As a Catholic school, the Pastoral Care for all members of our community is a priority at St Paul’s. We do not believe that we can adequately ‘teach’ the student unless we know each student personally, what motivates them and the important aspects of their life.
When starting at St Paul’s every student is appointed a Pastoral Care (PC) teacher who becomes that student’s primary contact at the College. The PC teacher is also the primary contact for parents should any issues arise. The PC teacher will oversee the student’s holistic development whilst at the College monitoring attendance, academic progress, spiritual development, co-curricular involvement and general growth and development as a teenager. The PC teacher works closely with the Year Coordinator who, in conjunction with the PC teacher, oversees the welfare of all students within that particular year group.
Students meet in their Pastoral Care (PC) group every morning for 20 minutes. This time is used for activities that help build good connections and relationships between the students in the group and allow the PC teacher to get to know the students in depth. These strong connections help to provide a safety net for students in difficult times. This continuity of care also acts as a protective factor against the sense of alienation that can develop in students in school communities. With the same underlying value, students will remain under the care of the same Year Coordinator for at least two years, subject to staff availability.
An important component of Pastoral Care at St Paul’s is the personal development program. This program encompasses camps, retreats, Stage 4, 5 and 6 seminars based on relevant and pertinent issues for each stage of development. Examples include bullying, healthy masculinity, leadership development and relationships.
Bullying is an issue at all schools in Australia and indeed the world. St Paul’s does not tolerate bullying in any form and looks to be proactive by constantly educating our students about bullying. We ask students to sign contracts at the beginning of each year pledging not to engage in such behaviour whilst at St Paul’s. To fulfil our mission to ensure justice and equity for all students the school has a basic list of expectations and a Student Welfare Policy based on a level system.
