School-wide Positive Behaviour
Term 1 is an ideal opportunit to relaunch Mackellar’s values - Learning, Respect, Resilience and Teamwork. Following Monday’s assemblies, lessons across the school focus on our values and expected matrix behaviours. Positive relationships and student behaviour are highly valued and prioritised at our school. When students have supportive relationships and opportunities to develop and practise social, emotional and cognitive skills across different contexts and settings, academic learning accelerates.
Junior and Senior Positive Behaviour Matrices
Weekly Assemblies
Parents/carers and families are most welcome to attend our weekly assemblies. Having families attend creates a warm community atmosphere, and we know how much our students and teachers enjoy and appreciate it. It's a great way to start the week and there are plenty of chairs available so you can relax and enjoy our student-led assemblies.
When: Mondays
Time: 9:05am
Location: Gymnasium
Your presence is always greatly appreciated.
Student of the Week
Each week, students are awarded certificates of acknowledgement by their classroom teachers for demonstrating one of our school values. Parents/carers are notified in advance via XUNO if their child is going to receive a Student of the Week award as we understand that attending assemblies is something many parents/carers may need to plan for. Families are welcome to take a photograph of, or with their child holding their certificate in front of the values banner which is certainly a proud memory to capture.
Buzz Awards:
Buzz awards are given to students who have been noticed by staff demonstrating our school values during recess or lunchtime. Being acknowledged for positive behaviour is exciting for our students, and staff at our school want them to know just how much their positive behaviour is appreciated for making a difference to our community.
Upon receiving their Buzz Award card, students place it in a barrel at the office. Every week at assembly, four student cards are drawn from the barrel and announced. Each student spins the values wheel and is awarded a prize, such as an additional social, art or physical activity, or more time for their favourite learning activity, for example.
Acknowledging positive behaviour within classrooms is also something that we have commenced, where students are given Buzz Awards by their teachers. When students accumulate ten Buzz Awards, they spin the classroom wheel for a reward. All rewards are negotiated between students and teachers.
Attendance Cup
Each week, the class with the highest level of attendance for the previous week, is awarded Mackellar’s Attendance Cup with a certificate.
Promoting and acknowledging attendance is important. There is a strong correlation between attendance, students’ general mental health and wellbeing, social connectedness to others and the community, and student learning outcomes.
Unless a student is unwell, regular school attendance teaches children to ‘show up’ in life, even when they may not feel like it sometimes. This is one of the many ways that resilience is learnt and built from childhood. If you have any concerns about your child being reluctant to attend school at any stage, please let us know.
Student Voice for Lunchtime Clubs
Our Junior School Council leaders will conduct a whole school student survey early this term to give every child an opportunity to express their preferences and ideas for our Lunchtime Clubs for 2024.
Kind Regards,
Tanya Lindsay-Clark