Wellbeing

Safe, Valued and Respected Survey results from Term 1

Thank you to over 100 parents/carers for completing our termly Safe, Valued and Respected Survey last term. This survey is conducted with staff, students and parents/carers each term as a ‘pulse check’ on how we’re doing, as we seek ways to improve the experience for all members of our community. 

We’re very proud of our results, which saw an increase in positive responses across all stakeholders and all questions. 

Highlights include: 

• Over 100 responses from parents/carers, with all year levels widely represented, consistent with previous years and giving us an accurate comparison of results 
• 100% positive response rate from our teachers and EPS staff 
• 98% of parents/carers agreeing that EPS provides an environment which they feel is respectful, and where their child feels safe and welcome
• An increase in positive response rates from all year levels regarding safety in the yard.  

Areas to improve include:

• Considering the ways in which parents/carers feel as though their feedback is valued and taken seriously and they can discuss concerns with the school by:
  • Discussing and promoting the ways in which parents/carers can share feedback and concerns at the Education Subcommittee as part of our Communication Policy review 
  • Improving our communication around the ways in which our community can connect with us and each other
  • Working towards our learner showcase in term 3, providing a forum for three-way feedback between students, parents/carers and the teacher
  • Actioning specific feedback from the community such as: increasing extension and support programs in 2023 through the Tutor Learning program; increasing the structured opportunities for students in the yard during the oval closure; improving the prep transition program in 2022 for 2023 families
• Continuing to provide opportunities to improve the connectedness of students between year levels, to improve feelings of safety and connectedness for younger students in the yard by:
  • Increasing the number of students trained as Peer Mediators throughout the senior school  
  • Involving year 5 students in the senior school leadership conference to upskill them to role model and support younger students
  • Student Wellbeing Leaders working with Prep-Year 2 students on wellbeing topics such as sun safety, emotional regulation and help seeking in the playground 
  • Extending the buddy program to students who require additional playtime support
  • Year 6 Leaders House Captains facilitating lunchtime games and timetabled sessions in the gaga pit and on the soccer oval 
  • Year 4 students facilitating the lunchtime colouring club for quiet play
  • And so much more once the Green Zone is unveiled! 

IDAHOBIT Day – Wednesday, 17th May

On Wednesday, May 17th we will be celebrating IDAHOBIT day in our classrooms. ‘IDAHOBIT’ stands for 'The International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, discrimination against Intersex People and Transphobia'. This means it is a day to celebrate people with a diverse range of gender identities and sexual orientations. 

IDAHOBIT was established in 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination LGBTIQ+ people face around the world. The 17th May commemorates the World Health Organisation’s 1990 decision to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder. IDAHOBIT is celebrated in more than 130 countries around the world.

As a school community, this is also an opportunity for us to reflect on and celebrate our progress and journey in creating a respectful and inclusive culture. Presentations will be shared with students and form the basis for discussions in conjunction with our Respectful Relationships lessons on Gender and Identity. 

We will be encouraging students to wear a rainbow accessory with their school uniform if they have one at home (scrunchie, loom bands, socks etc). 

Thank you for your continued enthusiasm and support as we strive to create a space free from discrimination where everyone is free to be who they want to be, surrounded by people who care for and support them. 

Attitudes to School Survey

Throughout this term, all our year 4-6 students will be invited to participate in the annual Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS), which provides students the opportunity to give us with feedback on their school experience. The survey has been running for nearly 20 years and is invaluable in helping schools understand student views to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience. The survey responses also help the Department of Education understand how student’s learning experiences can be improved at a state level.

POLICY UPDATES 

Sunsmart Policy

Please see the following amendment that was made to our Sumsmart Policy earlier this year, to ensure that we are complying with the Cancer Council SunSmart recommendations. This has helped contribute towards our accreditation towards the Sunsmart badge with the Caulfield Community Health Achievement Program. 

Daily sun protection times are forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology for the time-of-day UV levels are predicted to reach 3 or higher, based on location. At these levels, sun protection is recommended for all skin types. In Victoria, UV levels typically reach 3 or higher daily from mid-August to the end of April.

To assist with the implementation of this policy, staff and students are encouraged to access the daily local sun protection times via the SunSmart widget on the school’s website/intranet, free SunSmart app, sunsmart.com.au or bom.gov.au.

The sun protection measures listed in this policy are used for all outdoor activities during the daily local sun protection times. 

Implementation only in Terms 1 and 4 is insufficient to protect against UV exposure risks.

Alcohol Policy

• In line with the Department of Education policy, Elsternwick Primary School actively discourages alcohol consumption by adults during child focused activities, both during and after normal school hours on and off the school premises. 
• Alcohol consumption is restricted to school events which are conducted outside normal school hours and which students are not expected to attend on and off school premises.

Dogs in School Grounds Policy

• Wellbeing and Assistance dogs are permitted at EPS to support the social and emotional needs of students, under authorisation of the principal 
• Whilst Elsternwick Primary School understands that many families in our school community keep dogs as pets, to ensure that our school remains a safe and inclusive place for everyone, pet dogs are not permitted on school grounds under any circumstances.
• Our school community is diverse, and may include people that are allergic or uncomfortable around dogs. We are also conscious of the health hazards that may be posed by dogs. We ask that families please leave their pet dogs at home or safely tether them outside school grounds when attending our school or school events. 

These policies have been revised for 2023 by our Education Subcommittee, endorsed by School Council, and are available in full on our school website (see the navigation guide below).

How to find our full list of policies:

Warm regards, 

Nicola Smith and Morgan Ili

Wellbeing team