Wellbeing

Wellbeing Update

Inclusion Outreach Coordinator project

One of the Key Improvement Strategies in our Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) is to effectively mobilise available resources to support students' wellbeing and mental health, especially the most vulnerable.

An action towards this goal is to engage with the inclusion outreach coach to enhance the process of documenting student learning and progress in Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

Elsternwick Primary School was successful in applying for a semester-long project with the department’s new Inclusion Outreach team this year. The Inclusion Outreach Coordinator (IOC) supported us to assess our practices against the Inclusive Practices Continua, during which we developed an action research project focused on enhancing our Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) to support the diverse needs of our students. 

The IOC worked alongside the leadership team and teachers in weekly meetings and through classroom observations throughout the semester to provide feedback on our current practices; to refine our documentation; and to support us to make reasonable adjustments to help students reach their potential. 

Staff have deepened their understanding of a range of diagnoses and disorders; broadened their repertoire of evidence-based strategies to implement in their classrooms; and refined their ability to document measurable and achievable goals for students in Individual Education Plans. We hope that many of you have seen the impact of this work through the communication of IEP goals with your children. 

A full copy of our AIP for 2023 can be found on our school website.

Online Safety

The new Child Safe Standards acknowledge that schools and families should work together to promote safety in both physical and online environments (CSS 9). 

We encourage you to have ongoing conversations with your child at home regarding online safety, to continue the learning undertaken at school. Here are some key points to discuss with your child:

• Respect for privacy: Teach your children about the importance of respecting the privacy of others. Remind them that sharing personal information, images, or videos without proper consent is not only unethical but can also have legal implications. Common Sense recommends many social media apps for age 13+ or 15+ mainly due to the privacy issues and mature content.
• Consent: Emphasise the significance of obtaining consent before sharing content that involves other individuals. Discuss scenarios where consent is required, and help them understand the consequences of not obtaining it.
• Digital footprint: Help your children understand that their online actions leave a lasting digital footprint. What they share today can impact their future job searches and personal relationships. Once something is shared, you lose control of where and how far it spreads. Just because you’ve deleted something, that doesn’t mean it’s deleted from the internet. 
• Guidance and supervision: Monitor your children's online activities and guide them in making responsible choices. Encourage them to approach you or a trusted adult if they come across any concerning situations or content online. Create an online safety agreement with your family that covers where children can use their devices within the home. 
• Positive Use of Social Media: Encourage your children to use social media platforms for positive purposes, such as creative expression, learning, and connecting with friends in a respectful and considerate manner. Encourage face-to-face meet-ups, particularly for important conversations, over online chat. 

Please see the E-Safety website for further resources for kids and resources for parents/carers. Another resource is the Beacon App, which is a cyber safety educational app designed to keep parents and carers up-to-date with trusted, tailored information, to help keep children safe online.

Policies update

• Bike and Scooter Policy - the Department of Education now have a Cycling to and from school policy, which overrides our previous local Bike and Scooter Policy. This policy clarifies the roles and responsibilities of parents and schools in relation to students travelling to and from school, particularly in relation to cycling.