Student Wellbeing
At Rowville Primary School we promote the wellbeing for the whole child – the academic, the social and the emotional – through seven interrelated and interdependent strategies which are implemented across the school.
1. Physical and Emotional Safety
The foundation of our well-being program is the active participation of all members of the school community, so that they feel valued, safe and secure. Students have multiple opportunities to have input into their learning including their physical learning environment. This provides them with a sense of ownership and enables them to feel safe and supported. There are opportunities for students to take on meaningful responsibilities within their classroom and across the school.
2. School Values
Central to the development of social competencies are our school values of:
- Respect
- Perseverance
- Responsibility
- Pride
The school values are used to guide the norms and expectations for students at Rowville Primary School. Students provide input into the development of norms and procedures of their classroom.
3. A Supportive and Caring School Community
Teachers greet and speak with every student in the class every day. All the adults working in our school develop relationships with students that are caring and supportive. Our students are proud of their school and have a sense of connectedness and belonging.
Daily circle meetings are held in each classroom where students celebrate the positive and explore issues of concern. A touch base program operates to support those students who at different times require additional emotional support. Buddy programs operate for our Foundation students.
4. Social and Emotional Learning
The development of social and emotional skills (such as the ability to work cooperatively with others, manage one’s emotions, cope with setbacks and solve problems effectively) are integral parts of our learning program.
Teachers employ conversations using a restorative script when assisting students to sort out issues where relationships have broken down in the classroom or the playground. The Four Rooms of Change is implemented across the school to enable students to develop social-emotional competencies. At the start of the school year the students in each class deconstruct the Rowville Primary School Perspective scale and create an anchor chart to which they can refer to assist them to regulate their emotions. Circle meetings are used to teach problem solving around relationships.
5. A Strengths-Based Approach
Our rich and diverse curriculum enables us to locate strengths in every student. We provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate their strengths in some way at school – reading, writing, mathematics, extensive sporting program, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, STEM, cooking and gardening. Providing opportunities for students to demonstrate their individual strengths, produces more positive emotions, leads to higher levels of engagement and produces better learning outcomes.
6. A Sense of Meaning and Purpose
We believe in the importance of “student voice” in giving students a sense of meaning and connectedness to the curriculum. Our students participate in co constructing their learning goals with their teacher. Teachers provide clear, constructive feedback so that students can see learning and growth in their skills. Differentiated teaching methods are used to extend the knowledge and skills of every student in every class regardless of their starting point. Our students also have opportunities to participate in self-directed inquiries through our “How the World works Program”.
7. Health Promotion
A healthy lifestyle promotes connectedness to school. We promote a healthy lifestyle through our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program and by participating in a Healthy Lunchbox initiative with EACH Community Health. We encourage healthy eating through our newly refurbished school canteen.
