Pastoral Care Routines

Wellbeing Week occurs in the first week of school for girls in Years 2 to 6 and is focussed on staff and students working together to develop rules and routines which will be used to promote a safe and positive learning environment throughout the year. 

All classes from Kindergarten to Year 6 participate each day in “Circle Time”, a routine which provides a safe forum in which to develop social and emotional competencies and cultivate student and school wellbeing. Circle Time provides all students with an opportunity to share how they are thinking and feeling, builds resilience and a sense of belonging and emphasises problem solving. In Years 7 to 12 this is replaced with a morning and afternoon “Home Group” time where staff can touch base with girls at the start and end of each day. 

Each classroom from Year 2 to Year 6 has an Emotion Wall which promotes emotional literacy, self and social awareness, and proficiency in identifying and communicating how they are feeling. It equips them with specific vocabulary to facilitate speaking up in situations where they may feel unsafe, unhappy or where adult intervention is needed. The Wall displays a broad range of emotions and is used each morning for students to check in about how they are feeling. Being able to name how we are feeling is the first step in developing skills for emotional regulation. It is also one way our teachers get to know each girl. Checking in can provide an opportunity to share the excitement of a birthday, the sadness at the loss of a pet or the nervousness surrounding a music exam.

Students in Kinder, Prep and Year 1 are taught to use a “Problem Solving Wheel” which assists them to build confidence in solving their own social problems through choosing strategies such as “talk it out”.