Mentally Fit Primary Schools
Gotcha4Life’s evidence-based, whole-of-school approach to building mental fitness and wellbeing.
About Mentally Fit Primary Schools
Gotcha4Life’s Mentally Fit Primary Schools program takes a prevention-first, whole-of-school approach to building wellbeing capacity. Designed to inspire and enable your staff, students, parent and carer community to adopt a proactive approach to building their mental fitness, we partner with you to establish an enduring, mentally fit school climate.
What is Mental Fitness?
Mental Fitness refers to our capacity to cope with life’s ups and downs, our sense of connection and belonging and our ability to seek help when we need it. Gotcha4Life’s approach to Mental Fitness is built on cultivating three evidence-based mental health protective factors: emotional adaptability, social connectedness and help-seeking.
Build your school’s capacity to improve the mental health of your students.
School settings are critical platforms for enhancing children’s mental health and wellbeing, but with 50% of mental health issues presenting before the age of 14*, and the emergence of increasingly complex mental health needs amongst students, primary school educators and families can feel ill-equipped to respond and support their children. Without adequate resourcing and training, building wellbeing capacity and cultivating a climate where all students thrive can be difficult and overwhelming.
Gotcha4Life’s Mentally Fit Primary Schools program responds to this need. Designed by experienced educators, mental health specialists and informed by an extensive evidence base, including CASEL’s integrated SEL framework, our Mentally Fit Primary Schools program is delivered by our experienced Educators, and centred around a co-designed whole-of-school Mental Fitness Action Plan.
We partner with you to engage your entire community. With a curriculum-aligned focus on building mental fitness, students gain tools for navigating challenges, managing emotions and reaching out for help when needed.
Our approach ensures support, tools and resources to enable teachers and parents to embed universal, preventative mental fitness practices that complement existing wellbeing initiatives. Armed with a shared language and vision, the program also serves to deepen connections across the whole school community. At Gotcha4Life, we believe that the best outcomes are achieved when a student’s entire village at school and at home have a shared commitment to proactively fostering mental fitness.
Our Educators coach, educate and support you to build your school’s wellbeing capacity.
Presentations, workshops, training and resources for the whole school community.
A shared language between home and school that encourages healthy habit-building and connection.
Evidence-based SEL framework, Australian curriculum-aligned.
Access Resources
Access our resource hub, the Mental Fitness Gym, to find a range of tools and activities designed to strengthen your emotional muscles, foster social connections, and encourage help-seeking in your school community.
Want to become a Mentally Fit School?
Register your interest to download a full program information pack and schedule a discovery session with our team of Mental Fitness Educators.
Register your interest and someone from our team will shortly be in touch.
2025 program begins Term 4, 2024
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Our Mentally Fit Primary Schools program would not be possible without the support of our donors and partners.
Gotcha4Life’s Mentally Fit Primary Schools pilot program was partially funded by the NSW Government.
The information in our Mentally Fit Primary Schools program is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Gotcha4Life does not provide counselling or crisis support services. You can connect with mental health professionals for confidential 1-on-1 support and advice by calling Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 at any time or visit beyondblue.org.au. If someone you care about is experiencing emotional distress, please contact Lifeline who are there to listen and support you, 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. If someone’s life is in danger, call 000.
*The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2021)