Student Wellbeing
At Sunshine Christian School we believe it is important to provide a safe, caring and friendly environment in which students can flourish socially, cognitively, emotionally, physically and spiritually. We acknowledge the important role of parents in the development of their children’s wellbeing and aim to support this by working in partnership with families in our school.
As we encourage students to ‘live as children of the light’ we want them to be empowered to take ownership of their wellbeing, realise the impact they can have on the wellbeing of others and understand how God has created us to live in harmony with him, each other and God’s earth.
Student wellbeing is a community responsibility and is led by the Student Wellbeing Team made up of the Principal, Pastor and Chaplain. This group works to support all school staff, students and parents in their wellbeing.
Essential agreements about student wellbeing
- Student wellbeing is underpinned by the school values of love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, service, courage, humility, hope, quality and appreciation
- All members of the school community have a right to feel loved, safe and valued at all times
- There is a significant link between student wellbeing and their capacity to learn
- All members of the school community have a role to play in maintaining wellbeing
- We use a restorative justice approach as forgiveness and restoration of relationships are at the heart of the Gospel
- We seek to foster empathy in students and enable them to understand how certain practices can positively or negatively impact the wellbeing of others
- Explicit teaching about character and wellbeing is vital and modelling by staff and parents is of utmost importance
- Bullying in our community is not acceptable
- Legal requirements surrounding the protection of students are followed at all time
A restorative approach to behaviour management
The school utilizes a restorative practice approach at all times to work through situations where wellbeing has been impacted by another’s actions.
Restorative practice at Sunshine Christian School is based on the model of forgiveness and restoration of relationships demonstrated to us through Jesus.
It is built on three foundational principals:
- Harm - misconduct is a violation of people and relationships
- Community – violations create obligations and liabilities
- Repair – restorative practice seeks to heal and put things right
"A restorative practice school values dialogue through an inclusive approach where everyone has a voice and can be heard. Through collaborative processes students are taught in practical ways that emotions are an important and legitimate expression of healthy classroom conversations where mutual respect and accountability flourish.
Students are taught how to resolve and understand conflict and tensions and difference in respectful ways that engenders trust, empathy, responsibility, and fosters healthy relationships.
The curriculum is engaging and students take an active role in the content and review what is taught through participatory pedagogy including circles, and cooperative learning approaches that engender ownership and maximize learning outcomes.
A copy of the school's student wellbeing policy is available for download below.
