We are committed to ensuring a safe and happy environment for your child.
We support your child’s health and safety through a range of strategies including:
For more information, visit the student wellbeing section of the department’s website.
Like all NSW public schools, we promote the healthy development of students through:
school programs and practices that protect and promote health and safety
supporting individual students who need help with health issues
providing first aid and temporary care of students who become unwell or who have an accident at school.
Student wellbeing
Like all NSW public schools, we provide safe learning and teaching environments to encourage healthy, happy, successful and productive students.
The department is committed to creating quality learning opportunities for children and young people. These opportunities support wellbeing through positive and respectful relationships and fostering a sense of belonging to the school and community.
The Wellbeing Framework for Schools helps schools support the cognitive, physical, social, emotional and spiritual development of students and allow them to connect, succeed and thrive throughout their education.
Positive Behaviour for Learning
At our school, we use Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) – a whole-school approach for creating a positive, safe and supportive school climate where students can learn and develop. Our whole school community works together to establish expected behaviours and teach them to all students.
PBL at Newcastle Middle School
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a school wide behaviour initiative. It engages a whole school systems approach to address challenging behaviour. Common language will be / is used by staff to promote positive behaviour from students, resulting in improvement in self- confidence and their motivation to learn.
In 2021 school staff have undertaken a review and update of the PBL progam and the topics taught. We have incorporated a PBL mascot named, Sandy Star whole job it is to help teach our students about many PBL topics.
At Newcastle Community of Schools we have chosen three values to underpin this process. Each value has two behaviour expectations (rules) to support students' behaviour. These values and expectations are taught to students in their personal development lessons and reinforced at school assemblies, students also receive weekly awards for displaying these positive behaviours at school.
Upon the accumulation of 8 PBL weekly awards, a student will be acknowledged with a PBL Bronze Award. When 15 PBL weekly awards are achieved, students earn a PBL Silver Award and with 30 PBL weekly awards, they earn a PBL Gold Award.
Student leadership
Student leadership helps young people find their voices, participate in decision-making, and understand their rights and responsibilities as active citizens. It helps students have a real impact on their learning and school environment and prepares them to participate meaningfully in their community.
Students can be leaders in the classroom, through their actions in the playground, through their support for others, or their involvement in academic, sporting, cultural or local community events or projects.
For more information about opportunities in NSW public schools, visit Student voice and leadership.
