Pastoral Care and Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our students is our primary concern. As a staff we aim to assist each student to become confident and resilient young adults. We encourage and promote positive behaviour and respectful relationships, which are grounded in love, compassion, reconciliation and justice. Homeroom teachers play an active role in fostering the wellbeing of the students and their families whilst all staff provide students with opportunities to develop self-discipline and positive behaviours in a caring, supportive environment. Seeing children begin to take ownership for their behaviour, support one another and develop their emotional literacy is evidence of the effectiveness of this approach.
School Wide Positive Behaviour for Learning
At St Edmunds College, we are committed to implementing a School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) approach to the teaching and management of student behaviour. SWPBS is successful in reducing problem behaviour, improving school culture, and increasing academic performance.
Our school community has chosen the following school rules to teach and promote our high standards of responsible behaviour:
Be Safe
Be Caring
Be a Good Learner
Pastoral Care Program
The Pastoral Care Program at St Edmund’s College aims to build social and emotional skills, create supportive environments and significantly reduce bullying in school communities. Using the ‘Friendly Schools Plus!’ framework, our students explore and learn five key areas: Self-awareness, Self-management, Social Awareness, Relationship skills and Social decision–making.
SoSAFE is an important part of the Pastoral Care program and is designed to promote social safety skills for people with disabilities and autism. It uses symbols and visuals to teach the type and degree of communicative and physical intimacy appropriate with different groups of people in an individual’s life.
Personalised Planning (PP) Meetings
Within the PP process, the focus is on the assessment of the strengths and needs of individual students and the collaborative setting of goals in the following domains: Curriculum, Communication, Mobility, Personal Care, Safety and Social Skills.
NSW Rural Fire Service Cadet Program
The Year 9 RFS Cadet Program presents students with the opportunity to participate in interesting and challenging training that provide practical life skills, develops leadership, teamwork and initiative skills and fosters qualities of community responsibility and service.
School Camp
Each year, students in Years 7 and 8 and 9 and 10 attend two separate camps and this offers great opportunities for personal and social development, self-care and independent living skills over three days.
Retreats
In all year levels, retreats are offered to provide a time for personal reflection and community sharing, to help students become clearer about their life now and their decisions and goals for the future.
Assembly
Assembly is an important part of our Wellbeing Program. Every fortnight all students and staff from St Edmund’s join together to pray, to listen, to learn, to sing and to celebrate achievements. Some of these achievements include Eddie's Best, Student of the Week awards and Leadership Awards.
House Meetings
Students are placed into one of the colour house teams when enrolling at St Edmund’s College – Mount Sion, Callan, Kilkenny and Waterford. These house names all played a significant part in the life of Blessed Edmund Rice. Students meet fortnightly in vertical groups, where they engage in a pastoral care program with a strong focus on social and emotional learning, anti-bullying, and becoming a cyber-strong college.
Students from Year 7-12 meet every fortnight in their colour houses and are vertically grouped to help promote friendships across the college.
The Play Program
The Playground provides a range of activities to promote social and emotional learning. The 'Chill Out Zone' and the library allows students the opportunity to participate in quieter activities including Lego, books, colouring in and board games. The oval and hall provide music, cricket, basketball and dancing with supervision of all areas with a focus on facilitating social and emotional skills.
Breathe Easy
Breathe Easy is a quiet, calming space that offers students an alternative environment if feeling anxious, angry or upset. Students are taught techniques and strategies for managing difficult emotions.
