Our Student Wellbeing Team:
SLC Student Services: Sam Danaher
Psychologist:
Year 7 Coordinator: Matthew Miles
Year 8 Coordinator: Peta-Jane Morris
Year 9 Coordinator: Tom Pilkinton
Year 10 Coordinator: Tessa Barbour
Safe and Supportive Schools Contact Officers: Janet Richardson and Sam Danaher
All members of the team are available to listen to any concerns students or parents may have. In order to see any members of the team during the school day students need to have made a prior appointment.
Rights and Responsibilities
Over the door of Belconnen High School are the words "Everyone has the right to learn", and "Everyone has the right to be safe".
These essential human rights are turned into reality, in a large part, through the policies, procedures and commitment of the student Wellbeing Team.
Our student management policies and procedures are continually reviewed and improved in the light of experience, new challenges and new innovations. Changes are not made lightly, however. They must gain approval from the Student Wellbeing Team, the Executive Team, and in the case of major changes, the School Board will also be consulted. It is expected that all staff and students follow these policies and procedures.
Pastoral Care Groups
All students are members of a Pastoral Care group. Here students meet with the same teacher every morning to have their names marked off and catch up on the day's events.
Pastoral Care teachers should be a parents first point of contact should they have any concerns regarding their child.
Care
The objective of the CARE program is to create a positive school culture in which social and emotional literacy is developed in all students. Once a fortnight Pastoral Care teachers deliver an age specific lesson focussed on respect and caring for one's self and others in a variety of situations. The overarching goal being the development of students as valuable members of our community.
CARE assists students to:
- Develop self-confidence and positive self-esteem,
- Develop a wide range of interpersonal skills,
- Adjust to change,
- Practice protective behaviours and assertiveness skills,
- Develop coping skills for everyday life including study techniques, basic communication and stress management, and
- Develop decision making skills and the ability to resist negative peer pressure.
Student Services
Student behaviour is managed through Student Services. All school policies relating to Student Services issues such as anti-harassment, uniform and attendance and others can be found on Policies page.
Student Wellbeing Policies
To read our current policies, please click on the links below:
- Anti-Bullying, Harassment and Violence Policy
- Anti-Racism Policy
- Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy
- Anti-Smoking Policy
Restorative Practices
The principles of Restorative Practices underpin all student welfare and classroom management policies and procedures at Belconnen High School. A restorative school or classroom is characterised by high levels of support, as well as clear boundaries, where problem solving around issues is done with student involvement. Students whose behaviour has been managed restoratively have been observed to undergo meaningful attitudinal and behavioural change.
Peer Support
The Peer Support program at Belconnen High School is aimed at easing the difficult transition process from primary to high school for year 7 students. Year 10 Peer Support Leaders are assigned to year 7 Pastoral Care groups. In this setting they support new, year 7 pupils daily, while also delivering fortnightly Peer Support sessions.
Additional Support Services
The aim of the Student Wellbeing Team is to cater for the needs of all Belconnen High School pupils. As such there is a wide variety of additional services on offer. These include a breakfast club, and many different programs aimed at addressing a wide range of student needs.
The House System
Students across the school have been grouped according to House Groups, Freeman, O'Neill, Perkins and Thorpe, as well as Year Groups. This vertical grouping method fosters positive connections across the year groups and encourages a higher level of achievement through peer mentoring. House Groups are connected to Pastoral Care groups. Each Pastoral Care Group has been given a number and a House for identification purposes.
Students have the opportunity to contribute to the overall house points that determine the Champion House for the year.
Graduation Points at Belconnen
Each year Belconnen High School offers each student the opportunity to receive a graduation, merit or distinction certificate at our end of year award ceremony.
