Respectful Relationships and International Women’s Day 2021
Clonard College is proud to be a Respectful Relationships lead school. RR is endorsed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) Respectful Relationships strengthens the culture of respect for all members of our community, which has a significant effect on student engagement in learning, positive learning outcomes and students’ wellbeing and resilience. Students who develop positive and respectful relationships also develop feelings of security, confidence and empowerment. It takes a whole-school approach with commitment and support to ensure that educators lead the way for establishing positive relationships with students and their parents.
A school environment that allows students to explore and challenge stereotypes and societal behaviours will help them to understand the essential elements for developing and maintaining positive and respectful relationships with their friends, family and teachers.
Respectful Relationships Education
Respectful Relationships Education (RRE) is part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to address family violence and promote gender equality through education. It is a direct outcome of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, which identified that schools play a critical role alongside parents in developing attitudes and behaviours enabling young people to form and sustain positive, healthy and respectful relationships now and throughout their lives.
The goals and strategies of RRE align with and support the Victorian Curriculum’s Personal and Social Capabilities, which require schools to deliver appropriate education about standards of behaviour, healthy and respectful relationships including sexuality, resilience, and awareness and prevention of child abuse.
A whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships Education at Clonard
Our RRE is embedded into our Wellbeing and Health and PE curriculums. RRE works by building students’ social and emotional skills and challenging negative attitudes such as prejudice, discrimination and harassment that can limit opportunities for children and young people, regardless of gender. Promoting gender equality and respect has benefits for everyone.
A whole-school approach to Wellbeing and RRE ensures that positive attitudes and behaviours that support respect and gender equality are taught, modelled and expected across the entire school community. This requires a focus on building the capacity, knowledge and skills of school leaders, teachers, staff, students and families.
Respectful Relationships identifies six elements of a whole-school approach for RRE:
- Leadership and commitment
- School culture and environment
- Professional learning strategy
- Teaching and learning
- Community partnerships
- Support for students and staff.
Curriculum context: Materials and resources
The DET Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) Resource was developed to support the broader RRE initiative.
Topics 1–6 are highly suitable for use in Catholic schools and compliment the explicit Wellbeing curriculum and cover social and emotional topics including:
- Emotional literacy
- Personal strengths
- Positive coping
- Problem-solving
- Stress management
- Help-seeking.
Topics 7 and 8 have a focus on gender and identity and positive gender relations, including some aspects of child abuse and protection education. We teach these topics with a high level of discernment, and always presented from the perspective and teachings of the Catholic faith.
If you have any questions or queries about our role as a Respectful Relationship lead school please contact/email Tania Anticev or Lisa Armstrong-Rowe.
International Women’s Day breakfast with Dr Bree Gorman
International Women’s Day 2021 – Choose to Challenge
‘We are so excited to know that everyone who attended today are advocating for us as students and for our beliefs. We feel heard, validated and excited for a future of change’. – Lucy and Alisha, College
Captains after the International Women’s Day breakfast at Clonard with former student Dr Bree Gorman of Bree Gorman consulting.
Bree was our guest and focused on issues related to gender identity and inclusion. She challenged the participants to commit to change and hold ourselves accountable for our actions.
Who is your female role model and why?
For the whole week, we marked IWD by celebrating the female role models in our lives. Thank you to the communications leaders in Years 9-12 who interviewed their peers to find out who their role models are and why!
