Knowing our Students (Pastoral Care)

We see each child as an individual with unique and diverse abilities and identities. The rights and best interest of the child underpin all practice. In the traditional Jesuit terminology they are to be treated with ‘cura personalis’ – care for the whole person. All staff are dedicated to children flourishing within a community of learners. We provide a nurturing, secure and responsive environment in which children play, create, learn and explore together with their teachers and feel they belong. Their safety, health and wellbeing are of paramount importance.

Children are given every opportunity to participate and succeed. We acknowledge an uncompromising image of all children as being full of wonder and curiosity, capable of co-constructing their own knowledge. Children build their sense of agency by being given the opportunity to contribute their ideas and thinking to all programs. We understand that children are both citizens of the future but also of the now.

We provide a stimulating and engaging environment that starts with what children are familiar with and interested in so that they feel safe, listened to and respected. We know children learn and develop best through thoughtfully constructed play opportunities within a social context that allows them to express themselves and communicate openly with others. Active listening and dialogue are crucial to this communication.

Childhood is a time to be a child, to seek and make meaning of the world. We all acknowledge the significance of the here and now in children’s lives. It is about getting to know and understand themselves, building and maintaining relationships with others and experience the joys and challenges that life offers.

The child and their family are valued for the unique contribution they bring to our learning environment. Trusting, supportive relationships and collaborative partnerships are developed and maintained with families. We have a deep respect for conversation and active listening between all in our community. We seek to build a friendly and respectful community with dignity and good humour.