At St Monica’s we believe that Student wellbeing is fundamental to successful learning and is the responsibility of all members of the school community.
We promote respectful relationships between staff, students and families and understand the importance of working together in order to help students thrive, both personally and academically. A sense of belonging and connectedness is developed through caring relationships and healthy friendships between students and teachers, teachers and families and between families.
We promote positive attitudes and behaviours in an environment that acknowledges individual needs and the development of problem solving skills to address life’s challenges. We encourage our students to develop resilience and optimism, to take responsible risks, and to be reflective and learn from their mistakes.
We proactively promote a culture of “No Bullying” and believe every child needs a safe, caring, and nurturing learning environment where they are happy, supported and challenged to achieve their personal best.
Mental Health in Primary Schools (MhiPs)
My name is Stephanie and I am the Mental Health in Primary Schools Leader at St Monica’s Primary School.
As part of the Victorian Government’s Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative, my role is to help strengthen the mental health and wellbeing supports available to all students, staff and families at St Monica’s.
My role includes:
• building staff capacity to better identify and support student mental health concerns
• helping create referral pathways to outside agencies and support services
• supporting and implementing a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
A positive school culture as well as the explicit teaching of Social and Emotional learning enables each child at St Monica’s to:
- learn to recognise and manage emotions and care about others
- make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly
- develop positive relationships, and avoid negative behaviours
- develop resilience and problem solving skills to achieve important social/life tasks
- develop and maintain friendships
St Monica’s implements a number of strategies, programs and resources to support the individual need of all students including whole school initiatives and external intervention agencies.
These include:
- Buddy program
- Respectful Relationships program
- Transition program
- Social and Emotional Learning programs
- Transition program
- Wellbeing Leader
- Mental Health in Primary Schools Leader (MhiPs)
- Name it, Tame It
- Personalised Learning Plans
- Wellbeing Leader
- Learning Support officers
- Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL)
- Student Leaders
- Each semester, an onsite provisional psychologist, from DKM Psychology, works with St Monica’s and provides support for students and families through counselling and social skills groups. Referrals are made by the class teacher, students, parents or Leadership Team.
Buddy Program
At St Monica’s, our Buddy Program strengthens positive relationships between our youngest and oldest learners.
Each year, our Foundation students are paired with Year 6 buddies who support them as they settle into school life, helping them feel safe, welcomed and confident during their first year at St Monica’s.
The program provides meaningful opportunities for our senior students to develop their leadership skills through shared learning experiences, regular check‑ins and community activities with their Foundation buddies. Year 5 and 6 students learn to model kindness, responsibility and patience, while our Preps benefit from having a trusted older friend to guide them through new routines and experiences.
The Buddy Program is an important part of how we build a connected, caring school community, one where every child feels known, supported and valued.
Respectful Relationships
We implement the Respectful Relationships program across Foundation to Year Six.
This program seeks to promote and model respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. It teaches our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence.
Teaching about respect and consent aligns with the beliefs of our Catholic schools as enshrined in the gospel values, and is all about embedding a culture of respect and equality across the entire school community from our classrooms to staff-rooms, sporting fields, fetes and social events. This approach leads to positive impacts on student’s academic outcomes, their mental health, classroom behaviour, and relationships between teachers and students.
Child Safety
In our Catholic schools, our shared mission, enlivened by Jesus Christ, calls us to uphold the dignity of every student and ensure our schools are places of genuine care, belonging and hope.
The MACS Child Safety and Wellbeing Framework reflects our deep and enduring commitment to the protection and wellbeing of children and young people. It affirms our collective responsibility as leaders, teachers, staff, parents and students to create environments where safety is front of mind in everything we do, all the time.
St Monica’s is a Child Safe School.
All students attending St Monica’s Primary School have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility shared by every member of our school community.
Families can view our Child Safety Policy and School Community Child Safety Code of Conduct under the Policies tab.
We are also committed to supporting children to make positive choices and develop respectful relationships through our Behaviour Support Policy, which is available under the same section.
Together, we work to ensure St Monica’s remains a place where every child feels safe and is enabled to flourish.