How community partnerships foster wellbeing So, what do we understand by wellbeing?

1. How community partnerships foster wellbeingSo, what do we understand by wellbeing? A Model for Student(?) Wellbeing Encompasses physical, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual well-being Positive sense of personal identity, self-worth and purpose STUDENT Supportive relationships between parents, fellow learners, teachers and others A sense of belonging and participation within the community …The trick is understanding how this model can apply to ALL stakeholders Community wellbeing flourishes when these three factors are developed symmetrically

2. Articulating wellbeing across the community

3. Connecting and mobilising community stakeholders Business and external community Building connectedness Parents and Friends Students Teachers Joined up thinking and synergy Collaborative partnership Ad hoc cooperation

4. Empowering stakeholders to climb Hart’s participation ladder • Climbing Hart’s Ladder encourages the development of student-initiated and other stakeholder- led partnerships to achieve community objectives: • Anti-Bullying Committee - ABC • (rung 7/8) • Interact Club (rung 6+) • The Eco - Committee - E Team s (rung 6) • Student Representative Council – SRC (rung 5/6) • Creativity, Action, Service – CAS (rung 4/5) • Prefect and Monitor system (rung 4) stakeholder Parents can also develop partnerships to effect change

5. Partnerships with business – Checklist 1 • Preliminary Planning • How can a partnership add to student experience? • What are our learning needs? Why can’t we do this alone? • Who might be potential partners? • Look inside and outside school for a good fit. • Involve parents and friends for ideas and connections. • Empower stakeholdersto look for opportunities. • Understandyour core values and those of your potential partner. • Draft a partnership proposaland submit it. • Coordinate follow-up meeting or call. • Don’t waste time on planning forever. Set timelines for action.

6. Partnerships with business – Checklist 2 • Laying the Foundation • Have robust discussions about values, goals and needs… but move on • Be tolerant of each partner’s desired level of involvement. • Assess the impact of the partnership on students • Real engagement not vague promises • Define measurablegoals. Be S M A R T • Determine duration of partnership on a project basis • Collaborate with partner to identify partnership activities. • Align activities with education goals of the school SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-constrained

7. Partnerships with Business – Checklist 3 • Implementation • Work to embed activities into the school and business culture. • Ensure that activities are fun and social • Make sure the management structure of the project is clear, e.g. who is accountable? • As personnel changes occur, establish good relationships with new members • Provide training for all involved parties where necessary. You are : Hired Fired

8. Partnerships with Business – Checklist 4 • Sustaining the Partnership • Secure explicit support at all levels of the school and business. • Ensure top management is on board. • Keep staff and other stakeholders informed and involved. • Provide the community with an opportunity give feedback • Celebrate achievements – ‘Bury the dead quickly’ • Communicate regularly and personally. • Ensure partners are publicly and privately recognized.

9. Partnerships with Business – Checklist 5 • Evaluation • Conduct regular evaluations and monitoring. • If partnership is ending, have a debrief discussion to determine partnership satisfaction and effectiveness.

10. “Joining Hands for Our Children” • Profile • All parents are members • Executive is elected • Procedures governed by a Constitution • Teachers are represented • Classes (in PS) and Forms (in SS) have parent representatives • Meetings are regular , advertised and supported by the school administration • Principal has ‘open door’ to parents and meets approx. weekly with PARIS Chair • PARIS has active ‘focus groups’ – Arabic Language, English conversation, Traffic & Safety, e.g. ‘Buckle Up Campaign’ • Fund raisers and Events: Souqs, Bake Sales, Movie Nights, UAE and International Days • Teacher Appreciation Principal Teacher Reps Admin Manager Clinic Catering Focus Groups Careers Fair ABC SRC SaltimbancoItaliano (circus skills) PARIS

11. Workshops & Seminars P A R I S Clinic and PARIS Well Women seminar Buckle Up Campaign First Aid and CPR Workshop

12. Contributions and sponsorships P A R I S Chess sets Chess Tournaments

13. P A R I S Organizing Community events

14. The E-teams E -Team visit to Turtle Release Centre Jumeirah Resort January 2014 Showing parents and students the medicinal qualities of plants grown in the Eco Garden

15. …more from the E-Team Students working with the cafeteria manager to ensure food scraps are used in the Bokashi bins Students working with parents and explaining the plants in the Eco Garden. Plants raised from seed ready to be planted in the Eco-garden Students working with security and domestic staff to ensure recycling

16. Interact Club • Activities: • Working with the staff and students at SENSES • Teaching English to support workers • Desert Clean Up campaign (with DIA and Greenfield Community School) Desert Clean Up Helping out at SENSES “Giving back through Interact”

17. Anti-Bullying Committee (ABC) • لجنة مواجهة التنمر • How it started (2012) • Started with a vision to maintain a friendly and supportive atmosphere in a rapidly growing school • Dedicated to supporting victims of bullying through positive peer pressure is better than knee-jerk teacher/parent intervention • Caring about the person, victim or bully, building dialogue and offering referral to a trained counselor can be provided by students • Our procedures • Leadership style is democratic but assertive • Cases are referred to an advisory council (teachers and Parents • Disciplinary matters are referred to senior teachers with recommendations • The school counselor provides advice andmentoring to members Radio broadcasts PARIS interface Expert Workshops for teachers and parents School Counsellor Next steps: Network with other schools in Dubai

18. Circus Skills at RWA