Dear Parents and Guardians,

Our Journey Towards a Positive Behaviour Support Approach 

On Wednesday, September 3rd, our staff participated in a Pupil Free Day dedicated to further developing our Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support (WSAPBS). We're excited to share that this is a key component of our strategic plan for the next four years. Our goal is to create a school environment where every student feels even more safe, respected, and ready to learn.

What is Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support?

A Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support is a framework that helps us proactively teach and reinforce positive behaviours rather than simply reacting to negative ones. Instead of focusing on punishment, it emphasizes prevention and instruction. We're building a culture where good behaviour is the norm, and students are explicitly taught the skills they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom.

The Three Pillars of Columba ?️?️?️

During our Staff Learning Day, we began the process of identifying three key pillars that will form the foundation of our WSAPBS model. These pillars will be a set of simple, positive, and teachable behaviours that we will reinforce across all classrooms and school activities. They will serve as our common language for what we expect from students and adults in our school. For example, some schools have pillars like "Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn." We'll be working to determine what behaviours are most important for our unique school community.

Join us on the Journey! 

This is a whole school approach, and that includes you! We have already begun canvasing parents and the wider community to get your valuable input on our three pillars. We believe that a strong partnership between school and home is essential for our students' success. We'll be sharing more information on how you can get involved in the coming weeks.

Examples from Other Schools

We're not reinventing the wheel! Our work is based on successful models used in other schools across the country. These schools have seen significant improvements in student behaviour, a reduction in disciplinary issues, and an increase in student engagement. The approach creates a more positive and productive learning environment for everyone. We're confident that with your support, we can achieve similar results at Columba. Let's make this a positive and lasting change for our students.