Students and staff say they are calmer and more settled since a suite of wellbeing and mindfulness activities have been rolled out at St John Bosco Catholic Primary School Engadine.
“The students have embraced these whole-school initiatives with enthusiasm and commitment, resulting in a significant decrease in behavioural incidents in the playground and classroom,” school assistant principal, Mark Abad, said.
Some of the visibly impactful initiatives to be introduced at the school include morning mindfulness, lunchtime co-curricular activities and mental, social and physical health days.
Programs such as Be You@Bosco and Random Acts of Kindness have inspired positivity, resilience and inclusivity in both students, teachers and family members, Mr Abad said.
“These programs have improved the students’ ability to verbalise and express how they are feeling in an appropriate manner,” Mr Abad said.
“Their vocabularies have increased to include phrases such as ‘being inclusive’, ‘showing compassion’, ‘being courageous’ and ‘when dealing with relationships’.”
Staff have also been encouraged to participate in morale-boosting activities, such as World Teacher’s Day and R U OK? Day, as well as scones, hot chips and chocolate days at the school.
“These programs have improved the students’ ability to verbalise and express how they are feeling in an appropriate manner” – Mark Abad
They each have wellbeing buddies to check in with as part of the school’s Wellbeing Buddies Program.
“We know holidays can be a difficult time for some, so we are offering parish-run events that focus on community and relationship building, such as trivia nights, walks, outdoor cinemas and activity days,” Mr Abad said.
“We are also continuing tips and information around mental health on our social media platform, as well as promoting a summer reading challenge as a way to practice mindfulness.”
By: JUDE THOMAS
