Pastoral Care & Development
Pedare Christian College is recognised nationally as a Best Practice School in Values Education and as a National Safe Schools Framework Best Practice School. The pastoral program aims to develop students’ potential and promotes their social, emotional and behavioural well-being.
As we continue to promote our students’ well-being at Pedare, our Pastoral Care curriculum uses resources such as the MindMatters program in Years 6-12 and Program Achieve from Reception to Year 5, both of which complement the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program.
The pastoral program is developmental, R-12, and is overseen by the Director of Pastoral Development.
Expectations
As a Christian learning community we value the following Core Values:
Commitment, Community, Compassion, Excellence, Faith, Knowledge, Pride, Responsibility, Self Discipline, Self Worth, Service, and Tolerance and Understanding.
Each campus has developed a set of behavioural expectations that are age appropriate and reflect our College values. These expectations ensure that responsible behaviour is modelled and explicitly taught so as to create a safe, respectful environment for all.
At the Junior Campus these expectations are promoted by the acronym SHINE:
Show respect for God, self, others and the environment
Have safe behaviour
Include others and celebrate differences
Need to be responsible and cooperative
Expect to be successful, try your best
Similarly, the Surrey Farm Campus expectations are contained in the acronym RESPECT:
Respect God, others and self
Encourage one another
Show commitment, self-discipline, responsibility and a willingness to learn
Participate in whatever you can to the best of your ability
Engage in positive behaviour; be a good role model
Care for yourself, for others and for our environment
Tolerate and understand differences in others
Christian Life 
As a mainstream Anglican and Uniting Church School, the Christian Life program is a vital component of the pastoral curriculum. Christian Life helps students to develop their understanding of themselves, others and the wider community.
The Christian Life course at Pedare aims to provide students with:
- a basis on which to make informed and well thought out decisions
- the opportunity to consider the place God has in their lives
- opportunities to contemplate their thinking and questioning of the Christian faith
- knowledge and understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith, and the relevance and application of these to life
- the opportunity to acknowledge and explore the spiritual aspects of life
- encouragement and support in their Christian faith.
The Chaplain and teachers at Pedare model the Christian Life of the College through daily devotions, Community chapels, worship and Christian Life classes.
The Community System
Our Community system is the core element of our Pastoral Care at Pedare, as it promotes a safe and nurturing environment for our students.
Students who enrol at Pedare are assigned to one of five Communities, named after the original farms in the Golden Grove area: Brooklyn, Eldergreen, Greenwith, Hillcott and Surrey.
Details of our Home Group structure are as follows:
- At the Surrey Farm Campus, Years 6-12 students are placed in vertical Home Groups
- In Middle Schooling these Home Groups consist of students from Years 6,7, 8 and 9
- In Senior Schooling they are comprised of Years 10, 11 and 12
- In Junior Schooling students are grouped according to their year level.
These groupings cater for the specific needs associated with each stage of our students’ development. This model also increases the opportunity for students to build strong relationships and to promote continuity in communication between the College and home.
At the Surrey Farm Campus, each Community is led by a Community Coordinator and an Assistant Community Coordinator, who, together with the Home Group teachers, are responsible for the pastoral welfare of the students within their Community and who oversee the coordination of activities throughout the year.
The Home Groups meet every morning and for one module a week, which is called Community lesson and forms part of the pastoral curriculum for students at the Surrey Farm Campus.
At the Junior Campus, the Core Group teachers are primarily responsible for the pastoral care of their students.
Additional Support
A full time Chaplain and a Student Counsellor provide additional pastoral support for students, and their families; and the College has built up a network of professionals to whom they can refer families for further assistance.
The Defence Transition Mentor offers support to those students and their families who have one or more parents employed in active service by the Defence Forces.
Student Leadership
There are many opportunities for student leadership at Pedare Christian College, one of which is Peer Support.
This is an integral part of the Pastoral Care program and involves older students at both campuses working with younger students to help them to settle into the College and to assist with the promotion of positive social interactions.
In addition, the following leadership positions are held by students annually:
- College Captains (2)
- Senior Community Captains (10)
- Arts Captains (2)
- Sports Captains (2)
- Team Captains eg. Swimming, Athletics etc. (2 per team)
- Middle Community Captains (10)
- Junior Schooling Campus Captains (2)
- Junior Community Captains (10)
There are also Student Councils operating within each sub school: Junior, Middle and Senior. These councils include representatives from all year levels and provide students with an opportunity to voice their opinions on issues related to the expectations and daily routine of the College, the interests and well–being of the student population, as well as developing student initiatives to promote service within the College and the wider community.
The pastoral care and development of our students and staff is very important to Pedare Christian College. Our staff undergo professional development on a regular basis in order to further their knowledge and understanding of practices and strategies that will serve to enhance our pastoral program.