Pastoral Care at our College
Knight Street Campus and Emmaus Campus (Year 9 Programme)
The Pastoral Care of the students of Notre Dame College at the Knight Street Campus and the Year 9 Programme on the Emmaus Campus operates within a House System. The House system provides a strong platform of pastoral care based on Christian values and beliefs within the Catholic tradition. Each house is led by two Heads of House and is divided into a number of Pastoral Groups. Students meet with their Pastoral Group Leader at the commencement of the school day before moving to class. Students remain within the same House throughout their time at the College. This fosters strong and lasting relationships and ensures students are well known and cared for. Siblings are normally enrolled in the same House as their older brothers and sisters.
The Year 9 Programme provides our Year 9 students with a unique and innovative learning opportunity. The Programme is designed around the concept of three Learning Communities with each Learning Community consisting of two Houses known as Sister Houses: Crane/Kennedy, Jennings/Mungovan, MacKillop/McGann. Pastoral groupings are usually House or Sister House based. Students meet each morning with their Pastoral Group Leader and are taught each day by a team of teachers who belong to the Learning Community.
Expectations and Responsibilities
Notre Dame College is a Catholic community based on mutual care and respect, where true growth of the individual is encouraged. A growing appreciation of priorities and the consequences of choice mean that the students are expected to accept responsibility for their conduct.
All members of the College community are expected to show:
- Respect and care for self as an individual within the community.
- Concern for the welfare of others - their rights, feelings and opinions.
- Care for, and sensible use of property.
At all times students of Notre Dame College are expected to be a credit to themselves, their families and their college. As a Catholic College we expect all students to show by their concern for one another, their cheerful working together, their courtesy and their patience, the Christian values that all of us, as members of a faith community, believe in and endeavour to live by.
Students are admitted to the College on the understanding they will abide by the College rules and that parents will support the College in these matters. We hope to develop within each and every student an awareness of their responsibilities and to see an acceptance of these responsibilities as a response to Our Lord's love. Consequences are the connection between behaviours and outcomes. They should be related to affirming the College values in our students, teaching them ownership and responsibility for their behaviour and at all times keeping their self esteem intact.