Assistant Principal -

Wellbeing

Supporting Engaged Learning at O’Connor

Fostering calm classrooms and a culture of learning for all is everyone's responsibility.

“When students are settled and teachers can teach, learning can truly flourish.”

At O’Connor Catholic College, we are working together to ensure every student is able to learn, be challenged, and take safe risks in their learning. A strong learning culture is built on respect, responsibility, and collaboration — between students, staff, and families.

Last week I met with each year group, supported by other members of the school leadership team, to address the behaviours that our teachers have been struggling with; ongoing low level disruptive actions such as talking and not being prepared to learn, through to the few students who have actively derailed learning experiences. As a staff we have worked together to create a common understanding and expectation for learning and as such we have now shared this with our students. The goal is to provide learning experiences for all students where they are provided classrooms which are calm, focused, and inclusive for everyone. This approach, grounded in Living Well, Learning Well, ensures that every student understands what it means to be “Ready to Learn”. Teachers use consistent and clear strategies to redirect students if their behaviour becomes unproductive, with the goal of helping them return to learning quickly and positively

When patterns of unproductive behaviour emerge, our response process is one focused on supporting students to reflect, reset, and re-engage in their learning. This may include restorative conversations with a Leader of Learning or House, reflection time in the Emmaus Room, or a re-entry meeting to ensure students are ready to return to class successfully. Parents are key partners in this process, and communication remains open every step of the way. Teachers are asked to communicate concerns with parents early, so as to support students to think and choose to engage in different behaviours.

We will be engaging in a case management approach with students who find it hard to refocus and meet expectations. During this process, teachers, parents and Leaders of Learning work together to identify the blocks and to create a series of strategies to try. Plans are reviewed regularly and adjustments are made when necessary. 

Being part of the O’Connor community means taking pride in who we are and how we present ourselves each day. This includes wearing the correct college uniform with pride, arriving on time to all classes, and being prepared for learning with all necessary equipment. High levels of attendance and punctuality are directly linked to improved learning outcomes and student wellbeing — every lesson matters. Families play a crucial role in supporting these expectations by helping students establish positive routines that set them up for success. Students who continue to come to school in incorrect uniform, or underprepared for learning will also be considered for case management as this is an ongoing concern for staff. Senior students are expected to be in their formal uniform all year, if they need to be in a sports uniform for SLR, the only practical PE class in year 11/12, they should be in the correct uniform. NO students should be in a sports uniform on a Wednesday as this is a practical free day on our timetable. This was introduced to help address the persistent wearing of sports uniforms by many students.

Acknowledging Our Teachers - Celebrating World Teacher’s Day

This week we celebrated World Teachers’ Day, This is a day to reflect and recognise the dedication, care, and professionalism of our staff, teaching and non-teaching. At O’Connor, our teachers go above and beyond each day to create engaging learning environments, build strong relationships, and nurture the potential of every student. Their commitment to excellence, compassion, and faith in young people makes a genuine difference — not only in classrooms but across our entire community. We thank all our staff for the incredible impact they make each and every day. 

Our student leadership team celebrated our staff on Thursday by taking over the school assembly. They shared videos and had all students write notes of appreciation to teachers, support staff and our administration team. 

I personally would like to thank them for the work they put into this celebration.

I would like to thank all families for their continued partnership in supporting our learning community. By working together to reinforce positive routines, respectful communication, appropriate uniform, punctuality, and readiness to learn, we help our students take pride in themselves and in our College — living out the values that define O’Connor Catholic College.

Upcoming Changes to Social Media Use - are you aware of these changes?

From 10 December, new national guidelines regarding student social media use will come into effect. These changes are designed to protect young people from online harms and support their wellbeing by keeping their focus on relationships and learning. The College will share further details and expectations in the coming weeks to assist families in preparing for these updates. 

With regards,

Mellissa Bell

Assistant Principal Wellbeing