Wellbeing

At Harvest Christian College, we celebrate every student as a unique creation, deeply loved by God. Our mission is to nurture this understanding, helping each child realise their priceless value and potential. As a caring school, we focus on holistic education, ensuring that our students not only excel academically but also grow in their sense of self and purpose.

Our approach integrates student support and therapy, guiding them to discover and hone their unique gifts and talents. We prepare them to be global citizens, ready to make a positive impact in the world. At Harvest, we’re more than just a school; we’re a community dedicated to fostering wellbeing and inspiring our students to follow their distinct paths with confidence and compassion. Discover a nurturing environment like no other – right here, close to you.

Our Wellbeing Team is a cornerstone of our caring community, warmly extending their support across all four campuses in the Tyndale Group of Christian Schools. This team is a blend of compassion and expertise, featuring:

Approachable professional counsellors for personalised guidance
A skilled family therapist to navigate complex challenges
A therapy dog bringing comfort and smiles
First aid personnel ensuring safety at every step

From the early years in Preschool Little Sprouts to the pivotal Year 12, our team is here to provide consistent, loving care and support for every student and their family. Join us at Harvest, where every child’s wellbeing is at the heart of what we do.

Learn more about how Harvest can support your child below.

MAKING EVERY EXPERIENCE COUNT

We begin every student’s journey at Harvest with a personal touch. By having one-on-one conversations with each new student, we make sure they’re connecting, engaging, and thriving from day one.

At Harvest, our heart is set on smoothing the path for our students, ensuring nothing stands in the way of their educational adventure. We’re dedicated to helping each student see and reach their full potential, creating a ripple effect of positive change for generations to come.

As we look to the future, we’re excited about building deeper ties with our families, strengthening our community bonds, and fostering collaborative partnerships. We’re all in this together, committed to achieving remarkable successes and life-changing experiences for every student.

COUNSELLING: SUPPORTING EVERY STEP

At Harvest, our counselling services embrace a holistic view of wellbeing. We recognise that mental and emotional health is crucial for academic and life success. Our dedicated counsellors offer their expertise in unique nurturing Wellbeing spaces.

Our counsellors use age-appropriate resources and activities to provide tailored support. Proactively engaging with new students, offering specialised sessions for Year 12, and participating in classroom lessons, our team is committed to fostering mental resilience and providing psychoeducation to help students navigate daily challenges.

We understand the importance of a supportive network and adopt a systemic approach for complex cases, working collaboratively with families and external agencies. Our ‘team around the child’ philosophy extends to offering Family Therapy, strengthening the ties within our school community.

For those in need of support, accessing our services is straightforward. You can reach out through one of the concern buttons available on this page. These online concern forms can be utilised by pastoral care teachers, support staff, or directly by students and families, ensuring everyone in our community has the help they need, right at their fingertips.

FAMILY THERAPY

At Harvest, we offer Family Therapy to support families of all kinds through life’s many changes. Whether it’s welcoming a new baby, dealing with loss, adjusting to a teenager’s growing independence, or moving homes, we understand these events can both challenge and strengthen family bonds.

Our approach recognises that families usually adapt well to changes, but sometimes, a fresh perspective is needed. That’s where our Family Therapy comes in. We delve into how family dynamics, backgrounds, neurobiology, and life stages influence relationships. Our therapists help bring these aspects to light, offering a space for families to understand and address their challenges collaboratively.

In Family Therapy, we focus on understanding the problem from each family member’s viewpoint. It’s not about ‘fixing’ a family but responding to specific needs and working towards solutions that consider everyone’s wellbeing. This often involves exploring the issue’s roots and deciding whether to seek change.

We see the Family System as inclusive, often involving school staff, nurses, and other specialists. Their insights are invaluable, especially in understanding a child’s experience in the school environment. This comprehensive approach allows us to view the presenting problem from multiple angles, fostering more flexible thinking towards solutions. Whether it’s parents, children, counsellors, or other professionals, everyone’s voice is important in our Family Therapy sessions. This collaboration can lead to a better understanding of the problem and more effective strategies for moving forward.

