At St. Francis de Sales we believe that student engagement and wellbeing is integral to our students reaching their full potential. We want our students to develop a positive sense of self (being well in mind, body and spirit) to enable them to flourish.
Being a faith community animated by love is a way of life at our school, ensuring that our young learners grow into compassionate, confident individuals who contribute positively to both their communities and the world, guided by faith and a profound sense of wellbeing.
For students, our Vision for Engagement means:
- behaving respectfully towards others
- adopting classroom routines that ensure everyone understands expectations
- listening intently and paying attention
- feeling safe and belonging at school
- experiencing caring relationships with teachers and school staff
- attending school every day, on time
- participating in instruction that is targeted to need, and supports growth and achievement
- being supported with mental health and wellbeing
- receiving a coordinated and effective system of increasingly intensive tiered interventions and supports across all areas of their learning
- persisting with complex tasks
- benefiting from stronger partnerships between school and family.
Within a positive, inclusive and resilient community, we work in partnership as a team with staff, parents, students and the community to ensure every child, young person, staff member and parent/carer can florish and thrive.
We acknowledge that students need to be prepared for a world that is “complex, rapidly changing, rich in information and communication technology, demanding high-order knowledge and understanding and increasingly global in its outlook and influences”. For students to succeed, they need to develop the skills of interacting with others and being self -aware. Students need to understand the world and act effectively, ethically and responsibly.
Students with well-developed social and emotional skills find it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, develop resilience and a sense of self-worth, resolve conflict, engage in teamwork and feel positive about themselves and the world around them.
These competencies and skills are embedded within units of work and are further supported through a variety of programs, partnerships and strategies, such as:
BeYou
Circle time
Play is the Way Games
Resilience Project
School Chaplaincy program
Social Skills Groups
Christian Meditation
Community Garden
Student Action Teams