www.sacs.nsw.edu.auSydney Square, Sydney

Student wellbeingNurturing the heart to educate the mind

SACS is committed to looking after the needs of all our students, nurturing their growth and development from Kindergarten through to Year 12 within a safe and caring environment. Stretching across ages and grades and between staff and students, our inclusive community seeks to ensure each student is heard, known and supported. Our comprehensive student wellbeing programme promotes a positive, encouraging culture that stimulates self-worth and inspires students to engage with their school and with one another and to seek to put their best foot forward.

nurturing the heart to stimulate the mind

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contents04 The importance of student wellbeing programmes 05K-12 community involvement

06Junior School (Kindergarten to Year 6)

08Middle School (Years 7 to 9)

10Senior College (Years 10 to 12)

student wellbeing

@ SACS

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the importance of student wellbeing programmes The ongoing provision of student wellbeing programmes in schools, previously termed pastoral care, is a vital component of our school. It is essential for a number of reasons, including the increasing fragmentation of life in Western society, particularly in a large city like Sydney, and visible by the increasing occurrence of depression among youth in our society. Further, many parents, despite their best intentions, find that life circumstances prevent them from providing real stability at home. Others find the financial pressures of modern life prevent them from spending optimal amounts of time with their children. For these reasons, it is crucial that schools provide a place where students know they are valued, are interacting with significant adults and are known and cared for by at least one adult staff member who takes a particular interest in them.

Student wellbeing is the obverse of academic attainment in the sense that a coin has two sides, both of which are essential and without which the coin is incomplete. Studies and my personal experience in schools have demonstrated students will not only do better academically, but grow into more integrated, whole and successful adults when the wellbeing of students is prioritised.

At St Andrew’s, we have a wide range of integrated approaches and programmes, including year-group programmes, the teaching of positive interactions and positive mental health and also the existence of a strong network of support structures to ‘catch’ students presenting with social, emotional and mental health issues. The programmes listed here are an integral part of our school’s efforts to enhance the social, emotional and mental wellbeing of every student.

Student wellbeing features prominently in all aspects of school life and in the day-to-day experiences of each individual in our community. Our carefully planned and refined K – 12 programme ensures the holistic health and safety of students is embedded within the curriculum, House system, the work of Academic and Year Coordinators, the Tutor programme, staff professional development and other key policies that guide processes throughout the school. While every staff member has a responsibility for the wellbeing of our students, specialised programmes within the Junior School, Middle School, Senior College, Enrichment and Learning and Christian Development departments meet the specific needs of students.

In 2014, the student wellbeing programme at St Andrew’s was reviewed and mapped to the school’s Graduate Attributes, with each year group being assigned a number of key wellbeing programmes targeted to their age-group. We believe St Andrew’s now has one of the most comprehensive and relevant student wellbeing programmes on offer anywhere, with our aim being to produce well-rounded graduates who have hearts that love, minds that grow and lives that give (see our Graduate Attributes).

We have carefully devised the following unique suite of programmes in an effort to help students develop resilience and be prepared for the rigorous academic endeavours they will face in Years 11-12 and beyond.

Dr John Collier Head of School

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STUDENT WELLBEING | JOHN COLLIER

Heart A heart that is compassionate and forgiving

A heart that is faithful and respectful A heart enriched by relationships and service

Mind A mind that is engaged and persistent

A mind that is discerning and reflective A mind that is inquiring and creative

Life A life filled with courage

A life that embraces challenges and change A life of hope and purpose

House activities

Students become members of one of eight Houses when they begin their journey at St Andrew’s. The House system provides students with a “family” within the school, where they come together to participate in a number of inter-House competitions. Each House is involved in supporting a charity. Each charity has a service component in which students can actively contribute to a cause.

In the high school, students are divided into small tutor groups within their House and meet twice a week in tutorials and once a fortnight in House Meetings. It is within these weekly tutorials that most of the student wellbeing programmes are delivered. The role of the Heads of House and House tutors is to get to know the students really well, to meet with them regularly, to track them socially and academically, and to organise interventions and extra support when necessary. The House system ensures every student is well known and supported by at least one teacher at the school.

Chaplaincy

• Christian Development (CD) classes

Taught from Kindergarten to Year 12, CD

classes offer a more structured forum for students to learn further about Christianity, and question and compare other major faiths, thinking critically about their role in modern societies.

• Cru groups

A popular voluntary Christian lunchtime programme, where under the guidance of Christian staff and other students, students meet to study the Bible, to have fun, to ask questions and to encourage one another – all in tailored, age appropriate formats. • Guest speakers

Throughout the year, SACS hosts a number of guest speakers who address the extended school community on a wide range of topics.

Community service

We have a comprehensive suite of service learning programmes across the school. Students can volunteer to serve at local charity outreach venues, participate in national and international fundraising campaigns, research and coordinate fundraising events, or participate in international mission and aid tours. Each programme aims to promote attitudes of tolerance and belonging among students, create an awareness and empathy towards

others and a willingness by students to use their own skills and resources for positive community development.

