Caring For Students

It’s the little things we do to support an individualised learning program that get us the big results

Caring For Students

For learning to take place we need to ensure that every child feels safe, happy and confident within themselves – and so a huge emphasis is placed on a strong wellbeing and support program that achieves just that!

Learning Diversity & Support

All students regardless of race, age or gender, by virtue of their dignity as human persons, have a right to an education that is suited to their particular needs and adapted to their ability. (Pope Paul VI 1965).

Teachers at St. Martin’s differentiate their teaching and the learning practices within the classroom to address the needs of all students. We also know that some students need additional support from more specialised services to help their achieve their potential.

Through consultation with parents, teachers, our learning diversity leader and our specialist learning support officers, we aim to provide students with the support and specialised programs our students would benefit from on their road to achieving success.

Leveled Literacy Intervention

Our Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) program is taught by our Specialist LLI Teacher. Students have a 30 minute lesson two or three times a week in a small group (3 or 4 students). All the students in this specialist group have similar learning needs. The LLI program is designed for middle school students.

Learning Support Officers

Our Learning Support Officers (LSOs) work with specific students and also provide support for students in either whole class or small group environments.

To view the Catholic Education Melbourne Horizons of Hope: Learning Diversity document, click here.

diversity@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

wellbeing@smrosanna.catholic.edu.au

Addditional Support & Extension Programs

  • Getting Ready in Numeracy (GRIN) Confidence in Numeracy intervention
  • Our Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) program is taught by our Specialist LLI Teacher. Students have a 30 minute lesson two or three times a week in a small group (3 or 4 students). All the students in this specialist group have similar learning needs. The LLI program is designed for middle school students.
  • Learning Support Officers (LSOs) work with specific students and also provide support for students in either whole class or small group environments.
  • Personalised inquiry approach to learning to ensure 100% of students, including the most challenged to the highly able students, are supported
  • Maths Olympiad extension program, for students who excel in critical and mathematical thinking.
  • Chess Club

Counselling for Students

Throughout a child’s life it is normal to experience everyday highs and lows with the majority of children being able to bounce back from life’s many challenges. Our family network, our friendship group and our school network all play a part in helping us to build our personal resilience. There are times however, when they might need a short term intervention. St Martin’s has access to the National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP) that enables us to have a counsellor work on site, one day per week. In partnership with our parents, teachers and Student Wellbeing Leader, children may be referred to the counsellor for a variety of reasons.

Categories of students that may benefit from referral for counselling

  • Mental health problems (persistent feelings or emotions)
    Depression
    Anger
    Body image
    Separation anxiety
    Mood swings
    Gender differences
  • Social & emotional needs
    Low self esteem
    Behaviour management
    Self-management
    Resilience
    Emotional regulation
    Relationships (making/keeping friends)
    Bullying
    Attention seeking
  • Trauma
    Grief or loss
    Divorce & separation
    Illness
    Health problems (Personal or family)

Counselling at St Martin of Tours is a short term intervention and runs for a maximum of 8 sessions. It is very common for counsellor led sessions to lead to referrals to outside services such as;

  • General practitioners (GPs)
  • Pediatricians
  • Occupational therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Social workers

Parent Referrals can be made by completing the following 4 forms and submitting to Jamie Atherton the Student Wellbeing Leader. We believe that it is important for families to have initial discussions with their child’s classroom teacher prior to making a formal referral.

  1. Joint Parent Consent For Services Form
  2. New-Client-Registration-Form-and-Privacy-Statement
  3. Parent-Guardian Referral Form
  4. Consent-to-Share-Information Form

Student Leadership

All students develop leadership qualities while at St. Martin’s as we are each seen as models of discipleship for one another. A variety of student representative roles are undertaken by students throughout the school ensuring that students contribute to the decision making processes of the school.

Year 6 students are all considered to be school leaders, however students also elect the Year 6 leadership team. This team consists of two School Captains, two Deputy Captains, two Religious Education Captains and four House Captains (Tours, Xavier, McAuley & Mercy).

The Year 6 Leadership Team form the student representative group known as the Student Action Team.The team includes elected representative class members from across the school. The purpose of the Student Action Team is to be the representative voice of students and to identify, plan, promote and implement a variety of school improvement initiatives.

Extra Curricular Opportunities

Students in years 3-6 are offered opportunities to try out for a wide variety of extra curricular opportunities including:

School Band
School Choir
Instrumental Lessons
Inter-school Athletics
Inter-school Swimming
Inter-school Cross-Country Running
Inter-school Soccer tournament
Inter-school Basketball tournament
Chess Club

Kinder to Prep Transition

At St. Martin’s, we know that the transition from Kindergarten to Prep is a big step. We have a number of steps in place to help our students and their families with this transition.

During Term 3, one of our Prep teachers will generally spend some time at the Kindergarten talking with your child’s Kindergarten teacher and observing your child in the Kindergarten setting.

Later in Term 3 or early Term 4, we organise a time for you and your child to come into school to meet and talk with our Principal or Deputy Principal and one of our Prep teachers. This one on one time allows us to get to know your child and it gives them time to become comfortable with some of the adults that they will see everyday once they start school.

After meeting with all the students, our experienced Prep teacher will then place the students into class groups. Parents will be notified towards the end of October who their child’s teacher will be for the following year.

Students will then be invited to school in November for three transition mornings. During these mornings, students will meet their teacher and spend time in their new classrooms. Dates and times for these transition mornings will be sent to parents.

Prep students start their first week of school having an early finish to their days. From their second week of school, Prep students attend the school for four full days each week with the students having Wednesdays off. From week 6 of the term, students are at school for five full days a week.

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