Assistant Principal Message
Inclusion and belonging at Kildare
As we move through term 1, it’s worth reflecting on the incredible community we are building together. Inspired by our founders Nano and Edmund, we are all on a mission to shape a community where everyone feels known, valued, and loved. We work to bring this to life firstly through our values of Faith, Learning, Care, and Justice, but also through proactive programs, structures and policies. It’s with great pride I’d like to communicate two key wellbeing and belonging initiatives, Lunchtime Clubs and our comprehensive college wide anti-bullying framework.
Our recess and lunchtime breaks provide opportune time for students to eat, rest and prepare for their next lesson. It’s also a great time to connect with other students who you might not normally run into throughout the course of your day. As you can see in the attached graphic, we have on offer a wide range of clubs for students to attend, there is something for everyone! Lunch time clubs offer a wonderful opportunity for students to connect over shared interests, build positive peer relationships, and foster a genuine sense of belonging.
Also this term, we are commencing the development of our Anti-Bullying Framework, in response to recently announced NSW Government requirements. It will be a privilege to come together as a community to lead this reform, as we reaffirm our existing strategies and pivot toward an embedded and integrated framework, grounded in prevention, dialogue, dignity and everyone's inherent right to wellbeing.
A short summary of the key elements of our framework:
A Whole-Community Approach: A collective and collaborative effort involving students, staff, and parents/caregivers working together to create a safe, supportive school culture.
Explicit Teaching: Proactively teaching students expected positive behaviours, focusing on appropriate skills to recognise and respond to bullying effectively.
Empowering Upstanders: One of our expected behaviours within our PBL framework is to "be upstanders" , the framework will empower our students to shape the behaviours they want to see and be a part of.
Clear Support and Reporting: Clear channels and processes for students, parents/carers and teachers to report concerns, ensuring incidents are responded to and actioned in alignment with our procedures.
Our framework will be reflective of our Values, our PBL expected behaviours, and, most importantly, the needs of our community. We have commenced consultation via our SRC and staff, and we will reach out to our community via focus groups in the coming weeks. Whether in the classroom or on the playground, we expect our students to act with compassion, celebrate difference, treat others with care, and take responsibility for their words and actions.
If you would like to learn more about the NSW Anti-Bullying Framework, follow this link.
All the best for a great weekend, please take the time to talk to your child about the lunchtime clubs, there is certainly something for everyone!
Tom Pulver | Assistant Principal