The WELLBEING of students at Fitzroy North Primary School is vital to enhancing their educational experiences. Happy children, who feel respected and safe are more able to express themselves and take responsibility for their learning. Knowing that they are working within a supportive environment that is responsive to their needs, allows students at our school to focus on what really matters; trying their hardest and being the best version of themselves that they can be.
Our approach encompasses ministerial orders, education department policy guidelines and training directives, development of our own school policy and regular and responsive review of school policy.
The school’s Student Code of Conduct and Student Engagement, Inclusion and Wellbeing policy highlight that there is zero tolerance for any form of violence thus helping to promote a school a culture that it is ‘O.K. to Tell.’
The school’s behavior protocols and scripts reinforce this as do our school’s values of KINDNESS, RESILIENCE and RESPECT.
Our Playground Scripts…
Let’s make sure our play space is safe for EVERYONE!
If another student is doing something you don’t like, you need to tell them to stop.
STUDENT SCRIPT:
“I don’t like what you’re doing, please stop.”
IF BEHAVIOUR DOES NOT STOP
“I’ve already asked you to stop, I’m telling a teacher.”
You need to report this to the yard duty teacher immediately.
This is not dobbing. This is being responsible. We need to work together.
WHEN SOMETHING IS AN ACCIDENT...
STUDENT SCRIPT
‘I’m sorry ... It was an accident!
Are you Okay?’
Wellbeing Centre
Our Wellbeing Centre is a tranquil space where our Wellbeing Coordinator, Regional School Support Officers and Allied Health Workers can provide children with the necessary support they require to increase resilience, improve social skills and develop independence. It is also where small group sessions are held on a needs basis from everything from Friendship to Managing Stress. Programs such as Smiling Mind, Kimochis, Peaceful Kids and We Can lead as One Are used to teach children how to cope with their emotions, bounce back from problems, and develop positive relationships—all essential life skills
For more information on our Wellbeing initiatives, please ask to speak to the Wellbeing Coordinator: Linda Ratcliffe
Leading Respectful Relationships
WHAT IS RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS
Resilience
How to Build Resilience in Your Child.
BUILDING RESILIENCE IN CHILDREN
Our Buddy/Partner Grade Program
Fitzroy North Primary School operates a 'buddy' / partner grade program across all year levels.
Prep students are generally buddies with Year 6 students.
The aim of our Buddy/Partner Grade Program is to create friendly and caring primary school communities where strong cross-aged peer relationships can be built and maintained. The Buddy Program helps students to develop positive social skills.
Support Groups
We are closely linked to the following organisations in the work we do:
National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence: https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/
Chris Daicos https://chrisdaicos.com.au/
Tuning into Teens: https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/ctc
The Resilience Project: https://theresilienceproject.com.au
Berry St: https://www.berrystreet.org.au
Orange Door: https://www. orangedoor.vic.gov.au
Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au
Be You
KidsMatter has a new name…
Be You is a mental health and wellbeing framework for primary schools and is proven to make a positive difference to the lives of Australian children. It provides the methods, tools and support to help schools work with parents and carers, health services and the wider community, to nurture happy, balanced kids. Be You was developed in collaboration with BeyondBlue, the Australian Psychological Society, and the Principals Australia Institute, with funding from the Australian Government's Department of Health and Ageing and BeyondBlue and was formerly known as KidsMatter Primary.
Play Suggestions for Families
Children’s play builds social and emotional skills and nurtures and develops children’s mental health and wellbeing. Learning to Keep Balance
While children can be negatively affected by events in their lives, they can also grow up with the ability to cope with life’s demands, such as having a job and building relationships. This ability is called resilience and all children can benefit from this.
Supporting Students to cope with Stress
Children who cope better with life’s everyday setbacks develop good mental health and wellbeing.
Play
All children have a right to play. In our busy world, where parents and children are rushing from one thing to another, it is essential to make time for children to play.
Anger
When children lack skills for managing anger it can lead to aggressive behaviour. Usually, it is the aggressive action that follows anger that most concerns parents, carers and school staff. Learning to manage anger involves developing social and emotional skills for calming down and having ways to express angry feelings assertively. This means learning to use words rather than aggressive actions to communicate feelings. Parents, carers and school staff have an important role in helping children learn to manage anger effectively.
Resolving Conflict: Suggestions for Families
The skills needed for resolving conflict effectively are complex. They involve managing feelings, understanding others, communicating effectively, developing options and making decisions. Parents and carers play an important role in helping children resolve conflicts.
Resolving Conflict
When conflict is poorly managed it can have a negative impact on children’s relationships, on their self-esteem and on their learning. However, teaching children the skills for resolving conflict can help significantly. By learning to manage conflict effectively, children’s skills for getting along with others can be improved. Children are much happier, have better friendships and are better learners at school when they know how to manage conflict well.
Managing Behaviour
Parents and carers who provide boundaries as part of a loving and secure relationship with their children help children feel secure and self-confident. Children benefit from knowing that their environment is stable and that a competent adult is taking care of them.
Making Decisions
Children’s decision making is strongly influenced by the expectations and values they learn from those around them. This occurs through observing others (particularly those close to them), hearing about and discussing values, and having opportunities to make decisions and experience their consequences.
