Wellbeing News
At St Augustine's, we are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all students. As part of our whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships, we are focusing on two key topics this term:
1️⃣ Emotional Literacy – Helping students recognize, understand, and express their emotions in a healthy way. By building emotional awareness, children develop empathy and positive communication skills.
2️⃣ Personal and Cultural Strengths – Encouraging students to appreciate their own unique qualities while respecting the diverse backgrounds of others. This helps build confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging within our school community.
Through engaging lessons and activities from Prep to Grade 6, we aim to equip students with lifelong skills to build respectful relationships with others. We encourage families to continue these conversations at home and support our shared values of kindness, inclusion, and respect.
Thank you for being part of this important journey!
3/4 Respectful Relationships
Our Grade 3/4 students have been engaging in important discussions as part of the Respectful Relationships program. So far, we have focused on Emotional Literacy and Personal & Cultural Strengths, helping students build self-awareness and appreciation for diversity. This includes doing a morning/afternoon check in, by placing our name in a coloured zone. Red: (angry, annoyed, frustrated), Yellow: (Ready to learn, happy, excited) Green: (Silly, bored,sick), Blue: (Sad, lonely, tired) and Purple:( Nervous, Fearful, Unsure).
This week, we explored Respect for People, and Respect for Country, deepening our understanding of Indigenous Australian cultures and a deep history that has been with our country for thousands of years. Through the books Somebody’s Land by Adam Goodes and Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy, students gained different perspectives on Australia’s past. We discussed key concepts like ‘Terra Nullius’ and what a respectful Acknowledgement of Country looks like. These conversations are fostering empathy, respect, and a stronger connection to the land we all share.
We completed a class poster of how we respect and connect to Country. We included Woiwurrung language/phrases which is the area specific for modern day Yarraville, A map of the Kulin nations (modern day Victoria). Check this out in the Office area!
Prep Respectful Relationships
We have conintued learning about different emotions, in particular; happy, calm, sad, frustrated and angry. We have also been discussing what we could do when we were feeling certain ways. With the Year 6 buddies, the students made their very own Feelings thermometer. They will able to use this throughout the day to express how they are feeling and why they are feeling that way.
Ziggy Thursday:
The goal of a therapy dog in our school is to provide emotional support, enhance well-being, and improve the overall learning environment for students. Therapy dogs can help reduce anxiety, stress, and behavioral challenges while promoting feelings of safety and comfort. They also foster empathy, responsibility, and positive social interactions among students. In addition, therapy dogs can assist in creating a calm, inclusive atmosphere, potentially improving focus, communication, and even academic performance.
