‘In September, 2019, we initiated the implementation of 400 hours of Wellbeing in St. Angela's College. The Nurture 4 Wellbeing Programme was a vital component in this. Our Junior Cycle students have benefited enormously from the Nurture programme. We have also noticed a marked decrease in junior students requiring assistance and intervention at Deputy Principal and Principal level. They have quickly learned to self-manage, proactively engage in self-care and are thriving as a result. The feedback from parents and students alike has been overwhelmingly positive.’
Pat Curran, Principal, St. Angela’s College, Cork.
‘I first heard about the Nurture 4 Wellbeing Programme at the NAPD Region 7 Annual Conference. My first impressions were that those involved in designing this programme had invested an incredible amount of thought and energy into creating it. The presentation was informative and engaging, and was very well-received by all in attendance. I was very impressed that the programme will also be available ‘as Gaeilge’, meaning that there is a ready-made programme available to those working i Scoileanna Lán-Gaeilge.’
Donnchadh Ó Cróinín, Príomhoide, Gaelcholáiste Charraig Uí Leighin, Corcaigh
‘Aran (co-author of the programme) and Edel (Deputy Principal, St.Angela’s College) presented at the Le Chéile day for Deputy Principals. Their presentation was so good that I organised for them to speak at an NAPD Region 2 day. From this, we are now employing the Nurture 4 Wellbeing programme for our incoming 1st years for the 2020/2021 academic year.’
Shaun Burke, Deputy Principal, St. Gerald’s College, Castlebar, Co.Mayo / Treasurer of NAPD Region 2.
‘I was most impressed with Team Nurture’s Junior Cycle Wellbeing Programme from the off.
Student wellbeing is now more important than ever before and Team Nurture’s Programme makes the facilitation of this in the classroom context almost seamless for teachers. The programme has been devised by classroom teachers for classroom teachers. The programme can be easily adjusted to become bespoke to any individual school’s context. In a context of change and challenges in schools today, Team Nurture’s Wellbeing Programme and resources take the worry out of planning and saves time. Team Nurture was very well received at our 2020 NSPI conference and the overall feedback from teachers on the day was excellent and proved to be very good CPD for teachers as well. Well done to all involved.’
Mary Gilmore, Deputy Principal and Chairperson of The Network of School Planners Ireland.
‘I was at your excellent presentation on your amazing Nurture 4 Wellbeing Programme at the Network of School Planners Conference in Portlaoise. I was really impressed by the whole thing.’
Mary Kelleher, School Planning Coordinator, Loretto College, Dublin.
‘We saw your presentation at the Le Chéile Deputy Principals’ workshop in Mullingar in November and were very impressed with the level of work, expertise and planning put into your Wellbeing Programme.’
Conor Cunnane, Deputy Principal, Patrician Secondary School, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.
‘Thanks so much for all your hard work, putting so much valuable time and effort into this! It’s wonderful!’
Patricia Dooley, Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon, Co. Clare.
‘Your lovely card and resources arrived today. It looks incredible, well done!’
Cora McKenna, Glanmire Community College, Cork.
‘Just messaging quickly to say how amazing they (your resources) are. Really, really enjoying using it.’
Carys Johnson, Glanmire Community College, Cork.
‘Thank you so much for this amazing programme. The course is beautifully laid out and resourced making it a pleasure to teach. It adhered to the curriculum requirements as well as providing amazing and fun learning activities that were thoroughly enjoyed by all. My students are excited about continuing the programme next year, as am I! Well done and I look forward to next year's course.’
Shelly Whelan, Teacher, St. Angela’s College, Cork.
‘As a school we invested in the Nurture 4 Wellbeing Programme this year for all our Junior Cycle students. It has proved an invaluable resource for all wellbeing teachers in our school, covering subjects such as meditation, study skills, gratitude, overcoming challenges and many more, all linked to the wellbeing indicators. The programme provides detailed subject plans, class plans for every lesson, PowerPoints with student journals available to purchase separately also. All of these resources can be easily adapted to suit each schools' individual needs if necessary and it has cut down considerably on teachers' workloads. With the move to online learning recently, these resources have become even more useful and appropriate. I would highly recommend the Nurture 4 Wellbeing programme for all wellbeing teachers.’
Mary, Teacher, Co. Galway.
'As a new young teacher, I thoroughly enjoyed using the Nurture 4 Wellbeing programme in my school. From the outset, I noticed an instant increase in participation levels. Active learning, group work and student feedback were always carefully tailored to every lesson. I highly recommend this excellent programme.'
Gráinne Ní Mhaoileoin, St. Vincent's Castleknock College, Castleknock, Dublin 15.
‘I found the tips and the information I received on being organised, self-care, what type of learner I am and how to make the transition from primary to secondary school very helpful.’
‘The main aspect of the course that I found most useful was how to settle into 1st Year.’
‘I found the course really helpful when I was setting myself up for the year. It helped me know where to go when I needed help with anything, how to be more organised and how to be positive. I now understand more about bullying and what to do if I come across it or am getting bullied. I now know how to study better by finding out what type of learner I am. The meditation really helped for when I'm stressed and I liked learning about the environment and resilience. The study timetable for all our tests and CBAs has been really good.’
‘I found the locker planning at the start extremely helpful.’
‘I really enjoyed learning about different studying methods and I am so glad to have developed these skills early on in my learning career as I feel that they will really benefit me in the future when preparing for more serious exams. I also think it helped with the transition from sixth class to first-year immensely as I learned many self-care methods and I became much more organized through tips and tricks taught in the course.’
‘I found meditation really rewarding.’
‘I really enjoyed the meditation lessons because it helped calm me down and clear my mind. It was really effective and enjoyable and I have been continuing it myself.’
‘Mindful colouring was really fun and helped me clear my head and meditation was very useful to clear my head and just relax for a few minutes.’
‘I enjoyed organising the tea party as it was a really fun and enjoyable thing to take part in. It was really nice to talk to the 6th years and find out their thoughts on subjects, the school and hobbies and activities.’
‘I really enjoyed learning about different studying methods and I am so glad to have developed these skills early on in my learning career as I feel that they will really benefit me in the future when preparing for more serious exams. I also think it helped with the transition from sixth class to first-year immensely as I learned many self-care methods and I became much more organized through tips and tricks thought in the course.’
‘From a parent’s perspective, I felt that the Nurture 4 Wellbeing programme was crucial in helping my daughter to cope with all the changes and challenges that come with starting Secondary school. As a student, my daughter found Organisational and Study skills hugely beneficial.’
‘My daughter found the program beneficial, helping her to develop skills in resilience and dealing with stress. Thank you!’
‘My daughter was excited about starting secondary school and naturally apprehensive about what to expect. There was a lot to adjust to between early morning start, new bus trip, working out timing on getting to the bus on time before and after school, navigating the school itself, getting to class on time, having the right textbooks from the lockers, remembering what to bring home and indeed bring in to school. There was also the meeting of her new classmates, getting to know them and finding her way through developing the friendships she made and meeting all her new teachers and getting to know what they expect of her. It seems to me there were discussions and encouragement around all of these elements along with guidance and feedback from the teachers on her progress and areas to work on. She felt they were approachable and there if she needed anything. All in all a very successful transition into secondary school with her being very happy at her new school.’
‘My daughter got on very well with the Nurture 4 Wellbeing programme, It is great that the school introduced this program to nurture students.’
