What does a school chaplain do?
A school chaplain is a safe person for young people to connect with at school and provides a listening ear, caring presence, and a message of hope. Chaplains run positive, fun activities for students and assist in fostering supportive, caring school communities.
The chaplaincy service is available to everyone in the school community regardless of their religious beliefs.
Our chaplain at Undurba State School is Rebecca, known as Chappy Beck.
What does chaplaincy look like at Undurba State School?
As a Chaplain, Beck provides practical and spiritual support to students, parents, staff and the wider school community. She aims to be a positive role model in the school community, encouraging and building relationships with students, staff and parents. As a part of her role, Beck runs lunchtime groups, attends school camps and events, visits classes, runs programs, and organizes the ‘Chappy Pancake Breakfast’ each term. She also supports students through ‘Chappy Chats’, for those going through a variety of issues, such as family breakdown, bullying, self-esteem issues, grief and loss. Beck operates as a part of the student support services that are provided at Undurba.
Another part of Beck's role is supporting students who have questions about spirituality or ethics. While SU Qld chaplains are from a Christian faith background, they respect those who hold other beliefs and worldviews. Beck respects everyone’s individual right to explore and pursue their own beliefs.
Will my child be involved?
Involvement with the chaplain is entirely voluntary and students choose whether or not they want to be a part of the activities that are offered. Parents will be consulted if their child wishes to be involved in ongoing one-to-one meetings with the chaplain or in any programme or group involving spiritual or ethical content. Parents have the right to refuse permission for their child to be involved in any chaplaincy activity or event.
How can I contact the chaplain?
Beck is at Undurba on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. She can be contacted through the school office on (07) 3480 9111.