Social & Emotional Learning

Reservoir West Primary School is committed to the implementation of a whole school approach to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) that promotes inclusivity. SEL is integral to the social, emotional and academic wellbeing of all students. Our message is that every member of the school community has

the right to feel safe and comfortable.
the right to learn as much as possible.
a shared responsibility to make sure this happens!

We strive to educate our students to build on their strengths, overcome their challenges and value respect, responsibility and resilience.

We provide a safe and secure environment for students to develop their social and emotional awareness, along with skills and strategies to ensure social and emotional wellbeing.

PURPOSE

Promoting students’ social and emotional competence has direct and indirect influence on numerous scholastic factors including individual students’ attachment to school, better academic performance and success in school life. SEL can be and should be taught explicitly via classroom instruction. When taught effectively, SEL can develop a student’s ability to recognise and manage emotions, show care and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships and handle challenging situations effectively.

HOW DO WE TEACH SEL

We teach SEL explicitly in the classroom across various key Victorian Curriculum learning areas including the Personal Learning and Health and Physical Education domains.

Our Wellbeing Program incorporates the following five interrelated SEL areas of competence:

Self-awareness - Understanding feelings, self-confidence
Self-management - Managing emotions, being able to set goals and stick to them
Social-awareness - Respecting and understanding others, and appreciating differences between people
Relationship skills – Co-operating, communicating, making friends and resolving conflict
Responsible decision-making - Choosing wisely and thoughtfully

Our Wellbeing Learning Program engages the following supports to create a positive, inclusive and supportive school climate:

Learning to Learn – a program to begin the school year where educators and students develop a shared understanding of our school values, learning expectations, behaviour rules and effective classroom routines.

The Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) learning materials
Sexuality Education - Talking the Talk (Vanessa Hamilton)
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) - a systematic, continuous improvement framework that focuses on the positive educational experiences and outcomes of all students
The RWPS Whole School Behaviour Expectation Matrix - supports and teaches our values of respect, wisdom, persistence and success by setting high expectations for school members to be safe, respectful and be responsible
Whole-school Behaviour Expectations - Daily Review
Whole-school behaviour goal settings - Weekly
Restorative practices - a strategy that seeks to repair relationships that have been damaged, including those damaged through bullying

Wellbeing Learning Scope and Sequence

Learning to Learn - consists of a two-week period during Term One relating specifically to:

setting up opportunities for students to have ownership of learning
being a good digital citizen (Years Three - Six)
promoting student voice and agency to set up classroom displays, a positive and inclusive learning environment
creating opportunities to talk about feelings and self-regulating practices
set up collaborative problem-solving strategies to find solutions
foster friendships and a sense of belonging
make learning fun and enjoyable, and create habits of reflection

We continue our focus on behaviour expectations by reviewing our Whole School Behaviour Expectation Matrix daily and introducing weekly whole-school behaviour goals.

Wellbeing Learning Scope and Sequence - consists of a minimum of two hours per week. Monday mornings begin with a Wellbeing Weekly Check-in and lesson. This sets the tone for the week by reviewing the whole-school behaviour goal, checking in with themselves and setting their own behaviour goal target. Wellbeing lessons are modified depending on year level and include learning intentions, success criteria, explicit instruction, focused tasks and assessment of learning.

RWPS Wellbeing Learning Scope and Sequence Overview