Page 33 - Education Supplement_Issue 1_2023

St Peter’s – Driving Wellbeing Education

is the Key to Future Success

t Peter’s Schools recognise each student as an individual on their own learning resilience and providing a toolbox of coping
journey. The next step in the schools’ quest for continuous improvement is the formal mechanisms to deal with whatever arises.”
Sincorporation of the Wellbeing Educational approach into this year’s Prep Schools’
curriculum. The goal is to make the support of each child’s wellbeing ever more intentional. “SEARCH is something the children can
bring home and into the family. This makes
By blending the tenets of Positive Education into the Wellbeing Education framework, we it comfortable for the parents to respond
can dispel the myth that having a positive attitude is enough. Instead, it’s about arming our accordingly and build an increasingly stronger
children with the skills to effectively cope with life’s highs and lows. connection between what’s happening at
school and home. It enables us to manage
Wellbeing Education permeates every aspect of the educational journey across academics, our children’s wellbeing across all aspects,”
sports, culture, religion, staff, and parents, using the SEARCH framework devised by says Kenda Melvill-Smith, Head of the Boys
Australian educational psychologist Professor Lea Waters to allow children to flourish in Junior Prep.
their own way.
Head of Professional Development, Pam van
• Strengths - building and recognising one’s character strengths. Gass, agrees, “This year’s ‘one-word’ goal for
• Emotional Management - acknowledging and naming your emotions and managing St Peter’s is CONNECTION. We aim to bring
their effect on daily life. everything together, ensuring our relationships
• Attention and Awareness - managing both intrinsic and extrinsic focus. become stronger and that we all cope better
• Relationships - fostering and building on positive relationships. after the last few years of disconnection. “
• Coping - identifying stresses and learning to manage issues as they arise.
• Habits and Goals - breaking bad habits and creating good ones for better life flow. The importance of wellbeing is to assist our
Promoting own goals and changing habits to meet those goals. children in mastering self-regulation and
developing intrinsic motivation, which is
The approach is hands-on and easily understandable for the children, with a new letter particularly difficult for young children to
explored every half-term. understand today. If St Peter’s can get that
right, they believe they will produce adults
Erica Faul, head of the Wellbeing Education Drive Team, explains, “The learning is able to offer so much more to the community
incorporated into classes. It is also communicated in the newsletters, at Pre-Prep ‘circle- in the future.
time,’ conscious discipline, staff wellbeing, morning meetings, parent workshops, coffee
mornings, and information talks. This makes each letter very visible across the entire #AheadoftheGameBehindEveryChild
St Peter’s community. It prepares our students for the challenges of adult life, building #BravelyintotheFuture

Education | February 2023 | ??