Wellbeing

Student Well-Being

At St Mary’s we prioritise the physical and emotional needs of our students. Families are able to access a school counsellor who is on site two days a week. In addition to this, our Kindergarten to Year 6 students participate in programs where they build relational trust and develop social skills. Students in Year 7 to Year 10 are involved in daily pastoral care sessions focusing on the skills of healing, sustaining, guiding, reconciling and nurturing. Pastoral care teachers mentor students and work through issues and concerns arising in the context of daily interactions at school.

Cultural Awareness

St Mary’s has a full time Aboriginal Education Worker (AEW). We value having an Indigenous person to work in partnership with our Indigenous students, non-Indigenous students, staff and families. The school offers a vast array of support that will enhance the individual performance of our Indigenous students and enables all students to develop acceptance and tolerance of all people and cultures. The relationship that develops between the AEW and students continues beyond the school and into the community. Support for Indigenous students includes:

• Assistance with classwork, assessment tasks and homework
• The opportunity to learn elements of the Wiradjuri language
• Incorporation of Aboriginal perspectives in all Key Learning Areas
• Learning about the importance and meaning of culture