Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. 

 

Students at St Peter’s participate in weekly SEL lessons, which are based upon the content from The Victorian Curriculum Personal and Social Capability.

 

We utilise a variety of evidence based programs and resources to support student learning in SEL:

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Rights Resilience and Respectful Relationships (RRRR)

The Respectful Relationships program supports schools and early childhood settings to promote and model respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. It teaches our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence. It is all about embedding a culture of respect and equality across the entire school community. 

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St Peter's is a Restorative School. Restorative Practice is a framework of behaviour management that moves away from the traditional punitive response to any indiscretion that may happen to your child or by your child. While still providing limits and consequences, it looks for ways to repair the damaged relationships and improve existing relationships. The Restorative School believes in the “Three R’s” - Relationships, Responsibility and Relevance.

In working with the student/s using a Restorative Approach, a staff member uses four (4) main questions:

• What happened?

• Who was hurt/ affected by what happened?

• What needs to happen to make things right?

• If the same situation happens again, how could you behave differently?

 

Berry Street Education Model (BSEM)

The five domains of the Berry Street Education Model correspond with child-development capacities that each student must grow in order to be ‘ready to learn’. When considering how to best meet the needs of students, we focus on building self-regulatory ability, relational capacity and then nurture wellbeing and willingness to engage in learning.

 

Social and Emotional skills

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is explicitly taught in our curriculum. Social and emotional learning is about learning how to manage feelings, manage friendships and solve problems. These are essential life skills that support wellbeing and positive mental health. Social and emotional skills promote children’s ability to cope with difficulties and help to prevent mental health problems. Children who have developed social and emotional skills find it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, resolve conflict, and feel positive about themselves and the world around them. Children are given opportunities to develop skills which promote resilience, problem solving and the ability to make good choices. We encourage empathy towards the feelings of others and respect for the rights of all. In keeping with our Christian ethos and The National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools. We teach St Peter’s values. We believe that directly teaching these values, improves relationships, helps us to know ourselves and others, enables good decision-making, promotes ethical behaviour and increases understanding and acceptance of other people.

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Student Leaders

Students at St Peter’s are empowered to actively participate in various leadership opportunities throughout their primary school years. Our Student Leaders and Year 6 Student Leadership Program are testament to a long tradition of enabling our children to lead, follow their strengths, learn from others and represent our school in positive ways. 

 

Leadership opportunities are not only limited to senior school students, as children are provided with opportunities to lead across all year levels, and in all curriculum and extra-curricular areas. St Peter’s students are empowered to be leaders now, and into their future.

 

Buddy Program

The Buddy program helps to promote relationships and support between older and younger students through regular collaboration between their classes. This fosters a sense of whole-school community and creates friendships that enable students to bond more closely with their school.

 

Each year our new Prep students are partnered with a student in Year 5. During the Prep Transition period, Year 5 Buddies play an important role in familiarising Preps with the playground, ensuring they feel secure at recess and lunchtime, and assisting them in understanding routines and practices in the playground. 

 

Passive Play and Lunch Clubs

Passive Play is offered at  lunchtime for those students who may need a break from the busyness of the playground. A place for students of all ages, activities such as drawing, reading, lego or chess. 

Lunch clubs are also available throughout the school year. These clubs provide activities for students in different areas, supporting them in building relationships with other students with similar interests. 

Esafety

At St Peter’s, we place a strong emphasis on ensuring that our students and families are well-informed and educated about online safety. Our students have the opportunity to learn about conducting themselves respectfully online, maintaining a healthy and safe online presence, and how and when to seek assistance from a trusted adult in our classroom SEL lessons. 

 

We also regularly host external experts in the field to present to families and students on this topic. Additionally, we regularly disseminate research-based best practice through our newsletter to assist families in navigating the continually evolving digital landscape.