Wellbeing


Wellbeing Curriculum at Cardinia Primary School

Our School Values underpin everything we teach and do!

 

Our values are explicitly taught to students. At the start of each year, children reflect on what our values will look like in their classroom and create their own classroom expectations and rules based on our values.

 

 

                            

The Respectful Relationships Program, The Resilience Project (GEM), and THE ZONES of REGULATION are the major components of our Wellbeing program here at Cardinia Primary.

 

More information about each of these components is provided below: 

 

 

Respectful Relationships

This program promotes equality and helps boys and girls learn how to build healthy relationships. It prepares them to face challenges by developing problem solving skills and building empathy, resilience and confidence. It is underpinned by evidence that shows schools can prevent family violence by helping students develop an understanding of healthy relationships and respect.

 

Topics include: Emotional literacy, Personal strengths, Positive coping, Problem solving, Stress management, Help seeking, Gender and identity and Positive gender relations.

 

The ideas and learnings in RR are embedded in all aspects of the curriculum and school day - in the way we speak to children, in the way we select teaching materials and in our expectations. Not only the awareness of gender stereotypes and treating both boys and girls the same, but building problem solving skills, developing confidence and cooperating with others. Respectful Relationships is a whole school program and way of thinking and doing, not just something classroom teachers do for 30 minutes once a week.

 

 

 

The Resilience Project – ‘GEM’

 

GEM, which stands for Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness, is the main message of The Resilience Project. We explicitly teach our students to be grateful, to try and empathise with others and to practise mindfulness. This helps them with emotional self-regulation, maintaining good mental health, and developing Resilience; all important parts of general Health and Wellbeing.

                                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ability to identify and regulate emotions is a big job for all kids, particularly those with additional needs, and sometimes we as adults can also struggle with regulating our emotions. So to help our students, in 2020 we introduced a wonderful new program called….

 

                                 

THE ZONES of REGULATION

 

Developed by Leah Kuypers, Occupational Therapist and Autism resource specialist, this framework uses four colours to help students identify their feelings and level of alertness. It provides strategies, or tools, for students to use to support their emotional regulation. By understanding how to notice their body’s signals, detect triggers, read social context, and consider how their behaviours impact those around them, students learn improved emotional control, sensory regulation, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills. It gives students and teachers a common language to use and can make it easier for kids to articulate how they are feeling. When it’s easier to figure out and articulate how they are feeling, or how someone else is feeling, it’s easier for children to understand and appropriately manage that feeling, in appropriate ways.