The Community System - Surrey Farm Campus

Structure

The five main aims of the Community System are:

1. Spiritual development
2. Social development
3. Leadership training
4. Pastoral care
5. Community awareness and service

The Surrey Farm Campus is divided into five Communities. These Communities are named Brooklyn, Eldergreen, Greenwith, Hillcott and Surrey after original farms or small community groups that belonged to this Golden Grove area.

In Senior Schooling, each Community has four Home Groups. Students are grouped into four vertical Home Groups, Years 10-12, of approximately equal proportions of each year level.

Likewise, in Middle Schooling, each Community has four Home Groups of students, grouped into four vertical Home Groups, Years 6-9.

Leadership within each Community is provided by the Community Coordinator and Assistant Community Coordinator (staff members), two Senior Community Captains (elected Year 12 students) and two Middle Schooling Community Captains (elected Year 9 students). These Community Leaders plan and coordinate activities that include:

• Chapels
• Assemblies
• Sporting activities
• Fund raising for charities
• Service activities
• Peer Support
• Activities to promote personal development and social awareness and skills

Community colours are to be worn by students on days such as Swimming and Athletics Carnivals.

The benefits of the Community System include:

• the opportunity for deeper relationships to be built, including that of 'discipling' (as modelled by Christ himself) and hence greater pastoral care.
• a greater awareness of the needs of each other, particularly in terms of developing needs as young people grow.
• greater opportunity for students to support a younger or older person and give leadership.
• the fostering of mutual respect for all members of the school (adults as well as young people of all ages).
• the acknowledgment of different responsibilities and privileges that come from age differences.
• the modelling and example of study habits, disciplines and appropriate behaviours, drawn from all levels of schooling.

Parent Communication and Support

Communication/liaison with parents is able to be supported at all three levels, ie

1. Home (Home Group Teacher)
2. Community (Community Coordinator and Staff)
3. College (Principal, Heads of Schools and Director of Pastoral Development)

with the main communication, particularly in the areas of pastoral care, general progress and behaviour support, coming from the Home Group Teacher, the Community or Assistant Community Coordinator, the Heads of Middle/Senior Schooling and the Director of Pastoral Development.

The College diary is an important means of communication between the College and home, and as a consequence it must be signed each week by:

1. the student
2. the home group teacher
3. the parent.

Promoting a Cooperative Spirit and a Sense of Belonging

The Community system gives great potential for students and staff to work cooperatively to set goals and objectives, which are consistent with the College's philosophy and aims, and to work together to achieve these goals. This spirit of cooperation and the development of a sense of belonging within the Community are therefore major foci of this program.