Resilience
Adults sometimes look back on their childhood as a time when they were always happy, but life’s ups and downs are a part of childhood too. Children need to build resilience skills to be able to both enjoy good times and deal with hard times. Helping children learn how to manage life’s ups and downs and build their coping skills supports their mental health and wellbeing now and into the future. Feeling good protects mental health and wellbeing.
Motivation and Praise
Children who are confident are motivated to engage in more experiences. Parents and carers play an important role in supporting children's developing curiosity and confidence.
Emotional Development
Children grow and change in many ways during their primary school years. As well as growing physically, children develop socially, emotionally and cognitively. Children’s responses to the different feelings they experience every day have a major impact on their choices, their behaviour, and on how well they cope and enjoy life.
Good values guide good behaviour
Values are the internal guides we have for our behaviour. They help us to make choices, and to make judgements about what is right and wrong, good or bad, fair or unfair. While cultures differ in the emphasis they place on particular values (eg. individual freedom or duty to family) there are many which are common to all cultures like respect, caring, and justice. Parents and carers are children’s first and most important teachers of values.
Empathy is important to friendships and children who are able to empathise with others are less likely to bully or exclude other children as they get older. Social and emotional skills are also essential to being able to do well at school. Children’s mental health and wellbeing is supported when they develop a positive sense of self and the social skills to help them relate well with others.
Social development
Through their daily contact with parents, carers, family members, school staff, as well as with their peers, children learn about the social world and about the rules, practices and values that support it. By actively participating in these relationships, children also affect the ways that adults and their peers relate to them through their social development.
Building resilience
The Victorian Department of Education Training explains that resilience is the ability to cope and thrive in the face of negative events, challenges and adversity. You can play an important role in enhancing your child's resilience.
Life's ups and downs
The Victorian Department of Education and Training has suggestions that parents and carers can do to help their children to become more resilient and to navigate through the ups and downs of daily life.
Child Safe Standards
Fitzroy North Primary School is a Child Safe School.
We have a firm commitment to uphold the standards and to embed a culture of child safety. Strategies that seek to prevent harm and neglect (including physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, racial and cultural or religious abuse) all contribute to a child safe culture. It is therefore critical that child safety is part of the everyday thinking and practice of all within the school community.
Protecting the safety and wellbeing of children enrolled at Fitzroy North Primary School is our highest priority. Families put their trust in the staff, volunteers and external providers to keep their children safe as they learn. We know students learn best when they feel they are in a safe and supportive environment.
As required by Ministerial Order 870 all schools are required to:
· have zero tolerance for child abuse
· demonstrate commitment to providing a child safe environment
· have systems to protect children from abuse, and takes all allegations and concerns seriously with the commitment to respond to them consistently in line with the Schools policies and procedures
· be committed to raising awareness of the importance of child safety
· actively work to listen to and empower children
· promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and children with a disability
In response to the Ministerial Order, the Victorian Government has introduced seven Child Safe Standards across all organisations in the Victorian communities where children spend time.
These standards:
· build a stronger and more consistent approach to preventing and responding to child abuse
· support the empowerment of all students
· embed a culture of child safety at Fitzroy North Primary School.
These new standards support the work that school staff do to maintain the safety and security of our children.
Child Safe Standards build on existing school policies, and strengthen the work across Victorian schools. Fitzroy North Primary School is committed to the protection of all children from all forms of child abuse.
All members of our community share the responsibility for keeping our students safe so if you have concerns for a child’s safety you must take action.
Please refer to our following policies
More information and resources can be found by visiting: www.education.gov.au/protect
Cultural Understanding and Safety
Fitzroy North Primary School ensures that its staff provide a cultural safe and inclusive learning and playing environment for students. For further information about this please visit the DET website www.education.vic.gov.au › school › classrooms
Safe Schools
The Department of Education and Training has suggestions that parents and carers can do to help your child to become more resilient and navigate through the ups and downs of daily life.
Fitzroy North Primary School has connected with the Safe School Coalition in order that we can help to foster a safe environment that is supportive and inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer students. Creating this environment is key to tackling bullying, discrimination and harassment at school, particularly arising from homophobia and transphobia. Safe and inclusive schools benefit all students and are critical to students achieving their full potential. Students who don’t feel safe or included at school cannot learn effectively.
Safe Schools does not have a curriculum and the students will not be taught any specific skills or knowledge under this umbrella program. It is about creating an environment of acceptance of diversity and a safe and inclusive environment for all of our students. For further information about Safe Schools see the DET website www.education.vic.gov.au/safeschools.
Student Welfare
If you have concerns regarding your child, the first person to speak to is your child’s teacher.
If your child requires speech therapy assistance or counselling then please discuss this with his/her classroom teacher. Likewise, your child’s teacher will speak with you if he or she has a concern about your child’s academic or social/emotional progress.
If a concern is identified this is then referred to the Assistant Principals or the Principal. The Department of Education and Training provides Fitzroy North Primary School with some limited Speech Pathologist and Psychologist services which are organised on a needs basis.