Social & Emotional Learning

Junior School: Growing Gratitude 

At Junior School, we continue to support students in developing emotional awareness, positive relationships and wellbeing through everyday practices that build connection and reflection. One important way we do this is through practising gratitude.

Gratitude is taking time to notice and appreciate the people, experiences and moments in our lives. It encourages students to focus on positive moments, acts of kindness and the support they receive from others. Research shows that regularly practising gratitude can help improve wellbeing, strengthen relationships and support a positive mindset.

Throughout the school year, students are encouraged to show gratitude in many different ways — saying thank you, recognising kindness, appreciating classmates and teachers, and reflecting on moments that make them feel happy, proud or supported.

A key part of this practice is completing the Gratitude Journal in student diaries. This simple reflection activity encourages students to pause and think about the positives in their day. Students write using the following prompts:

• I am thankful for...
• I really appreciate...
• I feel happy when...
• My favourite part of this week was...
• This week I showed gratitude by...

By taking just a few moments to reflect, students are building lifelong habits of appreciation, emotional awareness and connection. We encourage families to continue these conversations at home by asking children what they are grateful for each day.

Together, we can continue to nurture a school community where everyone feels supported, valued, connected and appreciated.

Ms Vanessa Juergens

Senior School: Wellio - Wellbeing Skills Index

Recently, our students completed a Wellbeing Skills Index survey as part of the Wellio program we use for Flourish lessons. The Wellbeing Skills Index survey is designed to give schools a clearer picture of how students are coping emotionally, socially and mentally. It is not a diagnostic tool; rather, it measures proactive wellbeing skills such as resilience, emotional regulation, relationships, confidence, optimism, coping strategies and sense of purpose.

75% of our students completed the survey, and the school received an overall Wellbeing Skills Index Factor of 62%. The Australian average is 51%, and while this is worth celebrating, we are still aiming for growth in this area. The high 60s by the end of the year is the current goal. Results from our recent survey show:

• Year 7 students have strong help-seeking awareness and purpose, but there is a rich opportunity to build their stress management toolkit and strengthen self-awareness.
• Year 8 students demonstrate relative strength across many wellbeing domains. They are well-positioned to deepen their emotional literacy, strengthen their coping strategies under stress, and build greater resilience when facing online comparisons.
• Our Year 9s were flat last year as Year 8s and have continued this trend, with no signs of turning yet. They show strong engagement and purpose in their interests. Still, we have a significant opportunity to strengthen their stress regulation practices, improve sleep and healthy habits, and reduce the impact of social media comparison on their self-image.
• Year 10 students have clear strengths in help-seeking awareness and sense of purpose. We need to take the opportunity to address declining coping capacity, digital self-comparison, and reduced confidence in goal progress.
• Year 11 students show strong relational skills and growing help-seeking confidence, but there is an important opportunity to address persistent online comparison pressures, stress management under exam conditions, and deepen their sense of future direction.
• Finally, our Year 12 students demonstrate strong help-seeking and relationship-building skills as they approach the end of their schooling. However, there is still a meaningful opportunity to strengthen stress-regulation practices, address the impact of digital comparison and build optimism and clarity about the future.

The upcoming Flourish lesson will be planned around the areas of opportunity for each individual year. I encourage you to speak to your children about their learning. Flourish classes occur every Thursday afternoon.

Ms Jo Christie

Free Webinar: Raising Confident and Resilient Kids

Girton is pleased to continue our partnership with Wellio in 2026, supporting our community with proactive and consistent pastoral care. Last term many parents and staff registered for the Wellio Webinar series and we're pleased to announce the same opportunity for Term 2.

FREE Parent Webinar – Raising Confident and Resilient Kids

Supporting parents through the challenges of raising kids today

Wed 20 May 2026 | 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm AEST

In this session, the following will be explored:

• Understand the pressures kids face today: Why school, friendships, and social life can feel so intense for kids right now.
• Spot the early signs of belonging and identity struggles: How disconnection and self-doubt can show up as anxiety, withdrawal, or resistance to attending school.

• Build confidence and resilience over time: Practical ways to help kids cope, adapt, and feel more capable as they grow.