Student Wellbeing

Respectful Relationships 

During Term 4, students will continue to engage with the program Rights, Resilience and Respectful Relationships. The Respectful Relationships program supports schools and early childhood settings to promote and model respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. 

Respectful Relationships promotes respect and gender equality and helps students learn how to build healthy relationships. It prepares students to face challenges by developing problem-solving skills and building resilience and confidence. Schools involved in the Respectful Relationships initiative are building a culture of respect and gender equality by looking at their practices and policies to drive meaningful change.

The Royal Commission into Family Violence identified the critical role that schools and early childhood education have in creating a culture of respect to change the story of family violence for future generations.

In 2016, Respectful Relationships education became a core component of the Victorian Curriculum from foundation to year 12 and is being taught in all government and Catholic schools and many independent schools.

During Term 4, students will be engaging with Topic 8- Positive Gender Relations. 

Respectful Relationships lessons occur fortnightly in the classrooms. Below is a summary of what the students will be learning about. To cater for our students, we have also altered the lessons to tread lightly with the content for our students and school community.

Foundation

• Discussing the difference between fair and friendly play and play that is ‘too rough’
• Discussing how we can share equipment and play spaces
• Discussing gender stereotypes, such as boys and girls playing certain things
• Discussing how we are the boss of our own bodies, personal space, and bubbles

1/2

• Discussing the difference between fair and friendly play and play that is ‘too rough’
• How to show Respect towards others
• Discussing gender stereotypes, such as boys and girls playing certain things
• Discussing how we are the boss of our own bodies, personal space, and bubbles
• No, Go, Tell- how to get help 

3

• Discussing the difference between fair and friendly play and play that is ‘too rough’.
• Creating a gender-friendly classroom, such as being work partners with both girls and boys, and girls and boys playing together at playtime
• Discussing respectful interactions and consent
• Discussing respect for our bodies and personal space
• Practising asking for help in tricky situations

4/5/6

• Discussing what violence is and how we can treat everyone with respect
• Understanding positive and negative uses of power in relationships 
• Practising active respect in peer relationships 
• Discussing respect for our bodies and personal space (What is consent)
• Responding and practising how to be upstanders – providing peer support
• Practising help-seeking in response to tricky situations

We have sought advice from MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools) on the implementation of this topic.