Student Wellbeing
Student wellbeing
At Glen Huntly Primary School, we are deeply committed to nurturing the holistic development of every student. Our wide range of programs, activities, and facilities are designed to promote wellness, physical health, social-emotional growth, and academic excellence, creating a supportive and enriching environment for all students.
Soft Start to the Day
Our school day begins with a “soft start,” allowing students to enter their classrooms at 8:50 a.m. This extra time gives students the opportunity to settle in by putting away their belongings, changing readers, engaging with their teachers or peers, or reading quietly. At 9:00 a.m., the bell signals the official start of the school day and formal lessons begin.
Welcoming Culture
Teachers at Glen Huntly are encouraged to “meet and greet” each student at the door. This personal interaction includes greeting students by name, making eye contact, smiling, and offering an optional fist bump or high five. This daily practice helps create a positive and welcoming atmosphere, setting the tone for a successful day of learning.
Physical Activity and Sports
Physical activity is a key focus at Glen Huntly, with structured opportunities for all students to stay active throughout the week. Every student participates in a one-hour physical education (PE) lesson weekly, with an additional hour of sport for students in Grades 4 to 6. Our Prep students benefit from one hour of the Perceptual Motor Program (PMP) once a week to enhance their motor skills through a range of activities in the gym. The school also runs a before-school running club every Thursday morning. There is also whole-school movement breaks throughout the day, and we encourage students to walk or ride to school as often as possible.
Lunchtime Clubs and Activities
We offer a diverse selection of lunchtime clubs to keep students engaged, active, and socially connected. There is a club each day and these include the Gardening, Chess, Art, Kitchen, Dance, Gymnastics, Origami, LEGO/Board Games, Library, and Basketball Clubs, all supervised by staff members. Additionally, our school choir and band practice during lunchtime for students in Grades 2 to 6, providing further creative outlets.
Wellbeing and Mindfulness
Wellbeing is explicitly taught twice a week, with lessons focused on building resilience, self-esteem, confidence, positivity, and persistence. Students learn various mindfulness strategies to help them navigate emotions and stress.
Daily Wellbeing Check-ins
Classroom teachers conduct a wellbeing “check-in” with all students during roll call each morning. This process allows teachers to gauge how students are feeling and ensure they are supported as they start their day.
Zones of Regulation
Our school incorporates the Zones of Regulation framework, which teaches students to recognize their emotional state and how to manage it. The four zones—Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green—help students identify their emotions and develop strategies to shift into the Green Zone, where they are calm, focused, and ready to learn.
Buddy Program
The Buddy Program at GHPS fosters long-lasting relationships between older and younger students. Grade 6 students are paired with Grade 1 students, and Grade 5 students with Prep students. This relationship continues for two years, allowing buddies to grow together through activities like reading, art, and writing. This program strengthens our sense of community and provides both younger and older students with meaningful mentorship and connection.
Wellbeing Zone
The school has a Wellbeing Zone for any students wishing to visit during class time or during recess and lunchtimes. The Wellbeing Zone has a relaxed atmosphere with bean bags, plants, relaxing music, arts and crafts and is monitored by a staff member.
Inclusion monitors
The school has Grade 6 Inclusion Monitors. These are students that have volunteered to help organise, run or mediate games and activities between the Prep and Grade 1 students each lunchtime.
At lunchtime our Grade 6 House and Sports Captains are encouraged to organised sporting activities for other students. This may include a house soccer match between Grades 2 and 3 and a Grade 4-6 competition.
Circle time
All classes take part in Circle Time twice a week. Circle time aims to build relationships between students by teaching them to develop their social, emotional and communication skills that will help them negotiate future relationships.
It is also an important as it allows students to voice their own opinions and views and to raise issues of concerns. It is also lots of fun as many of the activities also include team building games.
During Circle Time, students engage in a variety of activities that promote social and emotional learning. These activities can include discussions, games, role-playing, and collaborative problem-solving tasks. The aim is to create a safe space where every student feels valued and heard, enhancing their self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Circle Time is also an opportunity to address and reflect on important topics such as empathy, kindness, cooperation, and conflict resolution. By regularly participating in these sessions, students develop essential life skills that contribute to their overall personal and social development.
