Beachland kids ask ‘are you OK?’

Beachlands Primary School students have been learning what to do when a friend becomes distant.

The teachings are part of the school’s contribution to improve mental health in the community, by helping children spot worrying behaviour early and encouraging them to ask — are you OK?

Earlier this month students wore yellow and participated in mental-health activities, organised by library officer Kylie Conder.

She said children played games such as “guess which teacher matches this childhood photo,” to make the lessons age appropriate. “We recognise discussions around mental health can be quite scary, so we thought packaging important lessons in a fun way would engage the students but still have them learning.”

Ms Conder has been the driving force behind many behaviour-improving initiatives at the school in the past two years.

She said other initiatives, such as anti-bullying campaign days, had also helped create a trend of observably happier students.