How We Teach & Support

In today’s rapidly changing world, many children encounter daily adversity. At St Paul’s we have a strong emphasis on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).  Fortnightly, the teachers timetable lessons on specific social skills.  We draw on the Berry Street Education Model as our main resource and we teach specific lessons on resilience. The Personal  and Social Capability contained in the Victorian Curriculum is high on the agenda at St Paul’s.  The Personal and Social Capability is focussed on enabling students to understand themselves and others and manage their relationships. The St Paul’s SEL curriculum teaches children to recognise and regulate emotions, develop empathy for others, develop positive relationships, work effectively in teams and develop leadership skills.  We teach students how to handle challenging situations constructively and we develop their resilience.

Prep Transition Sessions

We offer prospective Prep parents a variety of opportunities to visit and tour our school with our very popular Ready, Set, Prep taster days, open days, information evenings and a number of school orientation sessions for incoming children.  Each family that is enrolled at St Paul’s is welcomed with an informal interview with the Principal and a community activity during Term 1.

Communication With Kindergartens

Transition to school for new Prep students is supported by the whole school community. The Principal, along with the Prep teaching team, communicate closely with the local feeder kindergartens and childcare agencies to ensure all Transition Statements are obtained and passed on to the relevant teachers. This communication ensures that relevant information is exchanged to maximise student readiness and facilitates the placement of Prep students into classes. At the end of the school year, members from the Prep Transition Committee visit local kindergartens to discuss the individual needs for all enrolled students.

Buddy Program

A buddy system is in place to assist the new Prep students to settle into the school routine in a caring and supportive way. The children are introduced to their Year 6 buddies during Transition sessions in Term 4. The buddies are available during the first few weeks of Term 1 to assist the Preps with finding friends to play with and generally providing support. They continue this friendship throughout the year and participate in a number of designated ‘buddy’ activities.

Designated Play Area

Prep students are supervised closely in a designated play area at both recess and lunch at the beginning of the year. This creates a safe, caring and supportive environment for the Preps as they become familiar with new school routines.