WELLBEING

Wellbeing events coming up at St Joseph's...

🙂Monday 14 August: The National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence 

🙂Body Image workshops for our Middle and Senior students (10th October)

🙂Body Image parent information evening (ONLINE - Thursday 12th October @7pm- save the date!)

Keep checking back each fortnight for more information about all of the above, and lots more.

National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA)

On Monday 14 August 2023, St Joseph's is participating in the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA). The NDA is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative for schools, connecting schools and communities to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying. 

Planning for a safe and supportive school community requires a whole-school community approach. Whole-school responses to bullying prevention builds positive and supportive school environments by incorporating strategies for intervention at all levels, inclusive of students, teachers, parents and carers. 

The 2023 NDA theme, Growing connections, promotes the importance of school, family and community connections in building safe and supportive learning environments where all students can belong, feel accepted and respected.

Research has shown that strong school connections and positive relationships can help to prevent bullying. When students feel a sense of belonging and connectedness at school, they are more likely to enjoy school, to trust and respect their teachers, and be concerned about and help others (Australian Education Research Organisation 2023).

At St Joseph's we will help grow connections by taking part in special lessons from Bullying. No Way! promoting inclusiveness, respect and community belonging for all students. 

What is bullying?

Three key characteristics outlined in the national definition of bullying distinguish bullying behaviours from other negative behaviours which are not bullying. The key characteristics of bullying include:

1. power imbalance
2. deliberate intent to cause harm, and
3. ongoing and repeated behaviour.

While the following behaviours are not bullying, they may still be serious and require intervention at home and at school:

• arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance)
• single acts of social rejection or unkind behaviour, or
• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence.

It is important for our whole-school community, including our staff, parents, carers and students to have a clear understanding of the definition of bullying to be able to correctly identify and respond to incidents of bullying. The full national definition can be found on the Bullying. No Way! website.