Wellbeing News
Celebrating Positive Behaviour at Galilee
This term, we are excited to be trialling a whole-school PBL Acknowledgement and Reward System as part of our ongoing commitment to Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL).
At Galilee, our school values of Respect, Responsibility, Kindness and Resilience guide the way we learn, play and interact with others. Our trial acknowledgement system aims to recognise and celebrate students who demonstrate these values through their everyday actions and choices.
Throughout Term 4, students will have opportunities to earn tokens when they demonstrate our PBL expectations. Importantly, staff will provide specific, positive feedback so students understand exactly what they have done well and why their actions are being recognised.
Students will also have a voice in helping to choose meaningful individual and whole-class rewards, encouraging ownership, motivation and a shared sense of achievement.
Our focus is not simply on earning rewards, but on reinforcing positive behaviour, celebrating effort and helping students recognise the impact of their choices on themselves and others.
The PBL Team were pleased to have the opportunity to present Galilee's PBL Acknowledgement System at the recent PBL Day held at the Catholic Leadership Centre, alongside other Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS). This was a wonderful opportunity to share our approach to recognising positive behaviour, highlight the work being undertaken at Galilee and connect with other schools on their PBL journeys.
As this is a trial, we will be gathering feedback and reflecting on what works well to help shape the future of our whole-school acknowledgement system.
We look forward to celebrating the many ways our students demonstrate our Galilee values each day!
I Am Inclusive of Others
Over the past fortnight, our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) focus has been "I Am Inclusive of Others."
At Galilee, we recognise that every child is unique, with different backgrounds, interests, abilities and strengths. We celebrate the diversity that makes our school community special and strive to ensure every student feels welcomed, valued and included.
Throughout the fortnight, students explored what it means to be inclusive and how small, everyday actions can make a big difference. Our learning focused on:
- Welcoming others by inviting peers to join games, activities and conversations.
- Respecting differences by appreciating that everyone has different interests, experiences and ways of learning.
- Listening to others by valuing different opinions and ensuring everyone has an opportunity to contribute.
- Offering help by noticing when someone might need support and responding with kindness.
- Including others by looking for ways to help everyone feel connected and involved.
An important message we reinforced with students was that we don't need to be best friends with everyone but we do need to treat everyone with kindness and respect. Being inclusive means recognising the dignity of others, showing empathy and making thoughtful choices that help everyone feel a sense of belonging.
How Can Families Support This at Home?
We encourage families to continue conversations about friendship, kindness and belonging. You might ask your child how they helped someone feel included, what they could do if they noticed someone being left out, or how they can show respect for someone whose experiences or interests differ from their own.
Picture Storybooks to Support Learning
The following picture storybooks are wonderful resources for exploring themes of inclusion, belonging, empathy, acceptance and celebrating differences. Families may enjoy reading these books together and using them as a starting point for conversations about kindness and including others.
- The Invisible Boy – Trudy Ludwig
- Strictly No Elephants – Lisa Mantchev
- We're All Wonders – R. J. Palacio
- All Are Welcome – Alexandra Penfold
- The Day You Begin – Jacqueline Woodson
- Come Over to My House – Eliza Hull and Sally Rippin
