R3

Back to REAL Home Back to Staff Services

Teamwork builds positive learning partnerships.

Students:

Student's understanding of working with others, playing with others and being responsible in their interactions is an important element of our personal and social capabilities curriculum.

Staff will actively support students to understand their own emotions and the manner in which they can socialise with others to ultimately create a more harmonious learning environment that supports teamwork. This is done seamlessly within the curriculum but also specifically in learn to play, social safety, social communication, circle time and the alert program.

The school’s strategies to promote pro-social values will be whole-school in focus and be embedded naturally within the curriculum. 

Student voice/student participation is about valuing people and valuing the learning that results when we engage the capacities and multiple voices in the school. It focuses on realising the leadership potential inherent within all learners. There are five dimensions to student participation:

• student involvement in school and community development (student voice, student leadership)

• students as researchers, co-enquirers and constructors

• student feedback on teaching and learning

• students as peer-tutors (buddy programs and peer learning)

• student involvement as a manifestation of inclusion principles

The school promotes active ‘student participation as an avenue for improving student outcomes and facilitating school change.  Student participation ranges from young people sharing their opinions of problems and potential solutions. It also includes our students sharing their ‘voice’ by collaborating with teachers to actually improve education outcomes, including helping to improve teaching, curriculum and teacher-student relationships and leading to changes in student assessment.

Staff:

Staff will work in different teams within the school. Our teams include section teams, PLC teams, department teams, administration teams, education support teams and leadership teams.

Great emphasis is placed on working positively but also understanding that workplace learning is collective and relies on connection. All teams have a shared purpose and agreed goals in alignment with the school’s strategic plan but that on its own is not enough. Yarrabah strives to ensure our individuals (students or staff) are better connected and willing to share. 

 Staff work productively by following the school's code of conduct and abiding with agreed norm-setting protocols during meetings and professional conversations. These protocols are:

1. Always maintain professional relationships 

2. Members will arrive at meetings prepared 

3. Be respectful and non-judgemental of others 

4. Every staff member will actively participate in the meetings 

5. Members will follow a complaints hierarchy 

6. One person speaking at a time 

7. When someone is speaking, demonstrate respectful listening 

8. Stick to timing and agenda 

Families:

At Yarrabah we recognise that positive trusting partnerships with families are critical to achieving the best student outcomes.

We acknowledge that when families have a better understanding of what is occurring at school, it creates a better understanding of how we can work together. When families have a better understand of educator or service team members role, they're more likely to appreciate what is occurring for their child.

We know that family engagement also supports student transitions. There are often multiple transitions occurring concurrently for our children and young people as well as the adults. Transitions can be very unsettling and challenging for children. Yarrabah School staff and leaders will maintain a shared and consistent approach to communicating between home and school when new transitions are introduced, making this a lot easier. 

The student support group meetings are a great time to collaborate on student goals. Teachers are ultimately responsible for setting the goals linked to the curriculum however regular opportunities for families to negotiate and advocate are provided at the end of the year, and then each term during the year. During these times, parents and carers are encouraged to ask questions about the progress of their child. The teachers, specialists and services will provide updates on progress against the goals or curriculum each week, allowing more time at the SSG to discuss specific strategies and adjustments the teacher has found are working or not.