St Georges Basin Public School has a Defence School Mentor (DSM), Mrs Kelly McDonald, who is the first point of contact for all Defence Force family matters.
Defence School Mentors are found at schools across Australia where there are significant numbers of Defence students. Defence Mentors are funded by the Department of Defence and are employed to provide information and support to Defence families, especially when transitioning into a new school and during deployments.
A DSM performs a variety of roles including:
- Smoothing the transition between different education systems thereby helping Defence students to minimise the impact of relocation on learning outcomes.
- Monitoring the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of Defence students.
- Referring Defence families and students to school, Defence and community support groups.
- Enhancing an awareness and appreciation of the unique Defence lifestyle in schools and the greater community.
- Assisting Defence students to develop their self-confidence through involvement in resilience programs.
- Enhancing the links between the local, school and Defence community.
If you would like to contact Mrs McDonald, please contact our office on 02 4443 4251 or email stgeorgesb-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au and put 'DSM' in the subject line.
