In a small town known for fishing, cattle and sugar cane farms, a friendly possum is at the heart of big changes at Dundula State School.
While a school possum might sound mischievous, this one has helped increase student attendance from 86.4% to 92% since last year. It has also brought the school community together with its teachings of positive behaviour.
Shortly after Dundula State School principal Tammy Lando arrived at the Central Queensland school in 2023, she observed opportunities for growth in students' behaviour.
So she called on teacher—and now
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) coach—Renee Whitmore and their school chaplain to lead positive behaviour in their school.
Tammy says that since starting to teach positive behaviour this year, the team has seen big changes in a matter of weeks.
'We've had no suspensions and we've had little to no behaviour incidents,' she says.
Renee Whitmore says they started the 12-month journey by working with the school community to set 4 shared expectations.
'These are: longlife learners, fostering kindness, striving for greatness and sustainability,' she says.
Making a mascot
Renee says to bring the new expectations to life, they needed a PBL mascot; a fun and relatable symbol of the positive behaviours they aim to nurture each day.
'The Aboriginal name, Dundula, is said to mean "place of many possums" or "place of many gum trees",' she says.
'With possums featuring in signage across the campus, our Possum Café and academic certificates—and a few wild ones in the gardens—the community agreed the most fitting mascot would be a possum.'
After holding a student drawing competition to come up with the mascot's design, the school community had the task of choosing a name. PaBLo was a clear winner, with the letters 'PBL' standing out.
Now PaBLo is displayed across the school and in every classroom, alongside the school's 4 expectations.
Renee says PaBLo is a constant reminder for students of their PBL expectations—and it's more effective than words alone.
'Especially with our little people who can't read yet, they know that symbol—that character—means the 4 school expectations,' Renee says.
Making Mondays fun
Mondays at Dundula State School are now the highest attending day, with student attendance around 95.4%.
What makes Mondays special at Dundula is that students wear PaBLo t-shirts and explore their interests for 'Clubs Day'.
'We told families, "You can get a t-shirt from anywhere, any colour. The more colours the better",' Tammy says.
Parents and the P&C donated a number of shirts and covered logo printing costs to ensure every student could be involved.
Renee says students told them wearing their PaBLo shirt puts them in a good mood and they feel proud of their school and what PaBLo means.
'It helps remind everyone to do the right thing and be good role models,' she says.
Tammy says when PaBLo t-shirts were introduced this year, around 90% of students were wearing them within the first 3 weeks.
The idea for students to wear PaBLo and display their school expectations was inspired by a similar initiative led by Renee Whitmore at Dundula State School, where staff wear shirts with the message 'be kind' every day.
Pairing PaBLo t-shirts with Club Day allows students across all year levels to explore their interests and feel proud of who they are.
Club Day runs on Monday afternoons and is based around interests that range from Lego to crafts and painting.
Renee runs the Gardening Club and loves that Club Day allows students to shine outside an academic classroom environment.
PBL in practice
Tammy says that while PBL doesn't undo what’s already happened, it can change how we respond to it.
'When a child comes to school and can’t read, we teach them. It’s the same with behaviour,' she explains.
'We often assume students know how to behave—but sometimes, they simply haven’t been taught.'
Renee says through collaboration, teachers and staff created clear guidelines for managing behaviour consistently across all aspects of the school.
'Dundula State School students have an opportunity to earn vouchers called "little good one" for demonstrating our behaviour expectations,' Renee says.
'Every second Wednesday, students head to the "little good ones shop" to exchange their paper slips for reward vouchers.
All the classes brainstormed what they would like [as rewards], whether it was free dress, no homework for a week or free time—that was really popular.'
Dundula State School’s chaplain also delivers the Zones of Regulation program which teaches students to recognise and manage their emotions within the 4 colour-coded 'zones'.
Renee says that when students can identify their emotions and use strategies to self-regulate, they are more likely to engage positively in learning and social interactions, which reinforces the school's PBL expectations.
Tammy says every member of the school community feels proud of what they've accomplished together.
'When you walk through our school, it has a feeling of calm and kindness,' she says.
'Everyone that enters the gate plays an important role.'
How to embed PBL into your school culture: 5 tips inspired by Dundula State School
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Celebrate your unique school
Like Dundula State School, consider local fauna or the First Nations meaning of your school's name or town (as suitable) as a visual symbol to connect the school and students with PBL.
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Involve the community
Seek feedback from students, staff, parents, caregivers and the community about any big changes.
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Make it fun
Host games, student competitions and lessons that communicate and support student behaviour expectations while involving them in the process.
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Have a PBL representative
Establish a figure students can look up to and trust for PBL. This could be a staff member, a mascot or student leader (perhaps all 3!).
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Make it visible
Incorporate PBL into events and daily school life. Ideas could include wearable badges, ribbons, shirts or signage. These visual reminders could feature a school mascot, an image representing PBL and/or the school's values.