Student Wellbeing

Our College is structured on the needs of our students as we strive to provide a nurturing environment where respect for each other and ourselves is a evident. We place the highest priority on the safety, health and welfare of its students and will take all reasonable steps to ensure students are safe from physical and mental harm while at school.

Our Leadership and Board recognise that safe, healthy and inclusive working and learning environments are essential to enable delivery of high quality educational outcomes for students. A child or student’s safety, health and wellbeing are tied to their ability to learn. Learning and wellbeing are inextricably linked – students learn best when their health, safety and wellbeing are optimised, and they develop a strong sense of wellbeing when they experience success in learning. We have a pivotal role to play in connecting character development in children and young people to individual and collective wellbeing, which in the longer term will shape the values and attitudes of the society in which they live.

The College education programs build the foundations for wellbeing and lifelong learning through curriculum embedding personal and social capabilities, (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social management) in the implementation of the ELC-12 curriculum.

We acknowledge that student resilience and wellbeing are essential for both academic and social development, and are optimised by safe, supportive and respectful learning environments. The development of a caring community and a strong network of support for our students is central to our ethos, education programs, support services and daily work.

More recently, we have worked more explicitly to further promote the wellbeing of our students. This included integration across a range of policies and procedures and education programs.

At Emmaus Christian College, our Wellbeing Team aims to:

• Implement proactive and preventative practices that support student flourishing.
• Develop a rich culture and positive ethos that provides a strong sense of belonging, security and connectedness.
• Foster an understanding of personal self-responsibility and resilience.
• Create a safe environment that fosters learning engagement and maximises student experiences and achievement.
• Promote and support social and emotional learning.
• Approach these goals with a whole-school focus in partnership with leadership teams, class teachers and student support teams.

Our Student Counselling Team Leaders facilitate and promote wellbeing practices across the school community through proactive and preventative measures. They also coordinate a team of counsellors who respond to student needs through counselling support, and in partnership with the leadership team, class teachers, student support teams and parents.

We are currently in the process of developing a student wellbeing framework for the Junior School. The Emmaus Student Wellbeing Framework will aim to support all aspects of student wellbeing through a relational, holistic and strengths-based approach.