The students are able to earn points for their houses in 4 major areas of the school.
| Major areas | Detail |
|---|---|
| Academic | Students gain points for every grade at the end of each semester and for entering and achieving in the academic competitions. |
| Sporting | Carnival competitions and other team participation events. |
| Cultural | Involvement in Dance Fest, Drama nights, Art shows, Band, etc. |
| Community Involvement and Citizenship | School and House Captains, SRC, Peer Support, Work Experience, ASBAs, Volunteer work, Merit and values awards, Formal committee, Information Night helpers, Year 6 visit leaders, etc. |
A detailed list of point allocations can be found here.
At Belconnen High School students need to earn the privilege to walk across the stage at graduation at the end of each year. Students who do not earn that privilege are able to collect their portfolio from the front office at the completion of the ceremony. The student who earns the most points in each house will receive the House Champion award. Students also have the opportunity to contribute to the overall house points that determine the Champion House for the year.
Level of Graduation at end of each year
- Graduation - 155 points:
- Merit - 200 points
- Distinction - 235 points
Academic and Effort points given each semester:
- A - 8
- B - 7
- C - 6
- D - 5
- E - 0
Merit certificates:
Staff are encouraged to give merit certificates for students who have worked solidly over a period of time in their class. 1 Merit Award equates to approximately 7 hours of work in classrooms, so they are given as a special reward for continuous great work.
Staff fill in the merit award in their merit book and give the student the white copy. The pink copy goes in the metal letterbox outside the Deputy Principal's office. Staff do everything possible to support students in gaining the required points to graduate with their year group on stage at the end of year awards ceremony.
Major end of year awards
These are school based and external organisation awards presented at our end of year ceremony and some of these awards have money, book or scholarship prizes included as part of the award. The Capital Chemist and ACT Department of Education Excellence awards are also presented to students at a special external ceremony.
Youth Achievement Award
This Award is given to an outstanding Year 10 member of our school who, whilst overcoming adversity in their life, has worked consistently on their academic improvement during their time at Belconnen High School.
Sports Person of the Year Awards
Junior and Senior sportspersons.
The awards for sport are given to students who represented the school in a number of sports, displaying excellence in skills, leadership and sportsmanship.
House Champions
Our house champions are awarded for receiving the highest number of house points during the year. These points are awarded for academic achievement, sporting, cultural, community and school service.
Faculty Excellence Awards
This award is given to the students who have excelled in each of the faculty areas throughout the year.
Leadership Award
This award is given to a student who displays exemplary leadership throughout all aspects of their time at Belconnen High School.
ACU Citizenship Award
This award is given to a student who has displayed outstanding commitment to the corporate life of the school throughout their four years at Belconnen.
Australian Defence Force Long Tan Award
This award was created to acknowledge the achievements of young people who have demonstrated outstanding qualities in Leadership and Teamwork within our school and wider community. Leadership and Teamwork is underpinned by qualities such as supporting others and doing the best you can, which are values the ADF shares with the wider community.
Capital Chemist Scholarship Awards
The Capital Chemist Award has two categories.
For the Capital Chemist Academic Scholarship, the successful recipient is selected for demonstrating significant improvement during their Year 10 studies.
The second category is the Capital Chemist Citizenship scholarship: This recipient will have participated in extracurricular activities as well as non-academic curricular activities and be recognised by their peers as having leadership qualities.
Year 10 ACT Department of Education Excellence Awards
These awards have been created by the Department of Education and Training and are awarded for outstanding achievement during high school years.
Principal's Award for Academic Excellence
This award is given to one student who has excelled through each semester at Belconnen High School.
Looking for Help?
ThinkUKnow Australia is an internet safety program delivering interactive presentations to parents, carers and teachers through primary and secondary schools across Australia using a network of trained volunteers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Microsoft Australia. For more information on ThinkUKnow please click here.
headspace provides mental health and wellbeing support, information and services to young people through local headspace centres and online via eheadspace. For more information visit headspace website
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) - for a chat phone 6205 1050.
A free, private and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25.
24/7 crisis support call 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au
Youth Law Centre ACT - Level 1 Childers Square,14 Childers Street, Canberra, Civic, Phone: 6262 7077, Youth Law Centre ACT website