Pastoral Care
St Clare’s College prides itself on the role the staff and community play in the shaping of our young women. Our aim is to ensure that every student is cared for both within a formal and informal structure. The pastoral dimension of St Clare’s College is based upon the premise that all members of our community are created in the image of God and thus students encounter the love of God through their experiences of being treated with, and treating others with, compassion, love and forgiveness. It is hoped that by celebrating the giftedness of all our young women, they may grow into self-confident young adults, capable of acting with honesty and integrity and ready to serve.
Pastoral Care integrates the religious, academic and social spheres of the college and provides an environment which promotes the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual well-being of all students. Our implicit and explicit interactions, our rituals and ceremonies, the way in which we facilitate teaching and learning, the way in which we design and implement policy and protocols are all a reflection of the quality of pastoral care in the college.
All members of our community including staff, students and parents are encouraged to support each other in the context of our pastoral dimension. It is the responsibility of all staff members to be active in the provision of pastoral care to students and their families in the spirit of the College vision which states that as a community St Clare’s College ‘affirms, nurtures and empowers all members’ and is ‘committed to love, peace, joy and hope’. The Pastoral Care Program is run within year levels.
Pastoral Care Groups meet each morning, enabling the interaction and participation of students and teachers in a small, personal environment. Each year group meets as a whole community on a regular basis to experience the integrated program of social and emotional care. The Pastoral Care Leader is the person the student has initial communication with in relation to matters such as attendance, uniform, personal issues and general advice.
St Clare’s College promotes resolution and restorative practices rather than punishment. A positive approach, which seeks to bring about change in the behaviour and thinking of the student(s) will be used wherever possible.
Pastoral Care at St Clare’s College
Our Pastoral Care structure at St Clare’s College aims to:
- develop quality processes of care for students
- build up continuity of care
- develop a strong bond for students to the other members of their Pastoral group
- ensure that no student can pass through school not known well by at least one significant adult
- create an increased sense of community and belonging by providing a framework within which quality and lasting relationships are fostered between students and teachers thereby ensuring that a healthy discipline is fostered in students individually and the student body as a whole
- enhance the development of Restorative Practices within the school to give students an opportunity to develop sustained and nurturing relationships with their peers
- enable parents to develop a strong and on-going personal relationship with their daughter’s Pastoral Care Leader.