Wellbeing and Pastoral Care

Wellbeing is central to all we do.

The staff at St Andrew’s School acknowledges each child as a unique and valued member of our community. The Wellbeing Team includes the Director of Wellbeing and School Counsellors. This team works closely with all staff to support the social and emotional needs of every child and their family in an environment where children are safe to be themselves. A sense of belonging is highly valued. Relationships are the basis for strong foundations for living and learning well. Restorative practice and maintaining respectful relationships are central as we encourage students to engage with each other with kindness, compassion and empathy.

The Wellbeing Team provides a high standard of care, through the provision of social emotional education and support in individual or group settings. In all aspects of our many and varied programs, we emphasise personal growth, integrity, respect for differences in people, resilience, an appreciation of the environment, a sense of social responsibility and care for others. Positive self-esteem and building peer relationships are key to the wellbeing of an individual. Gratitude, mindfulness, empathy and belonging are skills that are built upon in daily classroom practice. The Wellbeing Team uses a variety of programs such as Mind Up and What’s the Buzz? in support of these skills, working to build the individual capacity of every child. Our pastoral care programs are designed to promote a growth mindset so that students feel comfortable to take risks in their learning, think critically and creatively and become global citizens.

The Wellbeing Hub is central to the provision of a holistic approach to the individual’s wellbeing, with access to Allied Health providers such as Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy on site.

St Andrew’s has a Wellbeing Room, providing an alternative play space at lunch time where the children can engage in positive social activities in a quieter, diverse and imaginative manner.

We extend a warm welcome to all members of our community and to reach out to the Wellbeing Team for any support that may be required.

School Chaplain

St Andrew’s School was established in 1850 by St Andrew’s Church in order to provide an education for the children of Walkerville.

The connection between the School and the Church have remained strong throughout the years. Teaching the principles of the Anglican faith has been strongly maintained to provide a nurturing, supportive and spiritual environment.

Our School Chaplain offers social, emotional and spiritual support, guidance and mentorship.

Church services and worship are regular features for the children of St Andrew’s School. Those students who actively seek to explore their developing spiritual paths are provided the opportunity to do so through a number of Chaplain led courses and programs focusing on Baptism and Communion.

St Andrew’s Circle of Friendship

The St Andrew’s School Circle of Friendship, is an initiative coordinated by our Director of Wellbeing, Donna Longden, and has been supporting our families for many years. The Circle is a care group from our School community who have volunteered to help School families, or individuals, when the need arises.

St Andrew’s established the Circle of Friendship to reach out and lend a hand during unforeseen circumstances – recently the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although our usual ways of reaching out - such as cooking meals, helping with laundry - cannot be offered under our current COVID circumstances, we have been mobilising our Virtual’ Circle of Friendship via our social media and other online channels to provide a vehicle for social connection and belonging for the St Andrew’s School community.

Soup Kitchen

St Andrew’s pastoral care extends beyond the School community with students helping to support food supplies to Adelaide’s homeless.

This year, Year 6 students have helped to make much-needed soup for the Mary Magdalene Centre run by Anglicare, which provides emergency assistance and hot meals to those in need.