Well-being and Pastoral Care

Looking after the well-being of our students is a vital part of the school day. The Preparatory School has made a deliberate decision to continue to offer one teacher to one class of children. This is counter to the current trend in New Zealand state schools whereby two or more classes and teachers are together in one large teaching space. It is this conscious decision which allows our classroom teachers to develop an in-depth understanding and empathy for the small group of students in their care.

Well-being in the Preparatory encompasses the following key aspects:

• Bounce Back: An evidence-informed programme that provides teachers with practical strategies to teach well-being, resilience, and socialemotional skills;

• StAC-UP: Explicit expectations for students underpinned by the College Values of Truth, Excellence, Faith, Creativity and Inclusivity;

• House Token Rewards: Student recognition for following StAC-UP values and expectations.

• Restorative Practice and StAC-UP Steps: Provides clear pathways and protocols for any behavioural issues that occur;

• Survey Tools and Referral Systems: provide a communication link between students and staff and assist students to access support when needed;

• Pastoral Support and counselling: counselling is available as needs arise.

During Term 2, four classes trialled the use of Komodo, an online well-being survey tool for schools. Komodo is designed to help students understand their own well-being and provide a bridge between staff and students. The tool consists of a short survey that students fill in on a weekly or fortnightly basis. The questions are chosen by staff and cover topics such as device use and bullying, as well as social and emotional well-being. Student responses are tracked and consistently low scores across several surveys flags a student for a ‘check in’. Students can, at any time, also request a ‘check-in’ with a staff member. In Term 3 the survey was released to all Year 4–8 classes. The survey has proved invaluable to staff, particularly in giving a voice to our more reserved students who at times are reluctant to approach a staff member in person for support or in times of difficulty.

The Pastoral team again facilitated and added to an extensive Clubs Programme in the Preparatory School. This year the following clubs were offered: Minecraft, Robotics, Chess, Book Club, Crafts, Games and LEGO. Clubs provided students with a more diverse range of options for break-times. As we recognise and welcome a range of students in our school, it has been important to provide a place where all feel welcome and able to connect with students across the school with similar interests.

During 2022 we enjoyed our first full year of having a 24/7 Youth worker dedicated to the Preparatory School. Katrina Setacci was a valuable addition to the pastoral team. In Term 1, much of her time was spent working with small groups of Year 7 students, building relationships and resilience in the year group that has a large intake of 50 new students. Throughout the rest of 2022 Katrina continued to work with small groups at a variety of year levels and mentored individuals needing one-to-one support.

A group of nine staff took part in four days of professional development across the year. The series was titled: Investing in our Psychological Capital – Unlocking the Key to Workplace Well-being. Run by Tony Burkin from Interlead, the series provided teachers with several tools and skills. Topics included the opportunity to measure workplace stress and anxiety levels, identify when they are in dangerous zones, self-monitor, and change how they work without impacting adversely on learning outcomes or the quality of their work. Highly successful and engaging PD that has allowed staff involved to achieve or maintain a professional approach to their work while gaining greater work/life balance.