Student Health & Welfare initiatives

Mindfulness

Our Mindfulness strategy is now operating in all our classes. All our office, teaching, Kindergarten and teacher aide staff were trained in these strategies. Mindfulness is now practiced every day before a new learning session and after a playground break.
These mindfulness sessions help to settle, relax and anchor our students and help calm their emotions before they start any learning session. Our school is a very calm place.We are implementing a variety of different mindfulness strategies which are designed to settle, relax and support quiet concentration.
When combined with the skills we have introduced through the C.A.S.E.A. program you can see a strategic focus on supporting the social and emotional development of our students.
Our kinder program has also introduced mindfulness strategies. This all contributes to developing better interpersonal skills and positive communication. Students learn to delay gratification through awareness of their emotional state.
Students acquire strategies to control their emotions which leads to happier, more engaged, settled students and better learning outcomes.
Added to this strategy our S.O.L.E. strategy (Self Organised Learning Environments) has a focus on “connecting emotions to learning”.
You can see why our school is such a calm, orderly place both in the classrooms and in the playground.

Calming Canines

Through a partnership with the School Focussed Youth Support we have implemented a new strategy that is proving to be a winner.

A canine comprehension teaching professional/dog handler and therapy dog deliver the 8 week program called “Communication on the Inside and Out”.
Sessions are 45-60 minutes with around 8-10 students in each session, running for 8 weeks in Term 3. Sessions focus on unpacking anxiety and emotions, looking at strategies to assist with anxiety, developing inter personal and social skills including listening, team building and verbal communication skills.
These sessions are extremely popular with all students. 

CASEA project

This ongoing partnership with the Royal Children’s Hospital in conjunction with our staff aims to help children learn important skills for managing their emotions and behaviour.
 
 All children in Grades Prep to six participate in classroom activities where they “get to know” others and develop an understanding of each other’s strengths.

The strength of the program is the parent information sessions which reflect what students are learning in the classrooms and in the sessions with the R.C.H. staff.