PAWS FOR SUPPORT: OUR BELOVED THERAPY DOGS

At Harvest, our therapy dog Harriet is a vital member of our school community, bringing comfort and joy every day, playing a crucial role in enhancing the wellbeing of our students and staff. The impact of therapy dogs is significant and multifaceted. They assist in easing the anxiety of students, particularly during challenging times like the start of the school year or during critical assessments like Year 12 exams, subject to SACE Board approval. As non-judgmental members of our Counselling and Wellbeing Teams, these dogs provide comfort in various settings – from the Counselling Office to the classroom.

Our therapy dogs contribute positively to the school environment and can be seen out-and-about bringing smiles every day! Offering a calming presence that has been shown to lower stress and increase positive hormones, as noted in research by institutions like Johns Hopkins Medicine. Their role in our community goes beyond companionship; they are integral in fostering a supportive and nurturing atmosphere at Harvest.

EMPOWERING PARENTS IN TODAY'S WORLD

Navigating the challenges of modern parenting can be complex, especially when it comes to raising happy, healthy, and resilient children. Parents today are often inundated with information, making it difficult to find clear and reliable guidance.

Enter School TV: an innovative online resource created to empower parents. It cuts through the noise, offering trustworthy and practical advice to help you confidently support your child’s wellbeing. School TV is more than just information; it’s a tool for continuous, realistic support, designed to guide you through the intricacies of modern-day parenting.

The recent addition of Dr Justin Coulson’s Happy Families Schools is another way our families can access excellent parental education and support through free learning. Dr Coulson prioritises the equipping of families with knowledge and strategies they need to foster healthy relationships.

With the introduction of Consent 2 Go (C2Go), our families can easily manage their child’s details and consents while navigating the busyness of family life. The C2Go Parental App offers the flexibility and peace of mind to handle these tasks on-the-go, making it easier for families to stay organised and connected.
Logging concerns regarding students’ wellbeing using our Posimente platform, is yet another way Harvest cares for, and supports our students and their families. Easy access reporting through our website ensures the wellbeing of our students is promptly addressed, fostering a safe and supportive environment for everyone.

EXPERT COLLABORATION
At the heart of our strengths approach to student and family support is our multidisciplinary team.

Allied health professionals, bringing diverse expertise to student health

Medical practitioners

Psychologists

Community service supports, ensuring a broad network of care

This collaborative approach allows us to offer well-rounded and effective support, tailored to the unique needs of our students and their families.
How to access wellbeing support:
If you are seeking support for your child or family, please click buttons above ‘Friend Concern’, ‘Parent Concern’ or ‘Self Concern’.

Cybersafety

For many children and young people, being online is a natural part of daily life, offering endless opportunities for learning, playing, and socialising. However, there are real risks too. The best way to keep children safe is by staying actively involved in their digital world. You don’t need to be an expert – knowing where to find reliable information is what matters most (Government of South Australia).

Parental controls are a valuable tool for online safety. They can help prevent access to harmful content, manage screen time, and control who your child communicates with.

To be most effective:

As much as possible, set up parental controls on all devices your child uses – phones, smart TVs and computers – including those they access while in the care of others, such as family or friends.
Regularly review and update these settings to ensure they remain effective.
Use parental controls alongside supervision and open conversations about safe online habits.

By combining these strategies, you can help your child navigate the digital world safely and confidently (eSafety Commissioner, Australian Government).

When exploring options for monitoring student activity when at home, or not on the school network, please be aware we do not allow the installation of any third party applications on the device itself. This includes third party monitoring programs. When looking at online safety programs in your home environment, look at solutions that allow monitoring at the modem/router level of your home network.

Harvest-initiated safeguards include:

Junior School student devices remaining at school from 2025.
Students do not have local admin access on their allocated device.
Restrictions are in place on what programs can run on a student device.
Restrictions are in place on what browsers can be used and what plugins can be installed.
Safe Search is enforced.
YouTube restricted mode is enforced for Junior School and Middle School.
All student browsing traffic is monitored and restrictions are in place while using the device at school.

Helpful links:

Parental controls – Learn how to use parental controls and other tools to maximise online safety in your home (eSafetyCommissioner)
Parenting SA (Government of South Australia)
Cybersafety – Parent Easy Guide (Government of South Australia)
Cybersafety – Parent Easy Guide in Easy Read (Government of South Australia)
Online safety – supporting safe and responsible use (Department for Education)
Online safety – talking with your child about online risks (Department for Education)

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