We are committed to ensuring a safe and happy environment for your child.
We support your child’s health and safety through a range of strategies including:
- the behaviour code for students, which outlines the standards of behaviour expected in all NSW public schools
- anti-racism education
- anti-bullying programs
- conflict resolution and mediation training
- peer support
- road safety education
- the Healthy School Canteen Strategy.
For more information, visit the student wellbeing section of the department’s website.
Like all NSW public schools, we promote the healthy development of students through:
- school programs and practices that protect and promote health and safety
- supporting individual students who need help with health issues
- providing first aid and temporary care of students who become unwell or who have an accident at school.
Student wellbeing
Like all NSW public schools, we provide safe learning and teaching environments to encourage healthy, happy, successful and productive students.
The department is committed to creating quality learning opportunities for children and young people. These opportunities support wellbeing through positive and respectful relationships and fostering a sense of belonging to the school and community.
The Wellbeing Framework for Schools helps schools support the cognitive, physical, social, emotional and spiritual development of students and allows them to connect, succeed and thrive throughout their education.
Vitoria Avenue Public School (VAPS) is committed to creating quality learning opportunities for children and young people. These opportunities support wellbeing through positive and respectful relationships and fostering a sense of belonging to the school and community.
Key student welfare programs:
- Second step
- Social skills
- Code of behaviour
- Anti-bullying Policy
- Restorative Practice
- Student leadership
- Learning support
Restorative Practices
Restorative Practices form the relational basis for Quality Teaching and Learning. Our Restorative Practice Framework, because of its explicit nature, offers a common language and practice capable of fostering healthy relationships. Student achievement is enhanced through Restorative values being embedded as a way of being and learning together. Our approach fosters individual responsibility and helps develop empathy. Inappropriate behaviour or choices and mistakes can be viewed as an opportunity for insight, learning and development in both the academic and social domains.
The explicit framework is inextricably linked to the Quality Teaching Framework and includes the following sets of questions to be asked by children, teachers and parents.
- When Things Go Wrong…. When Someone Has Been Hurt
- What happened?
- What were you thinking of at the time?
- What have you thought about since?
- Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way?
- What do you think you may do to make things right?
- What did you think when you realised what happened?
- What impact has this incident had on you and others?
- What has been the hardest thing for you?
- What do you think needs to happen to make things right?
The process is empowering as it takes students from the past to the present and gives them hope for the future. It empowers them to make things right and heal any harm that has been done. A restorative classroom setting is one that values dialogue through an inclusive approach where everyone expects to be heard and through this participatory process, students develop the capacity to learn that emotions are an important and legitimate expression of healthy dialogue. This process helps students to deal with conflict, tensions and difference in respectful ways that engender trust and foster healthy relationships.
Our Help Increase the Peace (HIP) Keys
Our school values incorporate the ‘Help Increase the Peace Keys’ to promote a harmonious, nurturing, and challenging living and learning environment. The HIP program offers a whole school approach to building relationships through communication, cooperation, trust building and conflict resolution. Our Help Increase the Peace (HIP) Keys Our school values incorporate the ‘Help Increase the Peace Keys’ to promote a harmonious, nurturing, and challenging living and learning environment. The HIP program offers a whole school approach to building relationships through communication, cooperation, trust building and conflict resolution.
YELLOW KEY Care for Others
GREEN KEY Think Before Reacting
BLUE KEY Respect Yourself
RED KEY Work Together for a Non-Violent Way
BLACK KEY Expect the Best