Pastoral Wellbeing

Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS)

I was very excited to be involved in my first Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) Learning Community last week, where I met up online with Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders (MHWL) from across Victoria to discuss the implementation of the program at each of our schools. Some of the MHWLs were at schools with hundreds of students and others, like us, had just a small cohort of children and families, but all had enthusiasm and a willingness to share ideas and experiences. I look forward to ongoing opportunities to engage with these Learning Communities over the year and gaining further insights and inspiration from others in this role. I am eager to bring back all of my learning and sharing it with our St Mary's community to help build the capacity of both staff and families when supporting our students with their mental health. 

The Resilience Project (TRP)

During TRP lessons, we've been learning about Emotional Literacy and the students have been focusing on “I notice, I feel, I can” to create awareness of being able to notice how their body is feeling, name their emotions and come up with strategies to support themselves when they are feeling that emotion.  Students have played charades games and dice games to identify and demonstrate a range of emotions and have considered how they may feel when given different scenarios. Please find attached some resources you may find useful to explore with your child at home in regard to Emotional Literacy.

Child Safeguarding Officer Training

On Thursday last week, I completed my yearly training through Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited (CESL) as a Child Safeguarding Officer. The training was extensive and very thorough, reiterating that every child has a right to be safe and respected at school. A child-friendly version of our Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct policy (also available via our school website https://www.sminglewood.catholic.edu.au/child-safe-standards) can be found below. We encourage families to discuss this policy with their children and we will continue to refer to this policy in classrooms to ensure students are well-aware of their rights around safety at our school. 

St Mary's Catholic Primary School: 

Child-Friendly Student Child Safeguarding Code of Conduct

Why do we have this Code of Conduct? At St Mary's Catholic Primary School, we believe that everyone learns best when they feel safe and respected. This Code of Conduct is here to help you understand how to keep yourself and others safe at school.

Your Rights as a Student:

• You have the right to be safe at school.
• You deserve respect, kindness, and fairness.
• You can be part of your school community and make a positive impact.
• You have the right to be treated fairly and with dignity.

Your Responsibilities as a Student:

• Be kind and respectful to everyone—teachers, students, and staff.
• Follow school rules and listen to your teachers.
• Help create a safe and supportive environment for everyone.
• Take responsibility for your actions and be honest.
• Include others and respect people’s differences.

Do Not:

• Bully or harass anyone.
• Break school rules or ignore the directions of your teachers.

If You Have Safety Concerns: If you feel unsafe or see someone else being unsafe, tell a trusted adult. This could be your parent, carer, a teacher, or the School Child Safety Officer. We are here to listen and help.

Consequences: If you break the rules, there will be consequences as per our Behaviour Policy. This is to help everyone stay safe and respectful.

Always Remember:

• Treat others how you want to be treated.
• Speak up if something doesn’t feel right.
• We’re all here to make sure school is a safe place for everyone!

Attendance