Pastoral Care/Student Wellbeing

Pastoral Care refers to all actions within our school to promote and enhance physical, social, emotional, psychological, intellectual and spiritual wellness. Schools are uniquely placed to foster student attributes that will enable them to achieve their full potential, and we understand the importance of working closely and collaboratively with families to promote positive student wellbeing. 

At St Agnes’ Primary School, the dignity and well-being of each student are at the centre of our school policies, decisions, curriculum, structures, and practices that place emphasis on students feeling cared for, valued and respected.

We recognise the importance of the reciprocal and interconnected relationship between well-being and learning. ‘Wellbeing positively influences student learning outcomes, and success in learning enhances student wellbeing’ (Australian Student Wellbeing Framework).

Students who feel safe, connected and secure and have loving and trusting relationships are more likely to be active participants in their learning and to achieve better physical, emotional, social and educational outcomes. Some of the ways we aim to promote positive well-being in our students are:

• modelling strong, healthy and trusting relationships
• teaching social and emotional skills to build resilience and wellbeing
• teaching and modelling values and behaviours based on respect for themselves and others
• providing opportunities for students to participate actively in their learning
• providing a level of care that will meet the unique needs of each student 
• embedding inclusive teaching practices to build a connected and safe school culture.

All students are accompanied in their journey to freely choose the ‘fullness of life’ (John 10:10).

Allied Health and Pastoral Care

Our school provides a Counselling Service that has a major focus on student wellbeing. Our School Counsellor (Kate Watson) works with students and their families and offers professional, confidential support and advocacy. The service is accessed when there are: 

• times of family loss and grief 
• changing roles and relocation 
• illness 
• additional needs 
• students or parents facing personal, emotional or behavioural challenges.

Our Counsellor works closely with the School Leadership and all staff in promoting, planning and delivering student centred programs that will enhance children’s resilience and skills and contribute positively toward their total development.

For 2023, St Agnes’ Primary School has employed additional staff to work in the areas of Pastoral Care and Student Wellbeing. These include a Pastoral Care Teacher (Melissa Allwood) and a Student Support Worker (Katrina MacGibbon). Their roles and responsibilities include supporting students with social and emotional needs, transition support, and lunchtime or playground support. 

We are blessed to have a Speech Pathologist (Craig Suosaari) and Occupational Therapist (Nadine Ninnes) employed for three days each week. These amazing allied health staffs work closely with our teaching staff to support identified students in our St Agnes’ Primary School community. 

We support all students by offering a wide variety of play spaces and activities for them to engage in during lunchtime. Our range of play spaces includes:

• Oval
• Adventure Playground (Infants and Primary)
• Sensory Garden for quiet outdoor play. 
• Climbing equipment
• Sandpit
• Shelter/Basketball Court.

Our list of amazing lunchtime activities includes:

• Happy Half Hour in the Library (games, reading, drawing and construction)
• Garden Club
• Passive Play (Imaginative and role play, games, cars, building)
• Chess Club
• Knitting Club
• Dance Clubs, just to name a few!