Counseling and Guidance

The school provides a comprehensive counselling service catering for students’ emotional, social, behavioural, educational, and career guidance needs. These services are provided by a full-time counsellor. The Programme Coordinators and Home-Room teachers provide additional guidance and pastoral support to students at their levels. The school also has a part-time College Admissions Advisor.

There is a school-wide focus on social and emotional learning (SEL). Social and emotional learning promotes the development of knowledge, attitudes and skills related to personal, physical and social well-being. SEL is concerned with the development of the individual with regard to feelings, beliefs, behaviours and choices and helps students to examine how these can influence their present and future lives. The school has adopted a trans-disciplinary approach to SEL in recognition of its importance, its application in all areas of the curriculum and its relevance to life beyond school. As such, SEL activities are inquiry-based and concept-driven, and can take place both within and outside of the Units of Inquiry or areas of subject specialisation.

Students in the Middle and High School years also attend a Student Advisory period once in each ten-day cycle. Activities in Student Advisory support the development of positive learning habits and skills and the development of social and emotional competencies.

ESL Support:

School policy states that: ‘All WIS students should also have reasonable expectation for meeting the School’s graduation requirements with appropriate English language skills. Therefore, where a student seeking admission has English as a second* language, enrolment will be dependent upon their ability to access the curriculum in line with this expectation.’ (Policy 7.115)

ESL specialists provide both in-class and small group withdrawal support, as appropriate. The ESL teacher/s works closely with class teachers to ensure that support provided is relevant and directed towards helping ESL students to access the curriculum within the classroom. The development of a programme of training and specialist support for teachers, to enable them to provide ESL support in the mainstream, has been identified as a priority by the 2008 CIS/NEASC Accreditation Report.

Health Support:

The school employs a full-time Registered Nurse to provide first aid and emergency treatment for students who become ill or who are injured during the course of the school day. The school engages paramedical services in the event of any serious illness or injury. In the event that the School Nurse is absent from school, the school engages a fully registered Agency Nurse to provide cover. The school has a designated First Aid room that is located in the administration block, close to the front of the school, allowing easy access for parents or paramedical services.