Wellbeing

School Holiday Tips

Social Emotional Learning at St Peter's

Continuing to unpack St Peter's Social Emotional Learning this week we share why we have a dog on staff to support our students and learning. 

What are the benefits of having a school dog?

At St Peter's we have been part of the Dogs Connect Program since it's early days with our first school dog Lexi, and now our beautiful Oreo. 

We know our students love having Oreo in our community but did you know that there is actually an evidence-based reason to have a school dog too?

Evidence shows that being near a dog when stressed can reduce anxiety.  92% of students responded to a Dogs Connect survey saying that they felt more relaxed during teaching and learning time when there was a dog in the classroom. Having a school dog as part of our Social Emotional Learning programs acknowledges that children learn more when they are relaxed, calm and comfortable.

Having a school dog can also help with:

Communication

Having a dog at St Peter's gives our students a shared interest helping them interact and build connections with Oreo, staff and their peers.

Reading to Oreo is often used in our literacy classes as students can feel less self-conscious reading to Oreo rather than teachers or peers.  We also use Oreo to learn about feelings and behaviour as it supports students to consider how Oreo is responding to noise and behaviour.

Leadership

Taking care of Oreo builds empathy and gives students a sense of responsibility. They learn how to take care of Oreo and how to delegate care which can help grow their leadership skills.

Behaviour

Students can see the impact of their actions on their wellbeing dog. This helps them understand how their behaviour impacts people around them. As a result, children learn to be more empathetic and understanding.

School attendance

Students experience a greater willingness to attend school when they feel connected, and some of our students say that they come to school just to see Oreo!

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