3 minute read
Building a Healthy School Community
Schools are a vital lynchpin in any community. And building a sense of community within a school is critically important for children’s mental health and learning, particularly in a diverse and multi-faith setting such as John Colet School. Through collaborative learning opportunities within class, to opportunities for students to engage across year levels in our buddy program, our students learn with, and are supported by each other.
Likewise, the collective understanding between home and school helps ensure there are no gaps for students and that they are supported at all stages.
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The key to children’s healthy development and progress at school ultimately comes down to the connection between the student and the teacher. Our students stay with the same teacher for three years in Infants, two years for Years 3 and 4 and two years for Years 5 and 6. The extended time allows for a deeper, longer lasting connection between the teacher and the student, and also the teacher and the parent. There is a continuity that avoids the usual time in the fi rst quarter or half of the year where a teacher would usually need to establish rapport and knowledge of individual learning styles.
The unique aspects of our curriculum from Lower 1st through to 6th Class, such as classical languages, Shakespeare, and enriched singing and art programs, extend the students holistically while at the same time developing their sense of community and the role they can play to support themselves and their peers. With only two classes per year group, students have the opportunity to get to know each other across the age groups, both at play and through activities. Our kindergarten students are also supported in their special fi rst year of school by their 6th Class buddies. This is particularly powerful in the fi rst months as the children become accustomed to their new environment, however the regular catchups occur throughout the year, and provide great benefi ts for young and ‘old’ alike!
Vegetarian, sit down lunches are provided each day to all our students in our dining hall. Our Infants children are encouraged to try a range of foods and expand their taste preferences. Invariably over time, children develop a fondness for trying new foods. A school is not an island when it comes to the education and social development of a child. It is crucial that parents are connected with their child’s learning and are supportive of the school’s approach and ethos. Parents are actively connected in many ways with the individual classroom, and the Parents and Friends Association also supports community development through the wider school environment.
As a stand-alone primary school, our focus is entirely on the 5-12 age group. We see this stage as fundamental in setting the academic foundations, as well as a love of learning, resilience, the feeling of self-worth, and a sense of community that a child will need to enter high school and beyond. •
JULIAN WILCOCK, HEADMASTER
LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE IN SOME OLDER YEAR GRADES. FINALISING PLACES NOW FOR KINDERGARTEN 2026. BOOK A TOUR // (02) 9451 8395
JOHN COLET SCHOOL // 6 WYATT AVENUE, BELROSE // K 6 (02) 9451 8395 // registrar@johncolet.nsw.edu.au // www.johncolet.nsw.edu.au // INSTA + FB: @JOHNCOLETSCHOOL
