POSTIIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING

PBL was implementetd in the school over a decade ago and provides a set of expectations for students to follow:

These expectations are organised under three areas:

*  Respect for Self

*  Respect for the Environment, and

* Respect for Others.

Throughout each year, all students explore these expectations and the language assciated with them.  This guides their behaviour to best allow for their learning and that of their peers.

PBL "helps students take responsibility for behaviour, take action to restore the harm they have caused by providing them with the skills and opportunities" (Sue Roffey, 2015).

21st Century Learning Spaces in a beautiful bushland setting. School tours available on request 9456 2104 Enrolling now.

St Bernard's is proud to be a "Rock and Water" school.  This program provides students with pathways to self-awareness, and increased self-confidence and social functioning.

Each student will undergo a journey of self-awarness as they learn about responding to life with either a "rock" or a "water" attitude.  THe use of symbolism is central to the success fo the Roack and Water Program.  The program is an excellent tool to support students to find their grounding, learning how to centre oneself and learning how to self manage in social settings.  Topics covered in the program include:

* practical anti-bullying strategies

* alternatives to aggressive verbal and physical responses

* better ability to be in control through grounding centredness and mental focus

* increased self-respect, self-control and self-confidence.

* enhanced resilience skills and well-being

* skills to identify and monitor reactive behaviour patterns

* communication skills

* development of compassion, understanding and empathy

* boundary setting, simple self-defence and communication skills, and

* awareness of purpose and motivation in life.

When you ask parents who send their children to St Bernard's what sets up apart, they will always talk about the sense of community.  Families forge strong, enduring friendships at the school, and we pull together when help is needed.  From the P&F, to supporting local charities, to creating engaging playground spaces and resourcing our classrooms, our community is a warm, welcoming village with an attitude of service mirrored by our students.

FLEXIBLE LEARNING SPACES

WHY HAVE FLEXIBLE LEARNING SPACES?

At St Bernard’s we are very fortunate to be surrounded by large classrooms and large outdoor space for learning and enjoyment. Our classrooms are equipped with a variety of furniture with diverse seating arrangements and learning spaces. It is empowering for students to understand themselves as learners and have control and responsibility over where they learn. In a flexible environment students build independent learning behaviours and develop a strong understanding of themselves as learners. At our school students are given the opportunity to take advantage of both indoor and outdoor learning environments and the space enables students to work in a variety of ways and areas. We use the space and vary our instruction and learning activities based on the needs of our students and the content being covered. Students can move around, work at tables, on the floor, in small groups, on stools as well as standing. The learning spaces are utilised in a variety of ways, both student and teacher led. We are working with all students in an ongoing capacity to help them build their skills in independence and understanding of themselves as learners and how they learn best. We are here to instruct, encourage, engage and inspire your children in a teaching and learning environment that is dynamic and meets the individual needs of your children while giving them the skills to be independent, inquisitive and skilled lifelong learners.

St Bernard’s is clearly focused on quality teaching and learning. The school provides a well-balanced, comprehensive and engaging curriculum, which gives all children the opportunity to become life-long learners. Our classrooms have recently been refurbished and equipped with a range of technology to meet the needs of contemporary learners. Students are also provided with the opportunity to participate in Choir, Chess, Band, Maths Olympiad, Tournament of the Minds, Science Challenge, Public Speaking and Representative Sports.