At River Gum Primary School, we are committed to creating a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where every student can thrive. One of the key ways we achieve this is through our School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) program. This proactive approach promotes positive behaviour across the whole school, shaping the way students, staff and families work together.
Our SWPBS framework is built around our four core school values: Respect, Excellence, Equality and Inclusion. These values guide our expectations and help create a positive culture in all settings – from the classroom to the playground, and during excursions, camps and sporting events.
Acknowledging Positive Behaviour
Students are recognised whenever they demonstrate our school values or meet classroom expectations. This happens through:
- House Points – awarded when students demonstrate classroom expectations.
- Value Cards – awarded when students demonstrate one of our four school values.
Every acknowledgement contributes points towards a student’s House: Purple Parrots, Orange Dingoes, Yellow Cockatoos and Blue Tongue Lizards. At the end of each year, the winning House is awarded a trophy and a special celebration enjoyed by all House members.
To further recognise consistent effort and commitment to our values:
- Principal Pride Awards are presented each term to students who demonstrate our four school values every single day.
- At the end of the year, one student from each year level is recognised as the Ultimate Values Champion – the student who has earned the most Value Cards across the year.
These acknowledgements promote school spirit, teamwork and a shared sense of pride.
Teaching Positive Behaviour
Staff explicitly teach our school values and expectations across all areas of school life. This includes during Morning Circle at the start of each day, through our wellbeing scope and sequence lessons, during teachable moments in the classroom or the yard, and whilst on excursions, camps and sports.
Building Skills for Life
Through SWPBS, students are encouraged to make positive choices while developing important life skills such as cooperation, respect, fairness and responsibility. By celebrating positive behaviour, we are supporting our students to grow into confident, respectful and inclusive members of the wider community.