From the Acting Deputy Head of Senior School – Pastoral

Building Positive Relationships

We know how important relationships are for students to feel a sense of belonging and connection. Relationships in schools are crucial for fostering a positive learning environment, as they help students feel safe and supported. Peer relationships promote social skills and emotional development, preparing students for collaboration and teamwork in their future pathways. Across year groups, students have been working on developing positive relationships with each other.

In the last week, Year 7 and Year 10 have engaged in the Peer Support Program that began this year. The most recent session focused on strengthening connections which was then reinforced in a year meeting for Year 7. The Year 10 students, who have all completed training, took our younger students through how to respectfully let a friend know when you are unhappy with a behaviour and how to navigate relationship challenges. This program will run again next year with our current Year 9 students preparing for their training day. It’s a wonderful vehicle for cross-age mentoring with pro-social benefits for both cohorts.

Year 8 had an extra session this week on Respectful Relationships, where they were asked to reflect on what a good relationship feels like and identify which hurtful behaviours can disrupt this. Groups engaged in meaningful discussion and will consolidate this by making short videos for future Year 7 students about this.

In their Luminary sessions, Year 9 have been working on relationship building and positive connections through a range of circle solutions and whole group activities. Year 10 have engaged in similar sessions as they prepare for their immersion next week, by taking part in workshops about kindness and working effectively in groups.

Our Year 11 students have enjoyed their retreat in Katoomba, working together and having a huge amount of fun as they prepare for the rigours of Year 12. We are looking forward to having them back next week, hearing about their trip and seeing photos of their dress up night.

We will continue to return to these themes to reinforce the importance of building positive peer relationships that are underpinned by our School Values, particularly Respect and Compassion. A big thank you to Heads of Year and Luminaries for driving this important part of our pastoral care program.

– Fiona Pow
Acting Deputy Head of Senior School – Pastoral