Student Wellbeing
Student wellbeing
Student and Staff wellbeing at Glen Huntly Primary School is a priority and has equal importance to academic achievement.
The school runs a wide range of programs and offers many activities and facilities to help promote student wellness.
At Glen Huntly the school day has a soft start with students able to come into class at 8.50am, put away their books, change readers, engaged with their teacher or friends and settle down or read quietly. The bell then goes at 9.00am signalling the start of the school day.
Teachers are encouraged to ‘meet and greet’ each student at the door at the start of the day. They use their name, include a welcome greeting, make eye contact, smile and use either an optional fist bump or hi five.
The school is committed to reducing the amount of time students spend in front of digital screens at school, only using these devices for digital learning and other necessary occasions such as research or assessments.
The school is focused on increasing the physical activity for all students across the school throughout the day and week. This includes a one hour PE lesson for all students in the school, an extra hour of sport for students in Grades 4 to 6, Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) for students in Prep once a week, a before school running club on Thursday, regular whole school movement/exercise breaks through the day and the encouragement of students to walk or ride to school on Fridays.
The school offers a variety of lunchtime clubs for students to attend each lunchtime throughout the week. These include the Gardening, Chess, Art, Kitchen, Dance, Gymnastics, Origami, LEGO, Board games, Library and Basketball Clubs. These are very popular and keeps the students active, engaged and connected with other students while being supervised by a staff member.
There is also choir and school band at lunchtimes for students in Grades 2 to Grade 6.
The school explicitly teaches wellbeing and mindfulness strategies and lessons at least twice a week. This includes teaching resilience, self-esteem, self-confidence and persistence skills.
Classroom teachers conduct a ‘wellbeing check-in’ at the start of each day with all students during the morning during roll call.
The school teaches and uses the Zones of Regulations. There are 4 zones, Red, Yellow, Blue and Green. Students learn to recognise which zone they are currently in and how to move from one of the 3 zones to Green Zone or to reset.
We have an active Buddy Program at GHPS. This is where Grade 6 students are paired with a Grade 1 student and Grade 5 students are paired with a Prep student. This relationship exists for two years as it continues into the following year when the buddies move up into Grade 1 and Grade 6. They complete a lot of activities together including reading, art and craft and writing stories.
The school has a Wellbeing Zone for any students wishing to visit during class time or during recess and lunchtimes. The Wellbeing Zone has a relaxed atmosphere with bean bags, plants, relaxing music, arts and crafts and is monitored by a staff member.
The school uses Grade 6 Inclusion Monitors. These are students that have volunteered to help organise, run or mediate games and activities between the Prep and Grade 1 students each lunchtime.
At lunchtime our Grade 6 House and Sports Captains are encouraged to organised sporting activities for other students. This may include a house soccer match between Grades 2 and 3 and a Grade 4-6 competition.
All classes take part in Circle Time twice a week. Circle time aims to build relationships between students by teaching them to develop their social, emotional and communication skills that will help them negotiate future relationships. It is also an important as it allows students to voice their own opinions and views and to raise issues of concerns. It is also lots of fun as many of the activities also include team building games.
Resilience Rights & Respectful Relationships
Glen Huntly teaches the Victorian Government’s Resilience, Rights, and Respectful Relationships program to all students at our school. The program aims to promote social and emotional learning. It focuses on building resilience, fostering respect, and teaching students about healthy relationships. The program covers topics like emotional literacy, personal strengths, positive coping, problem-solving, and gender and identity, preparing students for positive and respectful interactions. Click on this link for more information.
Resilience Rights & Respectful Relationships
Circle Time
Circle Time is held twice a week in classrooms. During Circle Time, students engage in a variety of activities that promote social and emotional learning. These activities can include discussions, games, role-playing, and collaborative problem-solving tasks. The aim is to create a safe space where every student feels valued and heard, enhancing their self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Circle Time is also an opportunity to address and reflect on important topics such as empathy, kindness, cooperation, and conflict resolution. By regularly participating in these sessions, students develop essential life skills that contribute to their overall personal and social development.
At Glen Huntly Primary School, we believe that Circle Time build a positive school culture and supports our mission to nurture well-rounded individuals who are not only academically proficient but also emotionally intelligent and socially responsible.
High Impact Wellbeing Strategies
The school teaches and promotes the Department’s 7 High Impact Wellbeing Strategies (HIWS).
The 7 strategies are:
HIWS 1: Build relationships with students.
Teachers prioritise building relationships with their students. They make authentic efforts to get to know their students and their needs. Positive teacher-student relationships play an important role in student wellbeing. They form a foundation for effective teaching and learning.
Key elements:
· Show genuine care and respect to students.
· Help students solve problems and take time to help them learn.
· Provide students with choice, empowerment and responsibility.
HIWS 2: Facilitate peer relationships
Teachers at Glen Huntly Primary foster positive relationships by promoting acceptance and respect in their classrooms. They provide opportunities for students to connect with peers and for collaborative learning.
Key elements:
· Provide a safe space for students to develop connections with their peers.
· Understand differences among students and how that may affect their interactions.
· Model and explicitly teach social and emotional skills.
HIWS 3: Establish and maintain classroom expectations
Teachers establish clear and consistent classroom expectations and consequences. These are clearly communicated to students and align with the school-wide approach. They are developed through a shared, ongoing process with students. Teachers model, expect and reinforce respectful behaviour. Classroom expectations are complementary to reasonable adjustments.
Key elements:
· Discuss expectations with students and seek their input.
· Create a sense of order and predictability in a classroom.
· Use proportionate and non-punitive responses when expectations are not met.
HIWS 4: Support inclusion and belonging
Teachers communicate and act in ways that promote acceptance. They celebrate the diversity of students and their families. Teachers develop students’ capacity to respect and include others. Teachers support all students to learn and thrive in their classrooms. They are aware of, and reflect on, their own cultures and biases. They do not attempt to minimise or dismiss inequalities and inequities.
Key elements:
· Ensure students feel valued, accepted, safe and comfortable in the classroom.
· Learn from students about their lived experience and promote an understanding of multiple and diverse perspectives.
· We respond swiftly and effectively to any language and behaviour that may be discriminatory, offensive or demeaning to others.
HIWS 5: Foster student self-efficacy
Teachers hold high expectations for all students and help students to develop a sense of self-efficacy. They know that the way students view their abilities, achievements and self in the classroom influences their wellbeing as well as their learning. Teachers foster self-efficacy by encouraging students to persist and providing feedback. They provide opportunities for students to experience success.
Key elements:
· Encourage students to try their best and celebrate all achievements.
· Set work and goals aligned with student abilities and consider each student’s progress compared to their competencies.
· Hold high expectations for all students.
HIWS 6: Engage students
Our teachers engage students and encourage high attendance. They provide meaningful experiences and tailor tasks to student interest and capability. Teachers have a good understanding of their students’ needs and interests. They highlight the relevance of topics and skills to students.
Key elements:
· Tailor tasks to student interests.
· Provide meaningful and challenging ways for students to complete classwork and assessments.
· Ensure there are opportunities for students to work in pairs or groups and to contribute to each other’s learning.
HIWS 7: Promote coping strategies and facilitate referrals
Teachers help students to identify and use positive coping strategies. This includes self-regulation and help seeking. They notice changes in a student and inquire sensitively. They facilitate referrals for students to their school’s wellbeing team, if needed.
Key elements:
· Support students to identify personal emotional responses.
· Promote positive coping strategies.
· Notice changes in student demeanour or behaviour and refer for more support if necessary.
