Meet the BISC-LP Student Community Directors: How BISC-LP Supports Student Wellbeing, Safety and Belonging

True learning thrives where trust builds the foundation, wellbeing fuels the journey, and community ensures no student walks alone. At British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park, student wellbeing is central to how we help children feel safe, known and ready to learn.

At British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park (BISC-LP), we believe that education is about far more than academic success. High-quality teaching and learning are at the heart of what we do, but we also know that children learn best when they feel safe, valued and connected to the people around them.

If a child is worried about a friendship, struggling with their emotions or finding it difficult to manage a challenge, it can have a real impact on their ability to learn. When children feel secure, know who they can turn to and feel that they belong, they are much better placed to engage with learning, take risks and make the most of their time at school.

This is why we have a Student Community Director (SCD) team.

We work with students, teachers, families and school leaders to support children's wellbeing, personal development, behavior and safety. Sometimes that means responding to situations which need support. Sometimes it means ensuring we have systems in place before a problem takes place. And sometimes it is simply about being a familiar adult who a child knows they can come and talk to.

Our aim is straightforward: we want every child at BISC-LP to feel safe, known and valued.

Meet the Team

Our Student Community Director team is made up of:

• Lowri Covello-Phillips, Year 6 Teacher
• Simon Rooney, Year 3 Teacher
• Danielle Williams, Dragonflies Teacher

Between us, we work across different stages of the school, giving us a broad view of children's experiences from the early years through to the end of primary school.

We also work closely with our Pre-Nursery Directors, Mr. Gregory, Deputy Principal for Community and Wellbeing, the Senior Leadership Team, school counsellor and teaching staff. This helps us maintain a consistent approach to wellbeing, behavior and personal development across the school.

What Does a Student Community Director do at BISC Lincoln Park?

There isn't really a typical day for an SCD.

You might see us leading an assembly, joining a Circle Time session, talking to a child about something that has happened, supporting a teacher with a behavior concern or celebrating something a child has achieved.

A great deal of our work, however, happens behind the scenes. We support the school in making sure that children's wellbeing, personal development and safety are considered in the decisions we make and the systems we put in place.

Our work includes:

• Supporting children's social and emotional development
• Leading and monitoring safeguarding processes, as a part of the school’s safeguarding team
• Developing and delivering the PSHE curriculum
• Supporting positive behavior through restorative approaches
• Monitoring attendance and engagement
• Creating and facilitating Community Circle Time sessions
• Supporting children experiencing social, emotional or behavioral challenges
• Working with families when concerns arise
• Celebrating children's achievements and personal growth
• Developing policies and systems that provide consistency across the school
• Ensuring we have resources and approaches that support children's personal development
• Supporting staff with strategies around wellbeing, emotional regulation and positive relationships

Although our work extends throughout the whole school, it is closely connected to what happens in the classroom. When children feel safe, settled and supported, they are better able to engage with their learning, build relationships and make the most of their time at school.

The Goal Squad

An important part of our work is making sure that the Goal Squad is part of everyday school life.

The Goal Squad gives us a shared language for talking with children about their choices, their relationships and the way they respond when things don't go according to plan.

You will see it reflected in assemblies, PSHE lessons, Circle Time, celebrations and everyday conversations between children and adults.

Through this, we encourage children to develop qualities such as:

• Responsibility
• Respect
• Empathy
• Resilience
• Collaboration
• Self-reflection

We want these qualities to be something children recognize and practice in real situations- in the classroom, on the playground, in friendships and as members of the wider school community.

The aim isn't simply for children to know the words. It is for them to understand what these qualities look like in practice and gradually become more confident in applying them themselves.

Supporting Positive Behavior

Children are still learning how to manage emotions, relationships, disagreements and difficult situations. Getting things wrong is part of that process.

Our approach to behavior is based on three simple beliefs:

• Everyone is a good person.
• People are separate from their behavior.
• Mistakes are necessary for growth.

This doesn't mean that behavior doesn't have consequences or that expectations are unclear. It means that when something goes wrong, we try to help children understand what happened, take responsibility, repair relationships where necessary and consider what they could do differently next time.

We want children to understand that making a mistake does not ‘stick’ to you! What matters is being willing to reflect, learn and make a better choice next time.

This restorative approach also helps us build consistency across the school, so that children know what is expected of them and know that the adults around them will respond in a fair and considered way.

Working with Families

We know that children do best when the adults around them are working together. Families looking for a private primary school in Chicago often want to know how their child will be supported beyond academics. This partnership between school and home is central to our approach.

Parents know their children extremely well, and the information you share with us can often help us understand what is happening for a child at school. Equally, there may be times when something we notice at school is useful for you to know about at home.

Families are welcome to speak to the SCD team about things such as:

• Friendship difficulties
• Emotional wellbeing
• Changes in behavior
• Attendance
• Social development
• Safeguarding concerns
• Significant changes or events at home
• Questions about our approach to behavior or personal development

Sometimes a conversation is simply about sharing information and making sure that everyone has the same understanding of how a child is doing.

We don't expect every difficulty to be solved by school, and we certainly don't have all the answers. What we can do is listen, work alongside families and help make sure that children have the right support around them.

Why the Role Matters

Much of the work of the Student Community Directors is about the small, everyday things that help children feel settled and ready to learn.

It might be helping a child work through a disagreement with a friend, supporting them after a difficult morning, helping them reflect on a poor choice, or being someone they know they can come and talk to.

It is also about looking at the bigger picture. We consider how our policies, routines, curriculum and approaches affect children's day-to-day experience of school. We support staff, work with families and help the school respond consistently when children need additional support. Not all this work is visible. Much of it happens quietly in the background, and that is often how it should be.

What matters is that children know there are adults around them who will listen, take them seriously and help them when things are difficult. It also matters that they are given the opportunity to learn from their experiences, take responsibility and develop the skills they will need as they grow.

We are very fortunate to work with children at such an important stage of their development. Alongside their academic education, we want to help them develop the confidence, self-awareness, relationships and values that will support them throughout their lives.

That is why the Student Community Director team exists: to help make BISC Lincoln Park a school where children feel safe, where they know they belong, and where they have the support they need to learn, develop and thrive. If you would like to learn more about our approach to wellbeing, personal development and learning, we invite you to connect with our admissions team.

Discover how BISC Lincoln Park helps children feel safe, supported and inspired to learn. Visit our website to book a tour or make an enquiry. https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/bisc-lincoln-park

Lowri Covello-Phillips

Year 6 Teacher & Student Community Director