Social and Emotional Learning
At St Gerard Majella, we embrace a holistic approach to education, nurturing our students in every aspect: spiritually, academically, socially, emotionally, culturally and physically. Our goal is to lay a strong foundation for each child’s social and emotional well-being, ensuring they are equipped with essential skills to thrive now and in the future.
As part of our commitment to student well-being, St Gerard Majella has partnered with The Resilience Project. This program aims to teach young people positive mental health strategies that will make them feel happier and be more resilient in an ever-changing world. Centred on core principles – Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy, students engage with a variety of evidenced based programs, tools and interventions that explicitly address well-being.
Miss Critty Wallace is our dedicated School Counsellor. As an Accredited Social Worker, Critty has been working in the child and family space specialising in trauma, protective behaviours and sexual and domestic violence in the context of childhood development. Critty brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our school community. Miss Critty is available on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of the school term.
Critty works with small groups and individuals, helping young people to understand their emotions and develop the skills required to navigate challenging situations. Miss Critty is supported by Ms Lisa Doherty, our Student Welfare officer and Ms Cath Martin, our Grade 6 Classroom and Wellbeing Teacher.
Throughout the year, our school actively participates in events such as Harmony Day, Are you OK? Day and Bullying No Way among many others. These programs are designed to promote a supportive and inclusive environment, in line with our Catholic values of compassion, inclusion and respect, to help students develop a strong sense of empathy, resilience and social responsibility.
St Gerard Majella believes that student well-being is most effective when there is a strong partnership between home and school to ensure we continue to foster a sense of belonging and a student-centred approach to learning and well-being.
“A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.”
– Saint Francis of Assisi (Franciscan Charism)
