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Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of all our pastoral work.
He provides the model on which we base all our dealings with people.
We acknowledge that Pastoral Care involves care of, for and by the
total community. As children come into contact most often with staff,
it is they who must provide a model of 'care' and all that is implicit
in that role.
Every person in the St. Mary's School community is a participant in our Pastoral Care Program.
Our Beliefs about Pastoral Care
We believe that PASTORAL CARE is a complex process of:
Building community through a sense of relationships.
Growth and care of each individual - through personal interaction which acknowledges
 that each child is a unique gift from God.
Preparing our children to live a happy and fulfilling life within a community.
Meeting the specific needs of individuals through early intervention
and provision of
after care.
METHODOLOGY
At St. Mary's School we practice Pastoral Care in all that we
do with other people, particularly with the children in our care.
There are many ways in which our Pastoral nature is displayed,
these can include:
Positive encouragement to all individuals
Supporting individuals in their endeavours
Celebrating successes
Recognising achievements
Developing personal relationships with each child
Use of 'stickers'
Student of the Week awards
Recognising birthdays
Celebration of the Liturgy together
Parent consultation in appropriate situations
Personal contact from the school to home
Friendly smiles
A welcoming attitude to all visitors to the school
A positive caring role model for children
Much of our Pastoral teaching is done through our Religious Education
Program (School Based) and the area of Pastoral Care can never
be divorced from this. The attitudes and practices of our R.E.
program go a long way to developing caring people who are able
to pastorally care for others.
STRATEGIES
Pastoral carers may implement strategies and actions including:
General:
Home contact
Encouraging and supporting others
Taking the time to learn about others, to 'hear' their story
Personalising our interaction with others by talking with them
Being aware of moods, emotions, responses of others
Encouraging and maintaining positive, honest communication
Giving affirmation
Children:
Involvement in personal growth programs
Combining year level experiences i.e. Paraliturgies, Assemblies etc.
Being active participants in the Pastoral life of the school.
Parents:
To be encouraged to be involved in school and parish activities
To be active participants in the Pastoral life of the school.
To support and encourage children, teachers and other parents
in their roles within our community.
Staff: Being positive and acting justly
in the guidance of children
Shared staff decision making
To support and encourage parents in their role
To support and encourage fellow teachers in their role
To provide for regular discussion of Pastoral care needs and issue
To attend specific Inservices as necessary
Implement Personal Growth programs
To demonstrate a commitment to Pastoral Care and Pastoral Care
programs
PASTORAL CARE PROGRAMS
St. Mary's runs a number of Pastoral care programs including:
Seasons
Seasons is another grief and loss program that is specifically
designed to assist older children deal with grief and loss situations
in their lives. All facilitators (teachers) are trained to administer
the program and all sessions are confidential.
Be A Friend
This is a program designed to assist those children who have low
self esteem.
Buddy System
The Prep children will be allocated a 'Buddy' during their first
weeks at school. The role of the Buddy will be to ensure that
all prep children are settled into the school and know where toilets
are, where they can play and the general routines of the school.
Teachers of Prep and Year Six classes will co-ordinate this program
and monitor during the year.
Discipline Policy
St. Mary's have a well formulated Discipline Policy. Our discipline
strategies are fair and just and reflect a positive approach to
behaviour and self control. A copy of the Policy document is available
in the 'School Policy' section of this information book.
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