We support Student Wellbeing through:
Wellbeing Dog
At St Joseph’s we have a certified therapy dog called ‘Pepper’ who attends school and works with children of all ages.
Our program aims to support children’s wellbeing by using effective intervention strategies within our school community.
During our ‘Pepper’ sessions, children can:
- Participate in authentic, positive interactions in a stress-free environment
- Engage in meaningful opportunities for social and emotional learning
- Focus on improving social and communication skills
- Re-engage in learning
The Resilience Project
St Joseph’s has recently introduced The Resilience Program (TRP) This programs aims to support positive mental health in the classroom, staffroom and the family home. Through this program we focus on Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM),ensuring that our students are exposed to positive learning to become emotionally resilient.
We are able to introduce this program with the generosity of a grant from the Community Bank – Clifton Hill Fitzroy
Social Emotional Learning Program
Our school is undertaking Respectful Relationships which is part of our Social / Emotional Learning Program. This P-6 program sits well within the context of the Catholic tradition, Gospel values and our belief that each one of us has the ability to make a difference.
The program involves promoting respectful relationships through the topics of emotional literacy, personal strengths, positive coping, problem solving, stress management, help seeking, gender and identity, and positive gender relations.
Our program also compliments the strategies from the Berry Street Education Model which is utilised by our school.
Student Wellbeing Support Groups – SWSG
Student Wellbeing Support Groups meet regularly to address the needs of individual students, ensuring clear communication about each student and developing tailored strategies to enhance each student’s progress and development.
Student Leadership
Students from Prep to Year six are given the opportunity to develop leadership skills, a sense of responsibility and connection to school through the Student Representative Council. Students in Year Six are further encouraged to become; House Captains, School Captains or Social Justice Leaders for our school.
Playground
Our playground is designed to give our students opportunities for quiet interactions as well as more energetic games. Our playground features an adventure playground, ball play areas, a large sandpit, grassy areas for quiet play and three open-designed cubbies, including a calm cubby.
Buddy Program
Year Six students buddy with new Prep students and work together for a session each week, building relationships across the school and nurturing a sense of belonging and connectedness.
Transition
Our transition program in Term 4, allows all students to become familiar with their new learning areas for the next year.
We provide a comprehensive program for incoming Preps and their families, encouraging them to feel connected and welcome at St Joseph’s.
We also have an extensive transition program for Year Six students as they prepare for secondary school.
Referrals
We have a structured referral process at St Joseph’s which enables us to access support services for our students. These services include, speech therapy, psychological therapy and specialized testing as required.
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