Health and Wellbeing
At Whorouly Primary School, we are committed to ensuring the physical and emotional health, wellbeing and resilience of each of our students.
In promoting mental health and wellbeing at Whorouly Primary School we support students to develop:
- social and emotional skills and capabilities that promote life-long mental health and wellbeing
- skills to problem-solve and manage the normal stressors of life
- healthy relationships and the ability to work cooperatively with others
- a sense of autonomy and purpose.
Our teaching staff prioritise building positive relationships with students and then explicitly teaching a range of strategies that promote respect and foster social inclusion and belonging.
There is an increasing prevalence of anxiety, depression and mental health issues in young people. While we acknowledge that statistically these issues occur in teenage years, the experiences associated with recent bushfires, the COVID-19 Pandemic and social media/gaming use has made it vitally important that we do everything we can to support students in their early years.
Through the National Chaplaincy Program, Graham our chaplain, provides significant wellbeing support across our school community, both inside and outside of the classroom.
We know through student, parent and staff surveys that our students are happy, connected to their school and feel safe and secure. We continually strive to maintain positive relationships and whole school connectedness.
Bluearth Approach
Bluearth is an important program to support wellbeing at Whorouly Primary School.
The Bluearth Approach is a holistic approach to physical activity and wellbeing. The Approach utilises movement, motivation and learning to support, encourage, enable and challenge active living. It not only teaches children and adults the enjoyment and fun of being physically active, it also draws on their feelings, reactions and thoughts that resulted from their participation and draws key developmental learning back into classroom settings and into their lives.
Our Bluearth coach, Georgia, delivers the program once a fortnight and the class teachers include Bluearth strategies and activities during their daily Phys Ed Program. The skills learned in the program become part of everyday play including the ability to self-umpire.
Building Respectful Relationships
We explicitly teach our values and respectful relationships in all classes. Students develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to strengthen their sense of self, and build and manage safe and respectful relationships. Students learn to recognise and regulate emotions, develop empathy for others and establish and build a framework for positive relationships.
We use evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness such as mindful breathing and practicing gratitude.
Madeline Foundation’s Better Buddies Program
We are part of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s Better Buddies Program ensuring our Grade 6 students each support a Foundation student in their first year at school.
eSmart Digital Licence
Our students also complete the eSmart Digital Licence modules each year to develop their ability to keep safe online.