Student leadership

At St Andrew’s, we believe that every student has the capacity to become a leader. In light of this, students are given many opportunities to practise their leadership skills and be of service to others, both in school activities and in broader community service activities. Student leaders are encouraged to provide leadership that serves others, with consistency, commitment and respect.

Specific programmes aimed at nurturing leadership include:

• Peer Support • PLANT (Peer Literacy and Numeracy Tutors) • Attendance at a range of leadership conferences • Leadership training in the context of student activities

graduate attributes

K-12 community involvement

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STUDENT WELLBEING | K-12 INVOLVEMENT

St Andrew’s Junior School encourages and equips students to care for others and develop the three graduate attributes: hearts that love, minds that grow and lives that give. This is done in two ways – the teaching of core values such as being honest, fair, responsible, cooperative and respectful, and teaching strategies to help students negotiate friendships and to better understand themselves and those around them.

The following key programmes are explored at various stages during Junior School. Supporting many of the ideas presented in these programmes are the weekly Heart, Mind, Life assembly merit awards, rest and restitution time and House points for positive behaviours and achievements.

Student wellbeing initiatives

Bounce Back – a wellbeing and resilience programme that teaches core values and practical strategies to cope with and bounce back from challenging situations. Includes seminars on nutrition, exercise and limiting screen time.

Growth Coaching – Skills and strategies, such as goal setting, to help students focus and enjoy learning.

Child Protection: My body my business – seminar on safety and warning signs, good secrets/bad secrets, who can help, what is a family.

Amazing Me (Years 5 and 6) – sex education seminar on adolescence and the changing body.

GRIP Student Leadership – Schoolyard superheroes seminar, leadership conference and initiatives for Year 6 students.

R & R – Reflection and Restitution based on Responsibilities and Respect displayed both in and out of the classroom. The Junior School has a diverse toolbox to help students take ownership for their behaviour and how it affects others.

Better buddies – teaches a number of character traits, such as respect and responsibility, caring and sharing, how we are all different but the same. Year 6 students are each paired with a Kindergarten student, with whom they perform a variety of role play games and interactions throughout the year.

Buzz-off Bullies – What is bullying, what does it look like, feel like and sound like; standing up to bullies; cyber bullying, role plays and peer-to-peer education

Healthy me (mind and body) – Exercise, water, screen time, balance, knowing your attributes, putting your best foot forward.

Kindness in action – anonymous kindness challenges at school, at home and to someone in your community, kindness detectives (reporting on kind actions you saw around the school), Random Acts of Kindness.

junior school (kindergarten to Year 6)

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STUDENT WELLBEING | JUNIOR SCHOOL

middle school (years 7 to 9)

In the Middle School we are committed to the social, physical and emotional development of our students, in the knowledge that support during this important stage of schooling enhances academic and social outcomes, not just at school but also later in life. The SACS Middle School wellbeing programme is underpinned by several important concepts:

• Healthy students (physically, emotionally and mentally) who are engaged in school life have the potential to perform at their best in a school environment

• Students who are involved in service and are concerned for the wellbeing of others are generally happier, more fulfilled and resilient.

The Middle School student wellbeing programme uses weekly tutorial time to focus on one wellbeing topic each term particular to each year group, using external resources and expertise where required.

Year 7

The Year 7 programme supports students as they make the transition into high school. It seeks to support their relationship development and assists them organisationally.

Peer Support – run by Year 11 students, this programme covers a variety of core skills required for high school such as developing friendships,

organisation, empathy, resilience and city safety.

Digital Citizenship – students learn how to respect themselves and others on the internet, learning about password safety, gaming, online predators, their digital image and cyberbullying. Students will also participate in a workshop run by Brainstorm Productions that deals with cyberbullying.

Getting along with others – students consider how to best maintain friendships and deal with conflict and bullying. These tutorials have been informed by the Friendly Schools Plus literature on creating an anti-bullying culture. Girls also participate in workshops run by Enlighten Education on friendship.

Working together – students work collaboratively on a service learning project, designed to connect and challenge students with real world issues.

Year 8

The Year 8 programme focuses on leadership and positive engagement in school life. The Personal Best programme (attitudes and behaviours towards learning) and Mental Fitness are emphasised.

Respect – students consider how they can show respect to both themselves and others and how to develop good habits. Some of the topics addressed

are: respect for self, respect for body, respect for others and respect for the environment. Self-control – students learn and discuss issues related to self-control. This programme has been designed to identify and tackle early risk-taking behaviour in adolescent girls and boys.

Learning to lead – this programme helps prepare Year 8 students for their role as leaders of the Middle School in Year 9. It has been informed by the work of Circle Leadership.

Leading with purpose – Year 8 students will lead a Year 7 tutorial group in a service learning project, working together to solve a local problem and present solutions to the wider school/local community.

As a counsellor and academic the benefits of this kind of programme, I believe, to be far-reaching both in the children’s environments and into their future attitudes and behaviours. It is programmes like these that confirm that I have made the right choice as SACs for my son’s schooling.” – Year 8 parent

STUDENT WELLBEING | MIDDLE SCHOOL

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year 9

The Solo Experience is an overnight camping experience in the bush at Kirrikee, where students spend from 5pm until the following morning in a small tent on their own, with only their own thoughts for company.

