SEL is a process, not just a program, for helping students develop the fundamental skills for life effectiveness. SEL is fundamental not only to children’s social and emotional development, but also to their health, ethical development, citizenship, motivation to achieve and academic learning. SEL teaches the skills we all need to handle ourselves, our relationships and our work effectively and ethically.

These skills include:

These are the skills that allow students to calm themselves when angry, make friends, resolve conflicts respectfully and make ethical and safe choices.

 

St Martin’s School makes use of the ‘Bounce Back’ and ‘You Can Do It!’ programs to support the social and emotional development of our students.

 

“The BOUNCE BACK! Wellbeing and Resilience Program” addresses the environmental building blocks and the personal skills for fostering resilience in children and young people. The program focuses mainly on the teaching of coping skills to help children and young people respond positively to the complexity of their everyday lives. In other words, children are taught how to ‘bounce back’ after experiencing sadness, difficulties, frustrations and hard times.

 

You Can Do It Education! (YCDI). The goal of YCDI is to provide today’s children with the foundations for achievement in school, work and the world of tomorrow. We shall be focusing on four important foundations that will help your child do the best he or she can.  In “You Can Do It!” Education, teachers and parents work together to help children learn these important foundations.

At St Martin's management of behaviour is part of our teaching and learning philosophy. It involves children, parents and staff collaboratively working together with a “We Can Work It Out” belief as the basis for developing a community of inclusion where everyone belongs. Children and staff work together to develop classroom expectations for their “belonging environment” in the classroom that align with our school expectations. They are encouraged to develop responsibility for their choices, knowing in advance of the positive (affirming) and negative (intervention) consequences that follow from those choices.

We aim to create a school climate that feels safe and secure for all members of the school community. With the underlying principle of “we can work it out”, our process is cooperative in nature and proactive in dealing with situations of bullying.