Behaviour Expectations  

Building a Caring and Compassionate School Community

At Boorowa Central School, we are committed to nurturing a community grounded in care, compassion and understanding. We recognise that everyone, students and adults alike, makes mistakes in both learning and behaviour. This is not only normal, but essential to growth.

We often tell students, “It’s OK to make a mistake—just have a go.” When students make errors in their schoolwork, we respond with support and guidance, helping them reflect and improve. The same understanding should apply to behaviour. Behaviour is not instinctive; it is learned by the people and environment surrounding them. That’s why we teach, model and reinforce our school expectations. Some students pick these up quickly, while others may need more time, support, and at times, appropriate consequences.

Offering compassion doesn’t mean lowering our standards. It means recognising when students need extra guidance to meet them.

We also acknowledge the challenges our students face in the online world. Mistakes made on social media can spread quickly, are often misunderstood or misrepresented, and can unfairly damage someone’s reputation. Unlike other types of mistakes, online actions are rarely forgotten or deleted, making it a particularly hard space to learn from. Many young people are not yet equipped with the maturity needed to safely navigate this environment and when given freedom in these digital spaces, they need more support than ever.

One day, your child may make a mistake. I’m confident that when that happens, you would hope they are met with empathy, not negative judgment. That’s what we aim to provide; not just for your child, but for every student in our care.

As a school community, let’s continue to lead with empathy. It is especially important when mistakes are made, because that is when our students need us most. With the right support, they can grow, succeed, and become the kind, respectful, and community-minded citizens we all hope to see.