09 Aug 2019
Berry Public School was recognised at the 2019 Education Week Awards with an Executive Director's Award for its significant contribution to achieving the strategic goals of NSW Department of Education.
Representatives from the staff and P&C were on hand to receive the award on behalf of the school community.
The citation for the award is below.......
Berry Public School.
This award recognises the outstanding commitment of Berry Public School staff, students and parents working in partnership to achieve the key strategic direction of the school plan: to provide a comprehensive and inclusive wellbeing framework and advance parent and community partnerships to further strengthen the positive school culture known as “The Berry Way”.
The School Culture Team and P&C have led the implementation of a wide range of integrated programs that promote and enhance student wellbeing and resilience, reduce bullying, and ensure EVERY student at Berry Public School is known, valued and cared for.
The successful strategies have included:
- Professional learning for all staff focused on mental health, resilience and effective support for students;
- Providing a voice to students, parents and teachers through annual surveys and focus groups, followed by detailed data analysis by the team;
- Reframing the school rules as “The Berry Way” to reflect the core values of the community and ensuring visual presentation throughout the school and in all classrooms;
- Aligning the celebration and recognition of student progress and achievements with “The Berry Way”, including new reporting on student social and emotional outcomes.
- An annual Kidsmatter Celebration Day to explicitly focus on teaching core values and associated behaviours and expectations;
- A tailored K-6 wellbeing and resilience curriculum;
- An enhanced Peer Leaders Support Program;
- Playground Buddy Seats;
- Providing a wealth of support, information and resources about resilience, wellbeing and anti-bullying strategies for parents on the school website and social media;
- A 'ParentsMatter' program to support parents, including workshops facilitated by world renowned experts such as Maggie Dent;
- 'The Fathering Project' which has seen an exponential rise in the engagement and connection of families through events targeted at fathers and father figures.
- The “Flourish Movement” with Dr Adam Fraser to enhance staff wellbeing.
The School and P&C are worthy recipients of this award in recognition of their outstanding work, and the positive impact on the entire school community.