Our Purpose
Wellbeing 4 Learning
At 蘑菇视频 we pride ourselves on offering听opportunities for our community to learn the听key concepts of living well. By explicitly and听implicitly teaching key Social Emotional skills and听competencies, we aim to develop well-rounded,听confident young women who can live their best听lives. As we continue to learn about the latest听research in this emerging area of Wellbeing听science, we will continue to adapt and adjust our听approach.听
Our explicit Wellbeing 4 Learning curriculum is modelled on best practice with many interactive, engaging activities that promote connection and relationship with their Wellbeing teacher and the 蘑菇视频 community.听
‘Who we are as individuals is not simply located in us but听around us, our relationships with others and in our experiences of those relationships’听(eXcel Pg 8).
Working in partnership with families we will focus on achieving:
- improved student learning outcomes
- increased social and emotional intelligence
- a better understanding of our character strengths
- increased GRIT and resilience
- improved understanding of growth mindset
- better mental and physical wellbeing
- engagement with learning and our peers
Our Wellbeing Domains
There are six overarching domains that are supported听by scientifically-based skills and knowledge.听Promoted through engaging activities and positive听practices, these are applied throughout the College, with data analysis and a sound evaluation strategy听built in for important feedback.
听Learning skills to amplify positive emotions, practice gratitude and
develop resilience.
Knowing and developing our unique strengths 鈥� use strengths to meet challenges, be in the moment, and increase flow and motivation.
The development of respectful, meaningful, authentic and energising connections with others and the skills to ensure
they thrive.
Finding purpose, thinking beyond ourselves and feeling what we do is valuable
Working toward and reaching goals, belief that challenge can be overcome with a growth mindset, grit and persistence
Eating well, moving regularly, sleeping deeply, practicing mindfulness and recognising the link between physical and mental health
Modelled on curriculum that is evidence-based and听developed by world leaders in this area, we are听confident that our students will attain skills that听will enable them to thrive academically, socially,听spiritually and emotionally.
By learning and practicing the skills and strategies of PERMAH we can flourish 鈥� Live life to the full! Feeling good and doing good!
School Improvement Leaders - Wellbeing
| Tania Anticev and Andrew Damon |
|---|
Year Level Community and Wellbeing Leaders (WELCOM) 2024:
| Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 | Year 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lance Houlihan | Therese Bourke & Kate Nolan (Assistant) | Gabrielle Blythe | Garry O'Donnell | Joanna Wiltshire & Jason Grozdanovski | Sarah Fish |
Our Work
Our work is guided by evidence and current research. Teachers at 蘑菇视频 are aware that students with good mental health and strong wellbeing practices are clearly better equipped to cope with the everyday demands of school life. On the other hand, learning is inhibited for those students with poor mental health and wellbeing (Sawyer, 2000).
Improving wellbeing leads to improved performance in the workplace and in the classroom. 蘑菇视频 is looking at best practice and the latest research to ensure our girls are ready to learn and reach their full potential.
While some people believe that a focus on wellbeing takes time and resources away from academic pursuits, others are aware of the evidence that 鈥渟tudents who thrive and flourish [in terms of wellbeing] demonstrate stronger academic performance鈥� (Norrish, Williams, O鈥機onnor, & Robinson, 2013).
Students with high wellbeing gain higher grades and lower rates of absence (Suldo, Thalji, & Ferron, 2011), as well as higher self-control and lower procrastination (Howell, 2009) and enjoy more creative, open-minded thinking (Fredrickson & Branigan, 2005). Indeed, positive education and 蘑菇视频鈥檚 Wellbeing for Learning philosophy is a complementary goal, rather than a competing goal with academic performance.
We are very proud of the work we are doing in this area and look forward to parents engaging with us on their daughter’s wellbeing journey.
