Wellbeing @ ENPS

Teaching and Learning at Essendon North Primary School

At Essendon North Primary School, we place a strong emphasis on the social, emotional, and academic wellbeing of our students. We understand the essential role schools play in providing a secure and nurturing environment where students can develop their social and emotional awareness, along with the skills and strategies necessary for maintaining overall wellbeing. We would like to take the opportunity to share with you an overview of our key Wellbeing programs at Essendon North Primary School. We hope it provides valuable information in relation to some of the wellbeing programs your child will be accessing at school.

Respectful Relationships

The Respectful Relationships program teaches students respect, resilience, and confidence through promoting positive attitudes and behaviours.

It is taught throughout the school, with greater emphasis in Year One, Year Three, and Year Five, focusing on fostering healthy relationships and empowering students at different developmental stages. The RRRR learning materials cover eight topics of Social and Emotional Learning across all levels of primary and including:

Emotional Literacy
Personal Strengths
Positive Coping
Problem Solving
Stress Management
Help Seeking
Gender and Identity
Positive Gender Relationships

The program contributes to our positive and respectful school culture by providing students with essential social and emotional skills. Additionally, our Year Six students will explore the topics of Gender and Identity and Positive Gender Relationships later this year, further enriching their understanding and fostering inclusivity within our school community.

The Resilience Project

The Resilience Project promotes positive mental health and wellbeing in students by teaching essential principles connected to positive emotions and mental health. The program emphasises three key principles: Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness (GEM).

Integrated into our school curriculum, The Resilience Project is taught in Year Two, Year Four, and Year Six, providing a structured approach to fostering these principles at different stages of our students' educational journey.

School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support

The School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) program is designed to create a positive school environment. An integral part of this initiative involves introducing, modelling, and reinforcing positive social behaviour.

Our school community has collaboratively created a behaviour matrix based on our three core values: Safe, Respectful and Kind. These values will consistently be integrated into our daily learning experiences, explicitly taught, and promoted throughout all areas of the school.

Health and Wellbeing Specialist Classes

Each week, students participate in Health and Wellbeing specialist classes, gaining valuable insights into healthy eating, active living, and mental wellbeing.

Led by Craig Mather and Rhys McIntosh, these classes not only cover the Health curriculum but also encourage connections among students through engaging games and activities. This fosters the development of social and emotional skills and boosts confidence, essential for building positive relationships.

A component of these classes also includes BluEarth teaching and learning experiences which develop the skills and behaviours required for students to maintain active living habits.

Through programs such as Respectful Relationships, The Resilience Project, School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support, and our Health and Wellbeing Specialist Classes, we're committed to providing our students with the tools and knowledge they need to be mentally healthy. We look forward to sharing more of our learning in these areas in future newsletters!

Serena Walker

Wellbeing and Inclusion