Pastoral care is an important part of life at our school.
Our staff work together as a team to implement a positive approach to student behaviour that is both proactive and pre-emptive in the management of potential issues. Clear processes are in place to address any concerns that arise.
The Principal, Deputy Principal, Head of Individual Differences, Head of Early Years and the Chaplain provide a framework for the collegial management of student and family matters.
Our classroom teachers are the first and most important point of contact for parents as they provide ongoing support for all the students in their care.
Connecting to our school community
Communication with families is essential to an effective partnership and regular opportunities for parent involvement are offered, including Information evenings, the Parent Education Program, Grandparents’ Day, Maths and Science nights, Music Soirees, Perceptual Motor Program, involvement in classroom programs and special evenings where our students present their work to parents and friends.
Parent/teacher interviews and program support group meetings provide an opportunity for parents and staff to share student progress and to set goals for future learning from an educational, social and emotional perspective.
Building Positive Relationships
Programs that promote the strengthening of emotional, academic and social health of all students are considered important. These programs develop a sense of connection and belonging.
They include:
- Leadership opportunities
- Peer Mentoring and Buddy programs
- Events involving cross-ages: SRC activities, Literacy/Numeracy Week, Book Week
- House events and activities
- Extra-curricular activities: extensive opportunities for students to engage with others outside of the regular curriculum - Chess, yoga, gymnastics, Lego Club, Girls Club, karate, Coding Club, Italian, French and Latin, Communication and Drama, Homework Club, basketball and netball, Chapel Choir, singing clubs, Knitting Club, Mindfulness
- Relationships with the 2/14th regiment and the Areyonga community provide opportunity for our students to connect to the local and global community.
Positive Behaviour Support Programs
Circle Solutions: Circle Solutions is a way of building healthy relationships, resilience and responsibility in children and young people. Circles are driven by our school values. It promotes a positive environment for learning and underpins student wellbeing. The model involves sitting in a circle and allows for discussion of topics and processes, and can be used to resolve tension and conflict.
The Incredible Flexible You-Early Years: In the early years we teach our students how to think socially through the implementation of a series of lessons - The Incredible Flexible You. This teaches our students about their thoughts and feelings, being part of a group, thinking about others and self-regulation. It provides a common and child-friendly language to talk about socially abstract ideas.
Zones of Regulation: The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum geared toward helping students gain skills in consciously regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem solving abilities. The curriculum teaches students to recognise their emotions and to use a toolbox of methods to self-regulate their behaviour.
Behaviour Management
Student engagement and appropriate behaviours are encouraged through the implementation of whole-school strategies supported by targeted and individualised support when required.
Our behaviour management is staged beginning quite informally with least disruption to the group moving to a more formal response.
Restorative Practices
Christ Church Grammar School uses the Restorative Practices Model. The focus is on community, relationships and healing. It is about accountability according to people and their needs, rather than accountability according to rules. It builds respectful communication and relationships and responds pro-actively to behavioural issues. The principles of Restorative Justice provide a set of guidelines and responses to manage even the most confronting behaviours.
When we put relationships and individual needs at the core of our student discipline policy we provide opportunities for dialogue that strengthens the sense of community where emotional skills and intelligence are developed and individuals are given the opportunity to take responsibility for the harm done and to make things right. David Vingegrad