Holistic Education
Equipping students with values, 21st Century skills, and emotional development to achieve their personal best and thrive as global citizens.
Equipping students to achieve their personal best and thrive as 21st Century global citizens
Holistic Education is the fullest possible development of the person, encouraging individuals to become the very best that they can be (Hare, 2010). Our teachers are deeply committed to their moral purpose which is to nurture the potential of each student to achieve their personal best.
Holistic Education is everything we do as a school to support students to become the best version of themselves and to develop all their human dimensions. Holistic Education has been evolving at Glenunga over the past decade and is made up of key components. These include:
School Values
Our values of ExcellencePB, OpportunityU, International Mindedness and Harmony, guide the directions, actions and behaviours of our school that create our positive culture.
ExcellencePB OpportunityU Harmony International Mindedness
Social and Emotional Development
We recognise that student wellbeing is essential for learning. Teachers have a role in explicitly monitoring the wellbeing of their students, teaching the tools of wellbeing and what to do if you need support. School adults have a deep understanding of the stages of adolescent development that students experience during Years 7 to 12 and use this to work effectively with students. We use the Essence of Adolescence (Daniel Siegel, M.D., 2014) to better understand what drives student behaviours and to know how to best support them, while also recognising that all students are individuals.
21st Century Skills (Glenunga 5Cs)
We have redeveloped our 21st Century Skills (5Cs) – Creative and Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, Citizenship and Character – in collaboration with the University of Melbourne New Metrics initiative. Students have the opportunity to develop these human skills which are critical to navigating and responding to a range of situations that happen at life in school and beyond.
Student Engagement (Co-Curricular Opportunities)
Student connection with their school contributes greatly to their success and wellbeing. We actively cultivate that connection for all our students through creating an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and connected to school and where everyone contributes to our positive culture. We want students to exercise agency through engaging with co-curricular opportunities such as Student Life, sport, service, leadership and participation in school activities. We also recognise and celebrate their involvement outside of school.
Learner Journey
The Learner Journey enables students to focus on their development as a learner and young person. They track their progress, reflect on their growth and thoughtfully plan how they can develop further. It incorporates the 5C’s capabilities, the LEAPPB curriculum, Future Focused Pathways Planning and knowledge and understandings from subject areas. The Glenunga ePortfolio, our student-led Learner Conferences, and the student’s Learner Profile are critical components of this process. In 2024 Semester 2 families will be able to access their young person’s Learner Profile.
