School stories
Opening doors to parents
Nhulunbuy Primary School, Northern Territory
In order to develop a positive school community the school focused a lot of its work on opening its doors to parents by inviting them to be part of morning teas and opening night celebrations. Parents meet to talk about parenting skills, and problems they may be having, and to work out solutions together. We have had some really great success stories with some of the parents.
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Prioritising kids’ mental health
Nulsen Primary School, Western Australia
Supporting kids’ mental health and well-being is a priority in the Nulsen community. “KidsMatter has increased our understanding of what underpins mental health and wellbeing. It has shown us, for example, that the children who aren’t presenting with obvious mental health and wellbeing issues – the quieter children, perhaps – may actually be in need of some help …”
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Helping families to help kids
St. Simon Peter School, Western Australia
“The KidsMatter philosophy greatly complements our philosophy that the home and the school is a close link. Linking the four components of KidsMatter has enabled us to offer something really special to the kids and has helped us to focus on Social and Emotional Learning with a view to helping parents assist each other …”
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Connecting with community
Woodville Primary School, South Australia.
Recognising that one of the key protective factors for mental health is having a sense of belonging, the school ran a “Connecting with Community” project for which the students chose a community organisation to get involved with. The project increased the children’s understanding that they belonged to the school, and the school belonged to the wider community.
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What can we do to help?
East Torrens Primary School, South Australia
East Torrens Primary School passionately believes that everyone – teachers, parents, carers and the wider community – has a part to play in each child’s learning and that positive relationships are essential for every child. The school is forging relationships with agencies beyond the school gate, and Campbelltown Rotary has really got behind them. Principal, Sandra Mauger, believes, “The most fundamental asset for all children is life skills”.
Distance is no obstacle
Distance Education Tasmania
Principal Lynn Dunn says, “KidsMatter has continued to open our eyes to the importance of opening this stuff up – we can not assume children have coping skills, reflective skills or that they know emotions – KidsMatter has enabled us to take things out of the ‘everyone should know this’ basket and turn it into ‘let’s have another look at this’.” Distance Education Tasmania’s innovative teaching methods and modes of connection are proving that distance is no longer an obstacle to a child’s education and wellbeing.
Reaching out to families
Sacred Heart Primary School, Victoria
Sacred Heart places a strong emphasis on parent participation in the school and proactively seeks activities and strategies to engage parents. This can be a challenging task for many schools, but is especially so with a parent community having to cope with issues around displacement and resettlement, trauma, unemployment and social isolation. Making these connections is vital for the wellbeing of the kids and the community.
Building community from the inside out
Cairns West State School, Queensland
Becoming a KidsMatter school in 2007 provided Cairns West with a framework that has reinvigorated the school and helped to build connections with students and their families. “We are making an extra effort to welcome parents and carers into the school. There is such a better feeling in the school now. Teachers are more understanding of the kids’ needs. But the biggest change has been the relationship the teachers have with the children now – there is a genuine belief that we can make a difference in these children’s lives and that is very powerful.”
Building opportunities for positive mental health
Canberra Girls Grammar School, ACT
In looking to further personal development opportunities across the school years, Action Team Leader Damaris Patterson says, “KidsMatter resources have given us a great framework to structure our activities. They have provided us with focus and clarity. Working through the component plans was a great tool – the process opens up discussion and provides a strategic direction for initiatives.”
Making the links
Harrington Street Public School, New South Wales
Staff at Harrington St Public School are aware that there is a strong direct link between a child’s academic performance and their wellbeing. “We knew what we had to do and we were really hungry for information on how to best do it. KidsMatter is giving us the opportunity to be more explicit about the meaning of wellbeing and the opportunity to formally teach social and emotional learning,” said Deputy Principal Laurie Hoffman.
