From Alison Dietrich

Last week, our staff came together for a full day of professional learning focused on two of the most important things we do as a school: keeping students safe, and helping them flourish. It was a rich and purposeful day and we wanted to share with our community what was covered and what it means for your children. 

Reviewing Our Commitment to Child Safety 

We began the day by revisiting the Victorian Child Safe Standards. This is the framework that underpins how every school in Victoria builds and maintains a culture of safety for children and young people. We used this opportunity to reflect on our policies, practices and the way we speak and listen to students every day. Child safety is never finished work as it asks something of us every day. We are proud of the care and seriousness our staff bring to it. 

Strengthening Our Behaviour Curriculum 

Staff also worked through a review of our College Behaviour Curriculum. This framework, which is grounded in our SOLE and Classroom Mastery expectations, guides how we teach, model and respond to behaviour across the school. We know that behaviour is not just managed; it is taught. This review helps us to ensure that our approach remains consistent, age-appropriate and true to who we are as a community. We are committed to a school culture where expectations are explicit, relationships are strong and every student understands what it means to belong here. 

Introducing Positive Education 

Perhaps the most exciting part of the day was the introduction to the Positive Education Enhanced Curriculum. This is a research-based approach to wellbeing that draws on the science of what helps people live meaningful, engaged, and fulfilling lives. Positive Education weaves wellbeing explicitly into the curriculum, giving students the knowledge, language and skills to understand themselves and others more deeply. 

We are pleased to announce that from 2027, Positive Education will become a formal part of the St Augustine's College curriculum. It will sit alongside our existing Respectful Relationships (RRRR) program, with the two delivered on alternating years. Together, they will form a comprehensive, sequenced Wellbeing Curriculum for every student across the College. 

Attendance Matters 

None of this work has its full impact if students aren't in the room. A missed day here and there doesn’t seem like much, however, being absent just one day per fortnight adds up to four full weeks of missed school across the year. Attending school every day helps students develop important skills and knowledge, build social and emotional capabilities, and establish the friendships and sense of belonging that supports their wellbeing.  

When School Feels Impossible: Understanding School Refusal 

For some families, getting to school isn't about routine, it's a daily battle. School refusal is a serious and genuinely distressing condition and it is very different from truancy. School refusal is more than simple separation anxiety, it often grows from real worry about things such as schoolwork, friendships, teachers, sport or simply being away from home. It can show up as sadness, physical symptoms like stomach aches or a gradual withdrawal from social life. It affects boys and girls equally, across every year level and every walk of life. If this sounds familiar, please know you are not alone, and that early conversations make a real difference. Our School Refusal resource page is a good place to start and our staff are always ready to listen. 

Every day at St Augustine's is an opportunity. We look forward to sharing it with your child. 

Kind regards,

Alison Dietrich

Deputy Principal 

Wellbeing