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 St Michael’s Catholic Primary School Meadowbank community is committed to creating quality learning opportunities. This includes strengthening the cognitive, physical, social, emotional and faith development of students and staff.

An individual’s wellbeing is constantly changing. Wellbeing can affect students’ engagement and success in learning. As educators, we commit to providing a safe and supportive environment which nurtures the wellbeing of all students and staff in our community. We firmly believe that all students have the right to feel safe, respected and valued in an inclusive environment.

Rationale

At St Michael’s, we create and maintain a positive teaching and learning environment that enables the development of healthy, happy, successful and productive learners. Our school community values individual and collective wellbeing. We believe that taking this approach will equip students and staff to be active contributors to the society in which they live.

We promote student wellbeing in a variety of ways:

  • Wellbeing Support Dog – in partnership with the Dogs Connect program, our wellbeing dog, Micky, has become an integral part of our school community. Research has shown that having a school wellbeing dog reduces anxiety and allows students to feel more relaxed during their learning time in the classroom. Micky boosts morale and helps students build empathy, confidence, resilience and responsibility.
  • School Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning (SPBL) – an approach which explicitly teaches responsible behaviours that foster respect, positive relationships and kindness. Underpinned by Gospel values, our students are encouraged to: Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Safe.
  • Anti-Bullying Policy – a policy that ensures effective pastoral care for all students, parents and staff. The ‘Method of Shared Concern’ is used to ensure that issues are addressed.
  • School Counsellor – available onsite at the school, by referral, to support student emotional and mental wellbeing.
  • Wellbeing Week – in week 6 of each term, the school community engages in Wellbeing Week. During this week, wellbeing is prioritised through initiatives such as wellbeing activities, no homework for students and no meetings for staff.
  • Buddy Program – a program that supports Kindergarten students as they transition and settle into the school community by pairing them with a Year 6 ‘buddy’. This also develops leadership skills in our senior students.
  • Kinnections – an evidence-based platform that allows our educators to monitor and check-in with the wellbeing of students in the areas of connection, future focus, safety and general wellbeing, once a term.

As educators, we play a pivotal role in the wellbeing of our students and provide quality learning experiences to achieve this. Through our Wellbeing Framework, guided by legislative and policy requirements, we contextualise wellbeing to individual students and school settings. We aim to embed the practices of this framework throughout the ethos of our school.

St Michael’s Wellbeing Framework

Anti-bullying policy

Sydney Catholic Schools rejects all forms of bullying behaviours, including online (or cyber) bullying, by maintaining a commitment to providing safe, inclusive and respectful learning communities that promote student wellbeing for learning. Staff at Sydney Catholic Schools are committed to employing wellbeing strategies that allow for a healthy school environment where bullying is less likely to occur.

If your child is experiencing bullying of any kind, or you have a wellbeing concern, we have a number of support services available for parents/carers and students, as listed below.

Support services: