Assistant Principal's Report

Building Confidence, Connection and Calm: A Term 1 Celebration of Canine Comprehension 🐾

At Glen Waverley Primary School, we believe that wellbeing is the foundation for learning and in Term One, our Canine Comprehension program has once again demonstrated the power of combining evidence-based practice with student connection and engagement.

Each week, Year One and Two students participated in small-group sessions that fostered emotional regulation, built social confidence and supported self-awareness. These sessions were facilitated by Sharon, a trained educator and supported by a calm and predictable environment, including the presence of a certified therapy dog – Mr Rufus.

📊 Evidence-Based and Impact-Driven

Canine Comprehension is committed to a thorough, evidence-based approach to data collection. Each program cycle includes pre- and post-evaluations that measure student growth across key social-emotional domains. This data not only drives the design and improvement of the program but also helps communicate its effectiveness to schools, families, and funding bodies.

The following insights have been shared with us by Canine Comprehension to clearly communicate the impact of the Term 1 program at GWPS:

🌟 

• Help-Seeking Confidence
  • Students who agreed with the statement “If I need help, I know how to ask for it” rose from 60% pre-program to 87% post-program, showing a clear increase in self-advocacy and help-seeking behaviours.
• Emotional Regulation
  • Agreement with “I have learned ways to calm myself down when I get angry or upset” increased from 48% to 83%, reflecting a significant boost in students’ capacity to self-regulate.
• Empathy Development
  • The number of students who said they “try to think about how others feel” grew from 65% to 91%, supporting our focus on kindness, respect and emotional intelligence.
• Focus and Task Management
  • Students reporting they could “get back to my task when distracted” improved from 44% to 78%, demonstrating growth in perseverance and attention.

In addition, over 90% of students rated the program positively, with common reflections highlighting joy, connection and new skills.

🧠 Why It Matters

Canine Comprehension is an integral part of our tiered approach to student wellbeing at GWPS. The program aligns closely with our Whole School Approach by providing targeted support for emotional literacy, social connection and self-regulation in a predictable and safe environment. These outcomes reflect our commitment to helping every student grow as a learner and as a person.

We’re proud to celebrate the success of this program and the progress of the students involved. We look forward to continuing to embed high-impact wellbeing strategies like this into everyday learning at GWPS.