The Rite Journey – A customised seven-step educational programme, designed to support the development of self-aware, responsible, respectful and resilient adults. The programme is integrated into school life and contains personal and group challenges, a solo experience and personal reflection, designed to prepare students for Senior College and what lies ahead.

1. Relationship with Self – students reflect on their childhood experiences

and the way these experiences have shaped their character. They are encouraged to practice gratitude to their parents and other adult mentors, discuss issues such as body image, manhood/womanhood and self-talk

2. Relationship with Others – students discuss issues surrounding friendships, conflict resolution, relationships and dating. This unit aims to address early risk-taking behaviour in adolescents.

3. Relationship with the World – students will be challenged to think about how they can positively engage with the world around them. They will work with a charity/ activist group and develop a campaign in response to discussions on responsibility, random acts of kindness and taking a stand.

4. Relationship with Spirit – students will spend time reflecting on their value system, discussing topics such as right/wrong, happiness, wisdom and truth. middle school (years 7 to 9)

Camille Jackson (Year 9)“We had lots of time with only our own thoughts, so when we heard noises and saw search lights on the property next door, I started thinking people were looking for me, and were out to get me … it was silly but it’s just instinct to think the world revolves around us and that people might be out to get you – your instinct is to panic about everything. Your senses are more alert in an unfamiliar environment.”

Sara Al-Shameri (Year 9)“I was used to having my phone, so when I watched the sunset and saw kangaroos, I wanted to pull out my phone and take a photo ... I realised that when you have technology, you’re not actually in the moment, you’re just taking a photo of it and showing everyone, saying ‘look how cool this was’ but you aren’t experiencing it.”

Jessica Jenner (Year 9)“It definitely pushed me outside my comfort zone and made me appreciate everything I have at home – a warm bed and warm food, and having certainty about my future. I realised how much we rely on technology to occupy ourselves because once I had finished my dinner, I had nothing to do. At 8pm, the clouds had cleared and it was completely dark outside and you could see the whole Milky Way. At home at that time, I am normally watching TV and I miss all the beauty of that.”

Student feedback on the Solo Experience:

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STUDENT WELLBEING | MIDDLE SCHOOL

In the Senior College we encourage all students to adopt a growth mindset which involves believing that your academic, social and sporting goals can be profoundly influenced by your effort. Our Motivation and Engagement workshops ensure that students are equipped to face the challenges of their final years of school and flourish. The other wellbeing programmes specifically selected for inclusion in Years 10 to 12 all seek to develop the graduate attributes of St Andrew’s students.

Key programmes include:

Study Skills (Years 10 - 12) – Ongoing training in study and learning techniques, along with stress and time management.

Black Dog and Bite Back programmes (Year 10) – in partnership with the Black Dog Institute, this unique programme involves nine presentations and follow-up tutor

sessions designed to build resilience and character and improve the wellbeing and mental fitness of students.

Drug Education (Years 10-12) – seminars presented by Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia educating students about the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs.

Cyber Smart (Years 10-11) – education programme designed to encourage children to be safe online.

Sex Smart (Year 10) – run by an external presenter, this seminar is tailored to Year 10 and is delivered in separate boys and girls seminars. It aims to improve students’ relationships and sexual intelligence.

senior college (years 10 to 12)

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STUDENT WELLBEING | SENIOR COLLEGE

In the Senior College we encourage all students to adopt a growth mindset which involves believing that your academic, social and sporting goals can be profoundly influenced by your effort.

Back Off Seminars (Year 10) – delivered in separate girls’ and boys’ sessions, the presentations by Winning Edge Strategies examine critical social issues such as peer pressure, decision-making, taking responsibility for your actions and the importance of respect and self-discipline. The girls are taught about self-protection, assertiveness and basic conflict psychology.

Peer Support with Year 7 (Year 11) – four Year 11 students from each House run the House-based peer support programme for Year 7 in Term 1.

Motivation and Engagement workshops (Year 11) – students are taught about the keys to being motivated, engaged and

achieving personal bests in their academic life. This is built around the work of New South Wales University’s Dr Andrew Martin and is based on the belief that students develop, evolve and adapt through frequent ‘success’ experiences. Students are assessed and gain an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses in this area and how they can improve.

Stress Management (Year 12) – students reflect on their lives and priorities, with a view to providing strategies that will enable them to reduce stress.

Tutor group performance reviews (Year 12) – students discuss their academic performance to date with tutors and the

Head of School and set goals and realistic paths to achievement. Students regularly meet with their tutors to discuss assessment tasks and reflect on their performance.

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St Andrew’s:St Andrew’s Cathedral School is a coeducational K-12 Anglican school, located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

St Andrew’s Cathedral School Sydney Square, Sydney NSW 2000 ABN 34 429 367 893

phone +61 2 9286 9500 fax +61 2 9286 9550 email info@sacs.nsw.edu.au

CRICOS Registration: The Council of St Andrew’s Cathedral School 02276M

www.sacs.nsw.edu.au