Wellbeing

Pedare is committed to providing a safe environment where each child is valued and nurtured. Our wellbeing programme aims to develop students’ potential and promote their social, emotional and behavioural well­being. Various resources and outside agencies support the learning at all levels.

We seek to foster respect for oneself and others, self discipline, self control and cooperation with, and encouragement of others. This promotes a safe environment that is conducive to learning, personal growth and positive self worth.

Each sub­school has a set of behavioural expectations specifically developed to be age appropriate for students and designed to reflect our College core values, which are:                                                                   

Acceptance & Understanding • Commitment • Community • Compassion • Excellence • Faith • Integrity • Knowledge • Pride • Self Discipline • Self Worth • Service.           

These expectations ensure responsible behaviours are modelled and explicitly taught in order to create a safe, respectful environment.

Our Pedare Community 

At Pedare we have a very unique Community structure which promotes a sense of belonging for all of our students and staff. All students who enrol at Pedare join one of our five Communities: Brooklyn, Eldergreen, Greenwith, Hillcott and Surrey. These are sentimental names as they are named after the original farms paying tribute to our Golden Grove roots.

At the Middle and Senior Schools, the Community structure is a core element of our Wellbeing focus. Students enjoy fortnightly gatherings with their Community with a strong focus on building relationships, connecting students across different year levels and classes. They also spend each morning in Home Group time with other members of their Community. Furthermore, opportunities such as Swimming Carnivals, Athletics Carnivals, Cross Country, the Pedare ‘Pentagon Dash’, Spring Carnival and other fantastic events across the year connect our students in their Community structure.

Each Community is led by a Community Coordinator who has a key role of proactively supporting students in their day to day life at the College. Our Community Coordinator’s are an amazing support in the journey of a Pedare student’s life from Years 6 right through until Year 12, developing special relationships with the student and their families. Our Community Coordinator’s work closely with Home Group, Core and Subject teachers ensuring that our students wellbeing are nurtured and also building resilience and strength in our students in moments that may challenge them.

Positive Education 

Pedare promotes the wellbeing of our students by engaging, inspiring and empowering them to strive beyond their perceived limits in learning and life. We aim to build positive learning environments and integrate Positive Education into all facets of teaching and learning.

Positive Education is the combination of traditional education principles with the study of happiness and well-being using the PERMA+ model (Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment, + Physical Activity, Nutrition, Sleep and Optimism) .

Engaging

• Create fulfilling learning and life opportunities.
• Encourage students to find their meaning and purpose through extensive and holistic extra-curricular offerings, community service and leadership development.
• Recognise and develop personal strengths.

Inspiring

• Motivate students through innovative, student centred professional practices.
• Foster a sense of belonging for students and families through safe and inclusive environments.
• Promote the importance of connectedness and thriving relationships and develop social and emotional skills that nourish relationships with self and others.

Empowering

• Build resilience and positive emotion through accepting challenges, coping with frustrations and adapting to change.
• Work collaboratively with peers, teachers and the community.
• Value diversity, individual capabilities and unique interests.

Wellbeing Programs

Community Lesson – A Pastoral Curriculum which reflects Positive Education principles and addresses the particular needs of each year level is prepared and delivered by the Pastoral Team and Home Group teachers in a dedicated module known as the Community Lesson.

In these lessons, activities and challenges cover a wide range of topics including personal development, cultural awareness, building an inclusive environment, personal safety, developing community and teamwork. Fundraising for local, national and global charities is also a key focus for our students. There is also the opportunity to have fun together and a healthy spirit of competitiveness exists between the Communities as they compete annually for the honour of winning the Community Cup, which recognises the participation of students in a variety of co-­curricular and extra­curricular activities throughout the year.

Pedare Passage (Year 9)
The Pedare Passage is a rite of passage from the Middle School to the Senior School and beyond, where we build on strengths to develop resilience. Education is closely concerned with the development of self-confidence, and that this comes from the learning of competence in practical ways, and from the growth of self-reliance and independence.

This is a year-long program designed specifically to meet the needs of Pedare’s developing adolescents through emotional and physical challenges.

The program is divided into three key parts:

PART ONE: Community project

The Community Project has a strong focus on service in the community, having a positive impact now and developing a deeper sense of empathy, agency and confidence.

The Community Project is the culminating task of the IB focusing on community and service. The experience will provide an opportunity for students to develop an awareness of needs in various communities addressing these needs through service learning. Used as a consolidation of learning, the Community Project engages in a sustained, in-depth inquiry leading to service as action in the community with students being provided one module per week to work on their project.

The task can be completed individually, in partners or in groups of three students with the choice of the topic for the project being made in consultation with a teacher who has the responsibility for supervising the development of the project according to the Community Project objectives and assessment criteria. The final efforts of this project will be presented as an oral presentation and necessary documents such as a Process Journal and Display will also be produced.

PART TWO: Positive Education

The journey through Pedare’s Middle School begins with a child feeling secure and ‘at home’ at school. The Pedare wellbeing model has been developed aligned with the Australian Student Wellbeing framework and aims to build positive learning environments and integrate positive education into our delivery of pastoral care.

Positive education is the combination of traditional education principles with the study of happiness and well-being using the PERMA+ model (Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment, + Physical Activity, Nutrition, Sleep and Optimism).

PART THREE: Outdoor Education Experience

Preparation and completion of a comprehensive expedition where students are challenged physically, socially and emotionally. The students’ will focus on building confidence and independence, embracing challenges and developing resilience.

From successfully completing The Pedare Passage, students will:

*Have an impact now, not just into the future

*Unearth personal strengths

*Develop confidence, independence and resilience

*Discover a belief in themselves that will help them overcome the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.

*Improve physical health and fitness

*Understand the importance of serving the community without expecting anything in return

*Be courageous, take risks and understand that mistakes are essential for growth