How We Teach & Support

Within our learning community our Values underpins teaching and learning, guides our interactions and relationships and is modelled in all operational processes of the school. The Billanook Primary School community has a consistent and positive approach to behaviour and uses our Values and Restorative Practices, to foster a school climate where personal responsibility and self-discipline are developed.

Values activities can be adapted to be a part of any lesson whether it be Literacy, Numeracy, Inquiry or the specialist areas. Using reflection time, appreciation statements, cooperative learning activities or ‘energisers’ to keep concentration levels up are all part of the engagement process.

Inclusion activities are used extensively at the beginning of a school year through our Settle In Program to ensure that children know each other well and build bonds of friendship and respect.

Wellbeing Assemblies

Each fortnight students at Billanook meet for a wellbeing Assembly, with members of our community in attendance. This whole-school assembly is held on a Monday afternoon and is a platform used to celebrate students who are following our school valuess and also to deliver a wellbeing message.

Wellbeing foci that we cover include:

• Bucket Filling – Have you filled a bucket today?
• Cyber safety
• Anti-bullying – don’t be a bystander
• Qualities of good friends – Friendship soup
• Celebrating diversity
• Acts of kindness
• Team building challenges
• Mindfulness

These Wellbeing Assembly messages are followed up our classrooms after assembly and often at Year Level Assemblies later in the week. Our wellbeing messages are ingrained into the curriculum to ensure that they are not “token efforts”. We believe it is important to explicitly teach the skills and strategies students need build their capacity to be resilient, socially responsible and respectful in their relationships.