Overview

Pastoral Care - Good Shepherd Catholic College

Good Shepherd Catholic College espouses a holistic approach to pastoral care and student wellbeing, deeply rooted in our Catholic Identity and the mission of the Good Shepherd. This philosophy serves to provide our students with a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment where they are empowered to make positive behavioral choices, develop self-discipline and promote positive wellbeing. By placing the student at the center of our community, we foster a culture where every individual can flourish academically, socially, and spiritually.

To ensure a consistent and supportive experience for every student, our Pastoral Care and Wellbeing system is guided by the following core principles:

• Catholic Identity: Following the example of the Good Shepherd, we prioritise the inherent dignity of every person, fostering a community of compassion, hope, and justice.
• Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL): We utilise a proactive, evidence-based framework to explicitly teach and acknowledge the behaviors we value, ensuring all students understand the expectations for success. At Good Shepherd, learners are expected to Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be their Best and Be Christ’s Light.
• Restorative Practices: When conflict arises, our focus shifts from retribution to restoration. We prioritise students taking responsibility for their actions and understanding the impact they have on others.

The foundation of our pastoral program is the College House System. This structure is designed to create a "school within a school," ensuring that no student is just a face in the crowd. Within this system, Pastoral Leaders serve as dedicated advocates for student wellbeing, leading their respective Houses with a focus on inclusion and positive growth.

Students are welcomed into one of our distinct Houses upon enrollment. To foster deep connections and a true sense of belonging and significance, students remain in the same House and Vertical Homeroom throughout their entire journey from Year 7 to Year 12. Our Pastoral Houses celebrate, compete and aim to mirror the work of their founder being either Bishop Raymond Benjamin, Caroline Chisholm, Mary MacKillop or Edmund Ignatius Rice.

Each House is guided by a Pastoral Leader who oversees the behavioral and emotional development of their students. These leaders work alongside Homeroom teachers to:

• Advocate for the individual needs of every student.
• Mentor students in making choices that reflect our College values.
• Facilitate restorative conversations to repair harm and strengthen community bonds.

Good Shepherd Catholic College aims to ensure that every student feels they have a place where they are known, valued, and motivated to achieve their personal best.