Helping Students Flourish

Northside Christian College has recognised the significance of supporting students with their wellbeing during their transition back to school after significant time in remote learning during the past two years. The College has further expanded its approach to student wellbeing.

Social and Emotional Learning
Northside has increased the social and emotional learning curriculum delivered at the College. In Primary School, the College uses the Friendzy program. Friendzy is a Biblical social-emotional learning program that assists students in developing skills in self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationships.

In the Secondary School, the College introduced a Pastoral Care period in addition to the Home Group classes to further help students. In the Pastoral Care lessons, staff deliver two programs across the year. In Semester 1, students participate in the PeaceWise youth program, a Christian program that guides students to manage relationships and conflict in Biblical ways. In Semester 2, students are supported with the You Can Do It social-emotional learning program, aligned with the Australian Curriculum.

Student Wellbeing Team
Northside is grateful to have a student wellbeing team that proactively supports students. The team consists of Heather Cootee, Head of Wellbeing, Chaplain Jared Stocks, and Chelsea Weeks. This team works closely with Home Group teachers, subject teachers, learning support staff, the INSPiRE team, and administration staff. It also collaborates with parents, health care professionals, and other stakeholders.

Student Voice
The College values the opportunity to connect with students and recognises the importance of listening to their voices. Staff at the College connect with students in several ways to gain insights into how the College can further support them. We are grateful to have structures, including the Student Representative Council in the Primary and Secondary School, the Senior School Student Mentoring Program and Circle Time - which is incorporated into many of the Home Group classes.

In 2022, the College is preparing to use EI Pulse to understand and support the wellbeing needs of students. EI Pulse provides weekly real-time feedback on how students are progressing with their wellbeing. We look forward to launching this initiative at Northside shortly.

The College also implements a range of preventative approaches. These range from resiliency days to guest speakers and the Planet Boom lunchtime mentoring program.

Prayer
We are also grateful to have two student prayer groups. Vision Prayer provides an opportunity for students to spend time together in prayer, worship, and the Word. Furthermore, the Secondary School students help run the Vision Junior Prayer Group.

Supporting Parents and Carers
In 2022, Northside partnered with SchoolTV. This online resource is designed to empower parents and carers with credible information, including realistic, practical, and ongoing positive strategies. SchoolTV provides access to videos, articles and a range of tools, links and resources in bite-sized pieces of information which assist families in supporting a child’s mental health and wellbeing.

The College continues to meet with families and students throughout the year in parent-student-teacher interviews and the Student Support Group (SSG).

In 2022, the College is preparing for the new Child Safe Standards. It welcomes the opportunity to continue consulting with students, staff, and families about the College’s approach to supporting the safety and wellbeing of our students.

Flourishing
Northside Christian College is dedicated to considering ways to support students so they might flourish. We recognise that the wellbeing of our students is essential and plays a vital role in their learning at Northside.