Mental Health and Wellbeing:
Supporting Inclusion and Respectful Curiosity at School
RIGHTS, RESILIENCE AND RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS (RRRR)
Over the next two weeks, students will investigate the following topics.
- Foundation - Emotional Literacy: Students name emotions they can see in other people's faces and bodies/ Students identify the kinds of sounds that go with different emotions
- Year 1 - Personal and Cultural Strengths: Identify and describe their personal strengths/ Identify ways to care for others, including ways of making and keeping friends
- Year 2 - Emotional Literacy: We can notice emotions/ Acts of friendship
- Year 3 and 4 - Emotional Literacy: Emotions in the school day/ Positive peer support
- Year 5 - Emotional Literacy: Strategies to use when they have big emotions/ Recognising positive, negative and intense emotions
- Year 6 - Personal and Cultural Strengths: Respect for rights, culture and heritage/ What are personal and cultural strengths?
Respect: Growing Human Dignity at School and Home
Over the past five weeks, all classes have explored the Catholic Social teaching of Human Dignity. In these conversations, the theme of respect has naturally emerged. Respect is more than good manners or polite words; it is a deep recognition of the value of every person. It is a foundation for healthy relationships and a key ingredient in building strong, compassionate communities.
How respect grows across school and home
Respect develops best when children experience it consistently in the two places that shape them most: school and home. When the expectations, language, and modelling are aligned, children don’t just learn respectful behaviours—they begin to internalise them as part of who they are.
At school, students practise respect through routines and daily interactions. At home, those same skills are strengthened through family habits, conversations, and the way adults respond to challenges. When both settings reinforce the same values, children learn that respect isn’t something they switch on for teachers; it becomes a way of being with everyone.
How respect is learned at school
School is one of the first places where children practise respect beyond their family circle. They experience it in the classroom, on the playground, in their friendships, in their interactions with teachers, and increasingly in the digital space. These daily moments shape how they understand themselves and how they treat others.
At school we build a culture of respect by:
- Establishing clear expectations so students know what respectful behaviour looks like.
- Using manners such as “please” and “thank you” to show appreciation and kindness.
- Modelling respectful words and actions —treating others as we would like to be treated.
- Giving corrective feedback when needed, whether it’s a reminder of an expectation or a task to complete.
- Coaching students through demonstrations, role play, and social stories to help them understand how respect is shown in different situations.
These practices help children learn that respect is not just a rule—it is a way of being with others.
Ways families support respect at home
While school provides daily opportunities to practise respect, home is where these habits become part of a child's identity. Children learn most powerfully from the adults closest to them. When the messages at school and home are aligned, respect becomes consistent, familiar, and part of their identity. Families are naturally doing this in simple, meaningful ways, and these small moments make a big difference.
Respect is strengthened when we:
- Use similar language to what children hear at school, creating continuity and clarity.
- Model calm communication, especially during moments of frustration or disagreement.
- Set clear routines and boundaries, helping children understand expectations and responsibility.
- Encourage independence, such as packing a school bag or helping with simple tasks.
- Talk openly about feelings, helping children understand how their actions affect others.
These everyday moments reinforce the same values we nurture at school.
A shared responsibility
Respect is not taught in one place alone. It grows through the combined efforts of families, teachers, and the wider community. When children see respect modelled consistently—in the classroom, at home, and in the world around them—they learn to carry it into every space they enter.
Together, we help our children understand their own dignity and the dignity of others. Together, we shape the kind of community they will one day help lead.
For more information on building respect at home, click on the link below.
Click to access past resources