GC Launches Safe Harbour School Initiative

At the start of November, the Girls’ College launched their Safe Harbour School initiative by hosting parent partnership and staff development training sessions. The Safe Harbour School initiative is an academic enrichment initiative funded by an investment donation from an alumni family towards inclusive practice and academic support at the Girls’ College. This has allowed the Girls’ College to enter a partnership with Bellavista SHARE and join their Safe Harbour Schools initiative.  

Bellavista SHARE has an established reputation for excellence in specialist education. Their wealth lies in our professional knowledge, experience, and collective expertise. The Safe Harbour School initiative aims to create an educational community where the physical, mental, and emotional wellness are foregrounded with the aim of ensuring each child is academically successful in their own right. It is the realisation of the cognitive potential of each individual regardless of their neurological diversity. The Safe Harbour initiative includes curated, intensive professional development, opportunities for parent education, professional supervision for teachers and school management, evidence-based interventions, and extensive consultation over 3-5 years to bring system-wide change to deepen inclusive practice and pandemic recovery.

The parent and teacher training last week focused on the areas of metacognition (intentionality of how one thinks and learns). Both the parent and staff workshops marked the official launch of the Safe Harbour School initiative in the Girls’ College. The aim was to introduce parents and staff to these new developments in the Girls' College's strategic approach to post-pandemic responsive curriculum planning and holistic student support. The focus of the training sessions has featured the work of Katherine Greenberg and Reuven Feuerstein. The workshop for teachers was a lot more detailed than for parents, with a specific focus on practical tools and skills for the classroom. Teachers were introduced to concept of structural cognitive modifiability, the mediated learning experience, and Cognitive Enrichment Advantage.

Here are some photos from a recent staff workshop: