Student Wellbeing

At St Bernard’s Parish Primary School, we provide a community empowering all of its members, (students and their families, staff & parish members) to reach their full potential. To achieve this we strive to provide an environment that fosters the Gospel values of mutual respect, dignity and self worth.

St Bernard’s Parish Primary School adopts Restorative Practices as our way of relating to each other.

The aim of Restorative Practice is to restore right relationships and bring about healing after some hurt or harm has been done to another or others. It has, at its heart, the key Gospel values of reconciliation, responsibility, reintegration and resolution of conflict. Restorative Practice offers processes that can help all students learn to understand and deal with their own emotions in ways that build stronger relationships.

Restorative Practice includes the following four key elements:

• Focus upon harm and relationships, not on blame and punishment.

• Working with one another.

• Importance of fair process.

• Key restorative questions:

  • What happened?

  • What were you thinking of at the time?

  • What have you thought about since?

  • Who has been affected by what you have done?

  • In what way?

  • What do you think you need to do to make things right?

By incorporating these key elements in the process of Restorative Practice the students build a powerful basis for experiencing and building healthy dialogue with each other.

The Wellbeing of our students is fostered through, but not limited to;

• A School Assertive Discipline approach to behaviour that focuses on taking responsibility for your own actions and choices.

• A strong focus on explicit Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) through our Bounce Back Program Foundation - Grade 6. Our program is integrated into the weekly program.

• Circle Time within classrooms to build positive relationships.

• Senior Leadership Groups that bring student voice to life.

• Specific teaching focused on the research based program Berry Street – empowering students to understand more about how their body/mind work, self regulation and the power of positive mindset.

• Parent Support Group meetings (PSGs) where the Student Wellbeing/Learning Diversity Leader and the classroom teacher meet termly with parents/carers of children with special needs to discuss and monitor learning plans

• Student Support Group meetings (SSGs) where the Student Wellbeing/Learning Diversity Leader, Learning and Teaching Leaders and our school Principal meet to discuss the individual needs of a child

• Foundation Orientation Program

• Parent Information Nights

• Whole school transition program

• Weekly whole school assemblies

• Personal Learning Plans (PLPs) to meet individual needs

• Seasons Program

• Student Wellbeing Team

• Bully survey and register

• An onsite psychological support service

• A NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data) Team which is responsible for facilitating the NCCD, including ensuring that all staff are aware of the process and of the school’s obligations under the DDA and the standards.