“The wellbeing landscape of the Catholic school incorporates all aspects of school community life from students’ physical, intellectual, moral, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing and development to the safe and supportive environment in which they learn.”
At St. Monica’s, we believe that each person needs to be treated with respect. We believe that Jesus came to teach us how to live and how to respect ourselves, others and the world created for us by God. We strive to enable all members of our community to nurture one another in an atmosphere of forgiveness and reconciliation. We support each other through open communication and co-operation and value the uniqueness of each individual.
St. Monica’s gives priority to establishing a safe and supportive school environment focusing on positive relationships. This emphasis recognises that the physical, social and emotional health of the student is a critical foundation for effective learning and personal development. As part of our Wellbeing strategy, we aim to foster social and emotional health and positive quality relationships in our school community through teaching and modelling for students a range of social competencies
At St. Monica’s we align our policies, programs and practices with the Australian Curriculum and the CEOM Sacred Landscape.
“Students develop personal and social capability as they learn to understand themselves and others, and manage their relationships, lives, work and learning more effectively. The capability involves students in a range of practices including recognising and regulating emotions, developing empathy for others and understanding relationships, establishing and building positive relationships, making responsible decisions, working effectively in teams, handling challenging situations constructively and developing leadership skills.” (Australian Curriculum)
Bounce Back
At St. Monica’s we implement the BounceBack! program throughout our school which is based upon building wellbeing and resilience. BounceBack! promotes positive and practical strategies to assist students to develop interpersonal skills, confidence and resilience.
Bounce Back Acronym
Bad times don’t last. Things always get better. Stay optimistic.
Other people can help if you talk to them. Get a reality check.
Unhelpful thinking makes you feel more upset.
Nobody is perfect – not you and not others.
Concentrate on the positives (no matter how small) and use laughter.
Everybody experiences sadness, hurt, failure, rejection and setbacks sometimes. They are a normal part of life. Try not to personalize them.
Blame fairly – how much of what happened was because of you, how much was because of others and how much was because of bad luck or circumstances?
Accept the things you can’t change, but try to change what you can.
Catastrophising exaggerates your worries. Don’t believe the worst possible picture.
Keep things in perspective. It’s only one part of your life.
School Rules
The school Rules have been develop with consultation from students and teachers. These are consistent across the school from classroom to classroom and are also used to foster positive behaviour in the school yard. The rules are:
- Speak Appropriately
- Follow Directions
- Move Safely
- Treat Property with Care
- Keep Our hands, feet and objects to ourselves
- Do Not Bully Others
If one of these rules has been broken, teachers follow a procedure that is described in the school’s Behaviour Management Policy.
Buddy Program
At St. Monica’s all students are involved in the Buddy Program which strengthens positive relationships between junior and senior students. It provides authentic learning opportunities for senior students to develop their leadership skills through shared learning experiences with their buddies.
