Positive wellbeing is fundamental to a child’s ability to learn, develop and thrive at school.
We know that when students feel supported, they are more engaged with their learning.
At Sydney Catholic Schools, we commit to providing safe, supportive and inclusive environments which nurture the wellbeing of all students and staff in our community.
Our student wellbeing policy is underpinned by the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework. The framework recognises five elements that are key to supporting the whole school community to build and maintain safe, positive relationships and wellbeing: leadership, inclusion, student voice, partnerships and support.
This is complemented by the Be You Framework, a national initiative for educators aimed at promoting and protecting positive mental health in children and young people. The integration of both frameworks supports our school communities to provide every student with the strongest foundation possible for them to reach their aspirations in learning and in life.
We have a systemic approach to wellbeing and positive behaviour with tiers of support to meet the diverse needs of staff, students and families. The offerings range from whole school initiatives, actively seeking student voice, system policies on anti-bullying, student counselling, staff training in student wellbeing, along with targeted interventions for students with complex social and emotional needs.
The key to good teaching and learning is the learning environment, and the quality of this environment is significantly determined by the human relationships within the school. Pastoral care cannot be thought of in separate terms from the teaching and learning within the school; it is a key determinant of successful learning.
At St Fiacre’s Catholic Primary School Leichhardt we believe that we are all unique, created in the image of God and are called to love one another as God loves us. We recognise each person’s right to be safe and to learn. We respect each other and celebrate our diversity. In keeping with the Mission and Vision Statement of St Fiacre’s, we promote the Gospel values of love, compassion, stewardship, faith and service to strengthen the commitment of our faith community, in order to develop and sustain quality human relationships. Within the context of Catholic Schools, the practice of effective Pastoral Care is the responsibility of every staff member.
St Fiacre’s is an SPBL school (School Wide Positive Behaviours for Learning). SPBL emphasises the explicit teaching of appropriate behaviours and provides systems of support to bring about these positive behaviours. SPBL focuses on proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviours to create a positive school environment.
St Fiacre’s have four agreements regarding behaviour. We explicitly teach the children what these agreements look and feel like in the many different contexts in which they find themselves both in and out of the classroom. They learn about the consequences for choices in their behaviour and how they can restore right relationships which is an important part of the process. Awards are presented each week to recognise positive behaviours.
Our agreements are that we are:
- respectful
- responsible
- safe and
- welcoming.