At Glen Huntly Primary School, we believe that Circle Time build a positive school culture and supports our mission to nurture well-rounded individuals who are not only academically proficient but also emotionally intelligent and socially responsible.
Screen Time Management
To support healthy development, the school actively limits students’ screen time during the day. Digital devices are used only for educational purposes, such as research, publishing written pieces, graphing, coding, digital learning, or assessments, allowing students to focus more on hands-on learning, reading from books, fine motor skills like handwriting and peer interactions.
Respectful Relationships Program
Glen Huntly teaches the Victorian Government’s Resilience, Rights, and Respectful Relationships program to all students at our school. The program aims to promote social and emotional learning. It focuses on building resilience, fostering respect, and teaching students about healthy relationships. The program covers topics like emotional literacy, personal strengths, positive coping, problem-solving, and gender and identity, preparing students for positive and respectful interactions. Click on this link for more information.
Resilience Rights & Respectful Relationships
High Impact Wellbeing Strategies
The school teaches and promotes the Department’s 7 High Impact Wellbeing Strategies (HIWS).
The 7 strategies are:
HIWS 1: Build relationships with students.
Teachers prioritise building relationships with their students. They make authentic efforts to get to know their students and their needs. Positive teacher-student relationships play an important role in student wellbeing. They form a foundation for effective teaching and learning.
Key elements:
· Show genuine care and respect to students.
· Help students solve problems and take time to help them learn.
· Provide students with choice, empowerment and responsibility.
HIWS 2: Facilitate peer relationships
Teachers at Glen Huntly Primary foster positive relationships by promoting acceptance and respect in their classrooms. They provide opportunities for students to connect with peers and for collaborative learning.
Key elements:
· Provide a safe space for students to develop connections with their peers.
· Understand differences among students and how that may affect their interactions.
· Model and explicitly teach social and emotional skills.
HIWS 3: Establish and maintain classroom expectations
Teachers establish clear and consistent classroom expectations and consequences. These are clearly communicated to students and align with the school-wide approach. They are developed through a shared, ongoing process with students. Teachers model, expect and reinforce respectful behaviour. Classroom expectations are complementary to reasonable adjustments.
Key elements:
· Discuss expectations with students and seek their input.
· Create a sense of order and predictability in a classroom.
· Use proportionate and non-punitive responses when expectations are not met.
HIWS 4: Support inclusion and belonging
Teachers communicate and act in ways that promote acceptance. They celebrate the diversity of students and their families. Teachers develop students’ capacity to respect and include others. Teachers support all students to learn and thrive in their classrooms. They are aware of, and reflect on, their own cultures and biases. They do not attempt to minimise or dismiss inequalities and inequities.
Key elements:
· Ensure students feel valued, accepted, safe and comfortable in the classroom.
· Learn from students about their lived experience and promote an understanding of multiple and diverse perspectives.
· We respond swiftly and effectively to any language and behaviour that may be discriminatory, offensive or demeaning to others.
HIWS 5: Foster student self-efficacy
Teachers hold high expectations for all students and help students to develop a sense of self-efficacy. They know that the way students view their abilities, achievements and self in the classroom influences their wellbeing as well as their learning. Teachers foster self-efficacy by encouraging students to persist and providing feedback. They provide opportunities for students to experience success.
Key elements:
· Encourage students to try their best and celebrate all achievements.
· Set work and goals aligned with student abilities and consider each student’s progress compared to their competencies.
· Hold high expectations for all students.
HIWS 6: Engage students
Our teachers engage students and encourage high attendance. They provide meaningful experiences and tailor tasks to student interest and capability. Teachers have a good understanding of their students’ needs and interests. They highlight the relevance of topics and skills to students.
Key elements:
· Tailor tasks to student interests.
· Provide meaningful and challenging ways for students to complete classwork and assessments.
· Ensure there are opportunities for students to work in pairs or groups and to contribute to each other’s learning.
HIWS 7: Promote coping strategies and facilitate referrals
Teachers help students to identify and use positive coping strategies. This includes self-regulation and help seeking. They notice changes in a student and inquire sensitively. They facilitate referrals for students to their school’s wellbeing team, if needed.
Key elements:
· Support students to identify personal emotional responses.
· Promote positive coping strategies.
· Notice changes in student demeanour or behaviour and refer for more support if necessary.
