Wellbeing

Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships Program

Closure Day: Supporting Our Teachers to Support Our Students

On our recent School Closure Day, staff spent valuable time engaging in professional learning to strengthen our teaching of Respectful Relationships. These lessons are an important part of how we support students to build the skills they need to develop and maintain healthy, respectful relationships—now and into the future.

The Respectful Relationships resources were reviewed and updated in 2024, and we wanted to ensure our teachers feel confident in guiding students along this important path.

As a Catholic school, all of our teaching is delivered through a Catholic lens, ensuring that our programs remain consistent with the teachings of the Church. Topics such as gender identity are left to families, while our lessons focus on helping students challenge unhelpful or outdated attitudes (gender stereotypes), develop empathy, and practise kindness and respect for all people.

We also teach students to be upstanders—giving them the confidence to speak up and seek help when something isn’t right. Ultimately, these lessons are about equipping our children with life skills in compassion, courage, and respect, helping them to grow into thoughtful and caring young people.

In Term 4 our teachers will be delivering some lessons from the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships program (topics 7 & 8). 

In Topic 7, students explore gender norms and stereotypes. They look at the messages we receive about what boys and girls “should” do or be, and reflect on how these ideas can sometimes limit people. The focus is on encouraging students to value individuality and to treat others with respect, no matter their interests or choices.

In Topic 8, students build on this by learning about positive gender relationships. They discuss what fairness, equality and respect look like in friendships and everyday interactions, and how we can all play a role in creating relationships that are safe, kind and respectful.

If you would like more information, please contact Danielle Rowley (Wellbeing Leader).