Wellbeing

PBL & Wellbeing Update

Congratulations, Aria!

After many wonderful entries, Aria T has been named the winner of our school Mascot competition. Aria designed a kangaroo full of imagination, care and St Joseph the Worker spirit, holding a heart for each of our three expectations: Respect, Safe and Responsible.

                                                      Aria's Original Design

Our Final Mascot Drawing 

Aria's drawing has been developed into our final PBL mascot. Congratulations again Aria and thank you to every student who entered.

Our PBL Matrix for 2027

The SJW PBL Matrix has been finalised after feedback from all areas of our school community. It sets out what being Respectful, Safe and Responsible looks like at all times, in learning areas and in outdoor areas, with each expectation anchored in Scripture. The matrix will go up around the school at the start of 2027.

Our PBL team and staff have been busy creating explicit lesson plans for each expectation. Right now, students and classroom teachers are taking photos and adding them to the social stories created for each expectation, so students can see themselves and their own school spaces in every story.

Teaching behaviour, just like we teach learning

Just like academic learning, behaviour needs to be explicitly taught. When a student makes a mistake in maths, we identify the error, re-teach and model the skill, give them time to practise, and acknowledge them when they get it right. We respond to behaviour in the same way: we name the expectation, re-teach and model it, practise it, and acknowledge students when they show the expected behaviour.

               We respond to behaviour errors the same way we respond to academic errors

From the start of 2027, each expectation on our matrix will have its own focus week. During that week, teachers will explicitly teach the expectation, model what it looks like and sounds like, and give students time to practise it in real school settings.

Students will also be able to receive acknowledgement tickets when they demonstrate safe, respectful or responsible actions, whether through the focus expectation of the week or any other expectation on the matrix. More information will be shared at the beginning of 2027.

Staff professional learning: School Closure Day, 30th October 2026

Our teachers and Learning Support Officers (LSOs) will spend part of the day in professional learning on PBL, so that every adult at SJW responds to student behaviour in the same calm, consistent way.

Staff will be learning to:

-acknowledge expected behaviour using specific praise and acknowledgement tickets

-correct errors calmly and privately, by prompting, restating and reteaching the expectation, and offering a choice, using our matrix

-respond to behaviour consistently across the school, in classrooms and in the playground

-record behaviour accurately, so we can use our school data to plan the right support for students

Staff will also work through real school scenarios together, so students receive the same clear expectations and support from every adult, wherever they are in the school.

Introducing the Children’s Wellbeing Continuum

Alongside PBL, we are introducing the Children’s Wellbeing Continuum: a simple tool that gives students, staff and families one shared way to talk about how our children are going and helps us step in early when a child is finding things hard.

Where it came from

Australia’s first National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2021) called for a continuum model, a way of talking about children’s mental health without stigma. The Continuum was developed by the Centre for Community Child Health, part of the Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, with funding from the National Mental Health Commission and input from parents, teachers and health experts.

Why we are using it

Our Semester 1, PAT Social and Emotional Wellbeing student survey showed real strengths, with over 9 in 10 students saying they are happy, get on with their teacher and follow the rules. However, 61% of students told us it is hard to describe how they feel. The Continuum gives children the words to name their feelings and gives families four simple words to use at home. It is never a diagnosis or a score.

How am I feeling today?

The Continuum has four feelings: Good, Coping, Struggling and Overwhelmed. Children can move up and down the Continuum during the day, and that is normal.

Daily check-ins begin next week

All students will use a Microsoft Form each morning to check in how they are feeling: Good, Coping, Struggling or Overwhelmed.

From next week, students will check in how they are feeling each morning: Good, Coping, Struggling or Overwhelmed, using a personalised Microsoft Form, choosing the feeling that matches how they are. It only takes a moment and helps build the habit and the words.

Alongside the check-ins, teachers will help students recognise what each feeling means, both how it feels and what it can look like and learn strategies they can use to help them move up and down the Continuum. These might include taking deep breaths, having a stretch, asking for a short break, using calm-down tools, or finding a trusted adult to talk to.

We look forward to sharing more about the Continuum and PBL with families as we move towards our 2027 launch. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Kind regards,

Jane Manton

Engagement Leader

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader | PBL Coach