The school
believes students learn best when they feel safe, valued and happy. Our
staff are committed to providing an environment that nurtures personal growth
and self-esteem. All members of the school community have rights and
responsibilities and these are best ensured when agreed procedures are accepted
and followed. The school and its community share the responsibility to assist
students in learning appropriate behaviours.
School
Values
Port
Douglas State School has in place a set of core values that underpin the vision
of the school. The values are unique to our school in that they have been
developed by parents, staff and students, however, they are all linked through
their direct relationship to the nine core values of Australian schools as
outlined in the National Framework for Values Education.
Port
Douglas State School is a caring school and we have defined four key values
using the acronym 'CARE':
COOPERATION:
'Sharing and
learning together'. Cooperation is working together in a team, contributing and
sharing in a helpful way.
ACHIEVEMENT:
'Persist and try
your best'. Achievement is striving to attain your personal goals, persisting
and giving your best effort.
RESPECT:
'Respect each other and our
environment'. Respect involves taking responsibility for yourself and each
other. Respect is speaking to and interacting with others in a courteous
manner. It is about being honest, reliable and trustworthy.
EMPATHY:
'Treat others
with care and compassion'. Empathy means trying to understand other people's
views or feelings and being supportive and caring towards them.
We believe that values education is an
integral part of our school and as such needs to be clearly reflected in school
policies, codes of conduct and school documentation. These core values are the
cornerstone on which we build our vision and underpin all that we do.
At
Port Douglas State School we have a commitment to provide a safe, caring and
supportive environment that focuses on the needs and emotional wellbeing of the
entire school community. Parents have an obligation to support the school
in its efforts to implement the four school expectations: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be a
Learner. The Principal and staff have an obligation to implement the four
school expectations in a fair and consistent manner.
Students,
staff and parents develop a clear understanding of the school’s policies,
expectations, rights and responsibilities, all of which reflect the School
Values. Students are empowered to assess their own behaviour and develop
strategies to act in a responsible manner. They look at how their learning
is going to make a difference and how it will affect other people.
We
believe that expectations rather than rules will frame student
behaviour. The notion of resiliency is embodied in our school values:
Cooperation
Achievement
Respect
Empathy
We believe that resilience
is an essential skill and our values and expectations support students to adapt
and build healthy relationships. A profile of resiliency includes social
competence, problem solving skills, autonomy and a sense of purpose and
future. Each of the school values is supported by the notion of protective
factors. These include: care and
support, positive expectations, participation and involvement
Shared
Expectations
Port
Douglas State School has developed shared expectations to ensure that the learning,
safety and rights of all are respected.
Our
expectations are intended to be positive in that they set out what is accepted
and appropriate behaviours for our school community. These expectations are displayed in all
classrooms and throughout our school.
Our
school community is diverse and our shared expectations are intended to support
all students, families and staff.