Wellbeing & Engagement 

Wellbeing - Term 3

What a busy but fantastic Term 3 it has been! There has been so much happening across all year levels, with plenty of learning, special events, celebrations and opportunities for our students to connect and grow.

It has been wonderful to see our students embracing all that the term has had to offer, and we hope everyone can look back on Term 3 feeling proud of what they have achieved.

 

RAFT Lego Masters Event

Last Sunday, the RAFT Lego Masters event was a fantastic success, bringing together around 100 community members for a fun-filled afternoon of creativity and friendly competition. Students enthusiastically took part in a range of LEGO building challenges and  our very own Lego Master, Me Evans, assisted in identifying the winners of the day.

 A special thank you goes to Simon and Byron, the wonderful dads who organised this highly successful event. Their dedication and hard work helped create a memorable experience for our students, families and wider community.

School-wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS)

Our School-wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) journey has continued throughout Term 3, with a big focus on developing and teaching our whole-school behaviour matrix.

Students have been learning about our expected behaviours across six different settings: technology, toilets, transitions, outside, learning areas and all settings. These expectations are linked directly to our school values of Kindness, Respect and Resilience, helping students understand what these values look and sound like in different areas of our school.

Classes have spent time explicitly learning and discussing these expectations, including why they are important and how they help make our school a safe, positive and inclusive place for everyone. It has been fantastic to see students putting this learning into practice, and we are already noticing many of these expected behaviours becoming more visible and consistent around the school.

 

A key part of the SWPBS framework is creating consistency across the whole school, so that students have clear expectations and know what to expect from the adults supporting them.

This term, staff have been working collaboratively to streamline some of our approaches to responding when behaviours occur that do not meet our school expectations. As part of this work, staff have developed age-appropriate Behaviour Reflection Sheets. These are designed to give students an opportunity to reflect on what happened, consider how their choices may have affected themselves or others, and think about what they could do differently in the future.

These reflection sheets will begin to be used in Term 4 when certain behaviours occur. When a student completes a reflection sheet, it will be sent home so families can continue the conversation and support the learning at home. We will share more information with families about this process during Term 4.

We have also begun work on another exciting part of SWPBS - developing our whole-school acknowledgement system. This will provide a consistent way for staff to notice, encourage and acknowledge students when they demonstrate our expected behaviours and school values. There is still plenty of work happening behind the scenes, and we look forward to sharing our new acknowledgement system with our school community at the beginning of 2027!

Every Day Counts – Attendance

Regular attendance at school plays an important role in children's learning, wellbeing and development. The Victorian Department of Education's Every Day Counts message reminds us that every day at school matters. Missing just one day of school each fortnight adds up to approximately four weeks of missed schooling across a year. Over time, these absences can make it more difficult for students to keep up with their learning and maintain important connections with their classmates and school community.

School attendance is about much more than academic learning. Being at school regularly helps children develop friendships, build confidence and independence, establish routines, strengthen their sense of belonging and develop important social and emotional skills.

Of course, we understand that there will be times when children need to be away from school due to illness, medical appointments, family circumstances or holidays. Where possible, we encourage families to prioritise regular school attendance and minimise avoidable absences during the school term.

When your child is absent, please ensure their absence is accurately recorded in Compass, including the reason for their absence. Keeping this information up to date helps us maintain accurate attendance records and better understand and support our students and families.

We also recognise that attending school regularly can sometimes be challenging for children for a range of reasons. If your child is experiencing difficulties coming to school, please reach out to their classroom teacher or the Wellbeing Team. Early conversations can help us work together to understand what might be happening and put the right supports in place.

Have a Wonderful Break!

As another busy term comes to an end, we hope all of our students and families have an opportunity to rest, recharge and enjoy some time together over the holidays. 

We look forward to welcoming everyone back feeling rested, healthy and ready for a busy but fantastic final term of the year!

 

Warm regards,

Tania Balderston

Assistant Principal

Wellbeing and Engagement

 

Tegan Cant

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

 

Rebecca Gordan

Disability Inclusion and Wellbeing Leader