are employed by the Australian Defence Forces (ADF). Our school has a Defence School Mentor (DSM), who is available to assist our students and Defence Force families with information, support and referral.

Young people respond differently to relocation and change. Some make a comfortable transition into a new school, others may experience difficulties. Social and emotional factors such as changes in behaviour, loss of self-esteem and diminished academic performance may become apparent.

To assist young people with the transition process, the Defence School Mentor works to:

• Provide ongoing support and assistance to young people with their integration into their school community
• Raise awareness of mobility issues Defence families face
• Assist students to build their self-confidence and resilience
• Encourage young people to explore options and to make the most of local opportunities available to them

This can include:

• Being a contact to parents of mobile ADF students in the school
• Attend to the welcoming and ongoing well-being of students/families
• Assist students to quickly develop a sense of belonging
• Supporting students when a Defence parent is on deployment, or on training/exercise
• Explore opportunities provided by the ADF to help students in their new location, for example tutoring
• Enhancing the relationship between the school and their Defence community

Our Defence School Mentor can be contacted via email or by phone on (08) 8282 6400.