Student Support

Integral to the philosophy of support at Morris is the notion that everyone needs additional support in some area at some stage of their life.

This means that we try to create an environment where seeking help and acknowledging personal strengths and weaknesses is valued. The Support Centre is seen as belonging to everyone in Morris.

The Support Centre at Morris provides programs for individuals in a variety of areas.

These areas include literacy, numeracy, social-emotional learning, occupational therapy, language programs and extension.

These programs are designed after detailed assessments of each child’s specific needs along with consultation with parents, teachers and other professionals that may be involved.

Program delivery is flexible and determined by individual needs. For example, some children work in a small group in the Support Centre; some children work 1:1; others’ needs are best catered for by working with a support person in the classroom.

The Support Centre teachers work closely with parents and teachers. The Support Centre is staffed by three teachers, four part-time learning assistants and a part time psychologist. A speech pathologist and occupational therapist also work closely with the staff in the Support Centre.

A curriculum focussed on wellbeing

At Morris there is a Social and Emotional Learning Scope and Sequence that guides the explicit teaching of this subject matter both within and outside the Programme of Inquiry.

At each year level students explore the same five composite skills at developmentally appropriate levels. These five composite skills are:

  • Self Awareness – identifying emotions, recognising strengths
  • Social Awareness – perspective taking, appreciating diversity
  • Self Management – managing emotions, expressing emotions appropriately, goal setting
  • Responsible Decision Making – analysing situations, assuming personal responsibility, respecting others, problem solving
  • Relationship skills – communication, building relationships, negotiation, refusal.

Additional externally provided programs support this scope and sequence. These include:

Bravehearts

A Self Protective Behaviours program for Kinder, Prep and Year 1

The Growing Up Program

A course on becoming adolescents for Years 2 to 6

The Cyber Safety Lady

A program to support safe and ethical use of digital technologies (K–6).