Pastoral Care at Girton – an Overview
Delivering good Pastoral Care is one of the most important aspects of the School’s operations. Excellence in Pastoral Care is achieved through generating connectedness, collegiality and positive relationships. A key to this is the recognition and development of Emotional Intelligence and the acknowledgment of the importance of adherence to the “Golden Rule” – do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Student wellbeing is integrated across all of Girton’s curriculum, programs and activities and is specifically implemented through Yale University’s internationally renowned ‘RULER’ approach – a program that develops social and emotional literacy skills in students and teachers. As the first Australian school to adopt RULER, Girton Grammar is a national leader in the development of Emotional Intelligence in Schools.
Every student at , both Junior and Senior, is allocated to one of the six houses: Aherne, Frew, Jenkin, Jones, Millward or Riley. The House system fosters a sense of connectedness to the wider School Community. The traditions of loyalty, pride and involvement through participation are fostered.
In the Senior School (Years 7 to 12) the Pastoral Care Model is based on the House system. Each Head of House, supported by an Assistant Head of House, develops the philosophy or “flavour” of their cohort and co-ordinates the House Tutors and their students. The student will become well known by the House Tutor in all aspects of daily life: academic performance; co-curricular involvement; social cohesiveness; standards of behaviour and the student’s interests outside school. It is important that every student has a sense of belonging within the larger school community and our House system fosters this.
In Junior School, while the Houses are still vigorously celebrated, the Pastoral Care model is classroom and Year Level based with the classroom teacher being the first point of contact and taking responsibility for the pastoral care of their students.
Across the whole School we believe in a social and emotional learning approach where “how you feel” determines “how you learn” – emotion, motivation and cognition are the defining aspects of our model of learning. Getting young people to analyse and understand their own behaviours is a vital component of the educational journey.
Student well-being directly impacts the learning process and at Girton Grammar, the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and spiritual health of our students and staff is a priority. It is important that every student has a sense of belonging within the larger school community and a sense of being valued as citizens; and through a carefully implemented and thoroughly researched Pastoral Care System, the School has established an environment where students are able to achieve those things.
Pastoral Care Objectives:
- Provide pastoral care for students and staff, and support for parents, consistent with the caring Christian environment of the School.
- Continue to foster the physical, emotional, social, moral, spiritual and educational health and well-being of students and staff
- Continue to ensure students feel a sense of belonging within the larger School community through the House system and helpful and caring teaching support
- Educate students in an environment which will enhance their learning, personal development and interpersonal relationships
- Endeavour to encourage Girtonians to become well rounded people who can meet real world challenges working in accordance with our Mission and Values
- Encourage parental participation within our community and curriculum
- Contribute to the growth and development of our teaching staff by providing career development, relevant and up to date training and development opportunities
- Provide our staff with appropriate reward and recognition schemes
- Promote health and well-being strategies along with fair and appropriate facilities, remuneration, working conditions and pastoral care of staff
- Ensure we welcome all new families and promote the integration of new students and parents into the School
- Assist with the transition of parents and students from Junior to Senior School
- Assist with the transition of parents and students to life beyond Girton