Social & Emotional Learning

Junior School welcomes Kindergarten visitors

Our Junior School Library was filled with happy faces, curious minds and plenty of movement as we welcomed our Kindergarten students for a special RULER session.

Across two visits, Thursday 27 August and Monday 31 August, our visiting students explored the wonderful world of feelings through stories, drawing and movement. We began by reading Todd Parr’s The Feelings Book, encouraging students to think about the many different emotions we experience and how feelings can look different for everyone.

Students then drew faces showing different emotions and we talked about how we can recognise feelings by looking at facial expressions and body clues.

Our second story, We All Have Feelings, provided another opportunity to explore emotions and helped students think about the things that make them happy. Students shared their ideas about “What makes me happy?”, celebrating the many different people, places, activities and experiences that bring us joy.

We finished our session with a fun and energetic Danny Go! Body Break, giving everyone the chance to move, laugh and practise using our bodies to help us feel ready to learn.

These visits are an opportunity to build connections between our Kindergarten and Junior School communities while introducing our youngest students to the language and skills of RULER. By learning to recognise, understand, label, express and regulate emotions from an early age, our students are developing important skills that support positive relationships, wellbeing and learning.

We loved welcoming our Kindergarten friends to the Junior School Library and look forward to continuing to build these connections.

Ms Vanessa Juergens

Teacher of Year 2D

Social and Emotional Learning Coordinator

Senior School update: Rising Above Cyberbullying

As part of our Social and Emotional Learning program, Flourish, over the past two weeks, all students in Senior School have been exploring cyberbullying, healthy relationships and the importance of shared respect. As young people increasingly communicate and maintain relationships online, understanding how to recognise and respond to harmful digital behaviour is an important part of their wellbeing and personal development.

Students explored what constitutes cyberbullying and considered how it can differ from other forms of online conflict or disagreement. Across a range of scenarios, they examined behaviours such as repeatedly sending harmful messages, engaging in online exclusion, spreading rumours, sharing hurtful content, and deliberately using digital platforms to embarrass or intimidate others.

A key focus was understanding why cyberbullying can be particularly harmful. Unlike face-to-face bullying, online behaviour can reach a large audience, happen at any time and be difficult to escape. Students considered the potential emotional and social impact on those experiencing cyberbullying, as well as the role that others can play in either escalating or reducing the situation.

Students have also explored their responsibilities as victims, bystanders and members of an online community. They identified practical strategies for responding to cyberbullying, including not engaging with or forwarding harmful content, saving evidence, blocking or reporting inappropriate behaviour, seeking support from trusted adults and, importantly, speaking up when they see someone else being targeted.

The lesson reinforced the idea that creating positive online communities is a shared responsibility. Students were encouraged to consider how their own choices can contribute to respectful relationships and to recognise that choosing not to participate, supporting someone who is being targeted, or reporting harmful behaviour can make a meaningful difference.

Ultimately, the Flourish lessons encourage students to move beyond simply knowing what cyberbullying is and develop the confidence and practical strategies to respond positively when they encounter it.

Ms Joanne Christie

Head of House - Riley

Social and Emotional Learning Coordinator