Pastoral Care Program

A Student Wellbeing Coordinator

Our onsite, qualified, Student Wellbeing Coordinator provides valuable one-on-one and small group support for our students with any concerns, issues or questions they may have relating to their health and emotional wellbeing, future plans or elements of school life. Our Student Wellbeing Coordinator is also there to support teachers and parents and runs structured programs as well for both students and parents.

VET Coordinator

We have on staff a VET Coordinator to assist students in the secondary years with questions and decisions regarding future pathways and vocational options.

Designated Pastoral Care Teacher

All students from Prep to Year 10 have a designated homeroom teacher for the purposes of pastoral care and monitoring student wellbeing.

Valuing Community Policy

Our Valuing Community policy is evident and widely promoted and encouraged, ensuring the protection of individuals rights, self-esteem and self-value amongst other things.

Primary Years

Our Wellbeing program starts from Prep and combines elements of:

• With IB Learner Profile attributes – Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Caring, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Risk-Takers, Balanced and Reflective
• the You Can Do It! (YCDI) framework which includes 5 Foundations – Resilience | Confidence | Persistence | Organisation | Getting Along
• Zones of Regulation.

We believe that explicit teaching of these skills and strategies enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of our students. Children learn how to get along with one another, develop problem solving skills and strategies to solve conflicts in a safe, supportive and respectful way and learn about their responsibilities as citizens as they grow older.

Students also participate in a range of social skilling and personal development programs including the Daniel Morecombe Child Safe Curriculum, Stop Think Do and Start Right. Run the first week of the school year, Start Right aims for students to build positive relationships, understand our values in practice, establish daily classroom and school routines and set high expectations to create a safe, positive learning environment. The intent is to ensure everyone has a successful start to their school year and that this continues throughout the year.

Secondary Years

In these years, our pastoral care teachers work with their group of students and their families to ensure that all feel valued and that each student is supported to reach their educational goals.

Our program is based on a house structure and works on a vertical integration of students from Years 7 to 10 in a Pastoral Care Group (PCG). This encourages friendships and support across the year levels and a buddy connection between the oldest and the youngest students in our middle years. Students remain in the same PCG and with the same teacher (where possible) whilst at the College. This allows strong bonds to be formed between the teacher, their students and their families.

The PCGs meet each morning for devotion, informal check-in conversations and administration such as roll marking and daily notices. Twice a week, students meet for a longer PCG session where most of our wellbeing programs and activities are delivered.

Giving Back

As we provide pastoral care for our community, we also encourage our students to help others in ways that they can. Each year our students embark on fundraising activities for various charities and service learning activities.