School Wide Positive Behaviour Support-SWPBS

Dear families,

I am writing to provide families with an overview of some of the ways in which we maintain a positive classroom climate and ensure all students can learn.

We are a School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) school.  SWPBS is an evidence-based framework designed to help schools create positive, safe, and fair settings where students and teachers can thrive. It focuses on teaching and encouraging positive behaviour, supporting all students, and providing extra help to those who need it. By doing this, SWPBS helps improve behaviour, wellbeing, and academic success. It also supports teachers by giving them strategies to manage classrooms effectively, reduce disruptions, and spend more time on teaching and learning.

Our teachers use a range of SWPBS strategies to manage their classrooms, including:

• Explicitly teaching students the behaviours we want to see
• Reminding, reteaching and redirecting students when minor behaviours are displayed
• Using positive rewards and praise to acknowledge positive behaviours
• Relocating students within the classroom or asking them to step outside for 5 minutes to reset

The classroom exit process may be used if these strategies are ineffective, if there are unsafe behaviours displayed, or if a student is continually impacting on the ability of others to learn.  If a student is exited, they will complete their learning in a VCE class for the remainder of the lesson they were exited from, and one additional lesson, before completing a re-entry meeting with their teacher. The re-entry meeting explores what support is needed, and what can be done differently to ensure a positive learning environment upon rejoining the class.  Being exited from class is a serious and infrequent occurrence and usually reflects significant challenges occurring for the young person. As such, repeated classroom exits within a two week period may result in suspension from school following by a parent meeting to explore what supports can be put in place to ensure the student can be successful in the classroom. If your child is exited from class, you will receive an automated Compass text message advising you of the exit, and a follow up phone call from the classroom teacher to discuss what happened and how we can work as team to support your child in their learning.

We have high expectations of students at Maffra Secondary College and believe every student can learn.  Our staff have a range of inclusive teaching strategies and differentiate the learning to cater for a range of abilities in every classroom. Maintaining calm and orderly classroom environments is critical to ensuring every student can reach their potential and achieve their goals for learning and for life.

If you have any questions, concerns or feedback, as always please don't hesitate to get in touch with your child's year level coordinator, year level leading teacher, or a member of the principal team.

Marie Clark

Assistant Principal