At Emmaus Catholic Primary School our staff believe that all members of the school community need to work together to create a safe and secure school environment that fosters connectedness, resilience and an appreciation of diversity. Student Wellbeing exists to support the educational, behavioural, emotional, physical and social development of students within the context of the wider school community.
We focus on improving the classroom and school climate, strengthening partnerships between our parish, school and parents, as well as, ensuring students are engaged in their learning and feel a sense of connectedness and belonging. We expect that the staff have a strong empathy with each other, the students and their parents. We also expect that the students have a strong empathy towards their peers.
Each year we begin the year by teaching our school rules and each grade writes a statement about how they will ‘pray, work and share together’. On a regular basis, children participate in Jigsaw and catch up sessions to talk about their feelings and general wellbeing. We also provide programs, such as, Drug Education, Cybersafety, Buddies between Prep and Grade 6 students, Assertive Behaviour Management, Life Education, Grade 5 & 6 camp and Social Emotional Learning (SELs) implemented in classrooms.
We also plan transition programs for our students coming from kindergarten to Emmaus. We meet with families at enrolment interviews and then conduct kindergarten visits to observe the children coming to our school. Each year in October we provide an orientation program for the children over a three week period. Children participate in 3 orientation sessions where they socialise together, visit their brother’s and sister’s classrooms and play on the outdoor play equipment. We also prepare our Year 6 students for Year 7 and they participate in Orientation programs provided by our Regional Catholic Colleges.
Ongoing assessment, monitoring and evaluating are vital to the planning and teaching of all students. We believe in equality for each student, therefore for some students, an Individual Learning Plan ensures that the student reaches their full potential. Regular meetings are held between the school team, specialists and parents to evaluate and improve the student’s learning.
Furthermore, we ensure that we follow our First Aid policy and procedures to provide a safe school for our students and staff. We also provide safe environments, at recess times, for our students who need this regular support to ensure a positive, wellbeing.