鈥業 derive great pleasure from seeing the young women entrusted into our care, grow academically, emotionally and spiritually and enter life outside of 蘑菇视频 feeling both prepared and empowered to make a difference in their community.鈥�
Fortiter et Suaviter -听Strength and Kindliness听
Our Evidence
What the research says:
‘As a central outcome of schooling, wellbeing is听integral to learning excellence, good health and life听success’听(Ministerial Council of Education, Training听and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) 2008, Melbourne听Declaration on Educational Goals for Young听Australians).
‘A common assumption is that a focus on wellbeing听within education takes time and resources away from听academic pursuits. However, there is reason to believe听that students who thrive and flourish demonstrate听strong educational performance’听(Seligman, 2011).
‘A positive sense of Wellbeing can foster higher levels听of engagement, school connectedness, emotional听vitality, psychosocial functioning and academic听performance’听(eXcel, pg 2).
‘A positive sense of wellbeing supports a base for听rich learning that enables young people to flourish’听(Catholic Education Melbourne 2017, Horizons of听Hope: Wellbeing in a Catholic School, p.3).
What the students say:
‘It鈥檚 made me realise that at times I do have a fixed听mindset but now I can identify when I have those听thoughts and then I change those thoughts’.
‘It鈥檚 great because I was the type of person to give听up and now I understand that it鈥檚 ok to get things听wrong’.
‘Wellbeing classes were great because I learnt about听neuroplasticity and the pathways…’.
‘The things I learnt in Wellbeing are making me think听about a lot of things…I always find myself thinking听of the ways I can create a growth mindset and I am听really happy that I am seeing results’.
What you are others who come after you will be听- Daniel Delany
Our Program
Each student in Year 7-12 will be involved in our Wellbeing Program.
The Wellbeing program is delivered via three key strategies.听 The 18 minute morning wellbeing time at the beginning of each school day fosters connection and belonging with peers and teachers.听 This time includes The Resilience Project curriculum resources, Pulse educator impact check ins and Positive behaviour for Learning lessons.听 In Years 7-10, wellbeing curriculum is included in the Health and Physical education classes for all students, and Year 11 students have one period per cycle of specialist wellbeing. These classes will work together with other year level initiatives such as Communication Connection days, guest speakers and Year level camps to undertake explicit learning that听focuses on social and emotional learning, positive education and physical movement.
In response to student, teacher and parent data and to support student learning, we have introduced a break between each class.听There is significant evidence to suggest that breaks keep our brains healthy and play a key role in cognitive abilities such as reading comprehension and divergent thinking (the ability to generate and make sense of novel ideas).
鈥楻est is indeed not idleness, nor is it a wasted opportunity for productivity鈥�听(Goodwin et al, 2016).
It is听鈥榚xactly the same principle that Google introduced some years ago to their knowledge workers鈥�.听Both students and teachers benefit from these frequent breaks听(Pasi Sahlberg, 2019).
The table below indicates where those breaks are in the day.
The canteen will be open for students in Breaks 2 and 3.
Domains of Wellbeing
Frequently Asked Questions
As part of Wellbeing, we encourage students to leave the classroom between classes and engage with their peers, get some air and have something healthy to eat, have a drink, use the toilets so they are ready to learn.
How many spare study periods do senior students have?
The number of study periods depends on your course. For a full course at Year 12, students have five free periods per cycle. At Year 12 in Term 3 and 4, when the demands are great, the RE class will become a supervised study period. Students who have completed Year 12 subjects earlier in their program (Year 11 and 10), will have more study periods than those on a full program.
All students from Year 7 鈥� 12 have a 5-period per cycle allocation of Religious Education.
Do we get less time than other schools in our subjects?
Every school has different time allocations to subjects. For VCE students it is important to know that every Study Design for every subject is written to 50 hours per semester. Under the current allocation, Year 7 鈥� 12 subjects have approximately 78 hours per semester.
What about students on a late bus?
Students on late buses should ensure they have their books for Period 1 of the next day with them the afternoon before so that they do not need to go to their locker and can go straight to class. directly to Wellbeing. They should move quickly and directly to Wellbeing.
The canteen is open during Breaks 2 and 3.