The Sale Primary School No 545 is fortunate to have Shelley Ogden as our School Chaplain. Shelley commenced in the role in late 2007, and currently works at the school each Wednesday and Thursday.

Shelley has an office in the 'Newry Building' at the school, (which she shares with the School's Defence Force Transition Aide, Linda Wilson, who works on Mondays and Tuesdays)

School Chaplains roles do vary slightly from school to school, but at 545 it involves the following:

Pastoral Care:

• To be available for confidential pastoral care and counselling with students, staff and families.
• To be prepared to be involved in crisis intervention and trauma debriefing.
• As appropriate, to offer advice relating to student or staff welfare to the school administration [confidentiality issues to be respected]
• To be involved in staff teams where appropriate.
• To liaise with various local government, church based and state welfare agencies; to provide individual or group based programs, support or resourcing for students, staff and families in the Sale Primary School community.
• To lead grief programs such as "Seasons for Growth" with identified groups of students.
• To conduct parent/child mediation.

Education:

• To assist with or provide educational and training programs where appropriate. For instance, this could include classroom teaching, student leadership or facilitating small groups, in the areas encompassing but not limited to; social skills development, productive decision making and self esteem programs.
• To be available as an educational resource person for students and teachers with regard to religious, ethical issues, social and life skills.
• To help students, where appropriate, to explore the beliefs and values components of subject areas and their own spirituality, respecting the student's right to hold their own view.
• To assist, where appropriate, with staff PD/training programs organized by the school.
• To coordinate parenting sessions in areas of identified need.

General:

• To promote the work of chaplaincy within the school, local community and churches.
  
• The Chaplain is expected to work with members of the schools' leadership team, and especially the school's student welfare coordinator and staff.
  
• To source funding for welfare based programs through agencies such as School Focused Youth Service (SFYS)
  
• To participate in the life of the school community, including camps and other student activities.

Making Contact:

Shelley is available to all members of the School Community for pastoral and sometimes practical support. If students, family members or staff are struggling with personal issues, or just having a bad day, they can pop in for a confidential chat. Shelley will also offer a referral service for families seeking various forms of community assistance.

Please contact Shelley through the school office on 51 445 545
or email Shelley ogden.shelley.s@edumail.vic.gov.au