Student Wellbeing Facility Upgrade - Update

The redevelopment of our new Student Wellbeing Facility (what was most recently the ‘old Year 1 space’) is nearly complete with most of the new spaces ready for occupation. Our Student Wellbeing staff have moved into the new facility and late last week, parent meetings and student activities started to be held in these rooms.

Our Student Wellbeing Team in 2024

The development of the new Student Wellbeing facility aligns with our strategy to increase staffing and resources to better cater for student wellbeing in our school. The school is moving from a staffing model of having two Student Diversity Mentors, which in 2023 were Mrs Renae Ewing (Prep to Year 2) and Mrs Tracey Hughes (Years 3 to 6), to the following new model in 2024:

● Student Wellbeing Mentor Prep to Year 2 Renae Ewing
● Student Wellbeing Mentor Years 3 and 4 Clare Thomson
● Student Wellbeing Mentor Years 5 and 6 Tracey Hughes
● Chaplain Prep to Year 6 Paul Bowyer
● Student Wellbeing Coach Prep to Year 6 Alicia Lane
● Student Wellbeing Coach Prep to Year 6 Jaculyn Williams
● Wellbeing Dog Prep to Year 6 Webster

Embracing a 'Whole-of-Child Approach’ to Providing Support for Students at Living Faith

At Living Faith, we embrace a 'Whole-of-Child Approach’ to student wellbeing, recognising that nurturing the social, emotional, academic, spiritual and behavioural needs of our students is essential for their overall well-being and for learning growth.

A 'Whole-of-Child Approach' values and supports the uniqueness of each child, understanding that emotional and social well-being is the foundation upon which academic success is built. We recognise that children come to Living Faith with a range of social and emotional experiences and that these can significantly impact their learning journey.

What does this shift to ‘Whole-of-Child Approach’ mean for our Community?

The shift to a ‘Whole-of-Child Approach’ to student wellbeing means a change to our practices and programs at Living Faith this year. The school will continue to run the same social and emotional support programs in 2024 as we did last year, however with the extra staff employed as part of the Student Wellbeing Team we have increased capacity to deliver ongoing support. . The one difference from practices from last year is that students requiring support with behaviours will receive this from our Student Wellbeing staff. In the past when student behaviours have warranted support beyond the classroom teacher, either our Director of Junior Primary (Chelsea Formosa) or our Director of Senior Primary (Melissa Tronc), have been the staff to support our school processes. The Student Wellbeing staff will now also support student behaviours enabling a ‘wrap-around approach’ to ensuring support for the whole child.

The school has undertaken a stage-based level approach to Student Wellbeing support. These stages in 2024 are Prep to Year 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. This therefore means that if your child is requiring extra support (beyond the classroom) in areas such as emotional regulation, social support, behavioural development or for learning, then this will be overseen by the following staff:

● Prep to Year 2 Renae Ewing (Paul Bowyer - extra Prep support)
● Years 3 and 4 Clare Thomson
● Years 5 and 6 Tracey Hughes (on leave in Term 1)

Our Student Wellbeing coaches will provide various support across Prep to Year 6 and are not allocated to a particular year level or stage. Webster the Wellbeing Dog will also work with students from all year levels at Living Faith.

In conclusion, embracing a 'Whole-of-Child Approach' is an investment in the well-being of our students. By recognising and nurturing the social, emotional, academic and behavioural aspects of each child, we create an environment where every child matters and where every child is able to flourish.

Peace
Andrew Kelly
Principal