Defence School Mentor


Defence School Mentor (DSM)

Maribyrnong Primary School has a growing number of defence families enrolled as part of its school community.  To support these families Maribyrnong is fortunate to have a Defence School Mentor (DSM).

The DSM program provides support to children of Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and their families, particularly during their transition into and out of a school on a posting.  The program aims to assist in the smooth transition of mobile ADF children from school to school.

Why do we have a DSM?
The DSM assists children and parents to quickly become part of the school community.  They provide information about the school, provide a link between families and the school community and provide support to children during parental absence due to deployment.

People respond differently to relocation and change.  Some make a positive transition into a new school while others may experience difficulties.  These difficulties for students may be evident in changes in behavior, loss of self-esteem or diminished academic performance.  The DSM works alongside classroom teachers to monitor the transition of both new and leaving students and to provide assistance to support the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of students.

What does a DSM do?

A DSM is not a teacher.  They are a member of the school team.

Some of the support a DSM can provide may be:

What does this involve?

Some of the following activities may assist the DSTA to support families in our community.

How can ADF families assist the DSM?

There are lots of ways that families can work in partnership with the school and the DSM.

Some ideas are:

How can the school community assist the DSM?

The school community plays a very important part in welcoming ADF families to our community.

You can assist the DSM by:

How do I contact the DSM?

You can contact our DSM, in person on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 9:30am and 1:30pm, via email  or by phoning the front office on 6142 0570.