Â鶹Çø are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all members of its Â鶹Çø, with a clear commitment to safety and wellbeing of all our students, where consideration of the dignity of the person is central.
PASTORAL CARE
In promoting holistic education and development, Â鶹Çø aims for every student to succeed as a resilient and independent learner who aims to achieve personal and educational goals, as outlined in the Attributes of an Aquinas Student. To facilitate this goal, the College is founded on the premise that the best way to pastorally care for our students is by encouraging them to be the best learner they can be. Students who learn successfully tend to enjoy school and its benefits through a strong sense of identity and belonging. In order to practice holistic education, teaching and interactions with students are based on mutual respect for each member of the Â鶹Çø.
- Middle Years: Homeroom
- Senior Years: Mentor
Middle Years Pastoral Care is structured around learning groups. Across Middle Years, students have most of their core subjects together, this may include English, Maths, Humanities, Science and RE. This enables the Pastoral Care to be focused on the class and build a sense of familiarity and friendship that leads to belonging and identity within each learning group. Students have Homeroom each morning with the focus of the sessions enhancing organisational skills and the development of a sense of self and connectedness through belonging. Each student in the Middle Years is assigned to a House and a Team Leader who oversees the student’s general wellbeing and progress.
Pastoral Care in the Senior Years is organised differently to reflect the emphasis on the learning experience. The learning groups are shaped differently to account for the students’ different stages of development and their sense of future and chosen pathways. Aquinas believes that at this stage students need a Mentor to assist with learning, to guide learning progress, often on an individual basis rather than just within the structures offered in the Middle Years. Students are allocated to a Mentor who meets with them individually to help set learning objectives, resolve any critical learning matters, assist with organisation and management, and deal with the range of concerns that may be obstacles to their achievement of set goals. Each student in the Senior Years maintains membership of their House and is supported by a Year Level Leader who oversees the student’s general wellbeing and progress.
A SAFE SCHOOL
Our Pastoral Care processes are nurturing and our staff committed to upholding the care and safety of all children. All College staff, inclusive of volunteers and visitors are required to meet our Child Safety responsibilities by adhering to our Code of Conduct. As a Catholic school, Â鶹Çø upholds our moral, legal and mission driven responsibility to create a nurturing school environment where children and young people are respected, their voices are heard and they are safe and feel safe (CECV Commitment Statement to Child Safety).
There is a range of policies and procedures which aim to keep all students safe from harm, and these reflect both our moral and legislative responsibilities for the provision of child safety. The policies reflect the guiding principles of the Victorian Child Safety Standards as set out in the Ministerial Order no. 870.
Some key policies are found below:
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
Student leadership is valued at Aquinas and opportunities are provided at each level to represent peers and develop student voice. Student leaders discuss matters pertinent to student wellbeing and contribute to discussions regarding the strategic direction of the College.
College Captains represent the student body in a range of forums and assemblies are student led. A Year 12 Leader is selected each year to join the College Board to provide a student perspective to our governing body. There are a number of formal and informal opportunities across all year levels to participate in student leadership.
RESTORATIVE PRACTICES
Â鶹Çø is committed to being a relationship-centred school with restorative practices at its core. As a restorative practices school, we put relationships at the centre of our wellbeing policies and practices. Restorative practice is a strategy which seeks to build, maintain and restore the partnerships between students and staff. Of particular importance is the process of repairing relationships which have been damaged.
Restorative practices can be undertaken in a variety of ways from informal discussions to circle time right through to formal restorative meetings and has been used with great success at Â鶹Çø since its introduction in 2014. At the core of restorative practices is the belief in the importance of hearing from those who have been affected by inappropriate behaviour or comments. Staff provide support and guidance to bring about a positive and productive discussion.
STUDENT WELLBEING
We consider the care, safeguarding and wellbeing of children and young people central to the core values, mission and vision of our College. Student wellbeing is essential to good learning and Aquinas ensures that every student is involved in programs that support good knowledge and a practical understanding of positive physical and mental health.
This concept underpins our practices to enhance holistic student learning that enables spiritual, emotional, social, academic and physical growth. These programs are part of both the curriculum and are also delivered through co-curricular activities. The student Wellbeing Program promotes positive social behaviour, facilitates health awareness, and oversees programs about Mental Health, Child Safety, Cyber Safety, and Personal Growth, which aim to build resilience, a sense of self, belonging, identity to encourage the person to embark in a journey aspiring to be the best version they can be of themselves.
YFC
The Youth and Family Centre (YFC) provides counselling and guidance for a range of educational, personal and family issues and concerns. The services available include counselling, case management and liaison with external agencies in order to support students required additional assistance. The support is delivered by a team of psychologists, social workers and youth workers, and aims to engage parents and students in order to repair and overcome personal matters. Support is offered to individuals alone or in groups, and attempts to always support families in their role as carers for the students. The Director, Youth and Family Centre may also provide a useful starting point for information about adolescent issues and referral sources.
Health Centre
The Health Centre is available to all staff and students and is operated by four qualified Division 1 nurses. The Health Centre services the health needs of our College Â鶹Çø on a daily basis and provides initial care and follow up of all serious injuries. It provides assistance with medication and monitoring of medical conditions - in particular Asthma, Diabetes, Epilepsy and Anaphylaxis. The Health Centre links staff, students and parents regarding student health issues. It cares for and educates students in health seeking behaviours and healthy lifestyles. The Health Centre maintains confidential health records and monitors the incidence of all accidents and injuries. The Health Centre staff assist with the case management of students when required.