At the heart of our approach to pastoral care is the central mission of Manquehue Hall, that each student feels known, valued and challenged. We are committed to the holistic development of each student through learning, wellbeing, ministry and physical and cultural engagement.

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Staring at a new school is a big change that carries with it many unknowns. In Year 5, we work to bridge that gap with high expectations and strong support structures to ensure that our newest students feel welcomed, cared for and confident. Classroom teachers take on primary responsibility for supporting students, day-to-day. They are the consistent face of Rosebank that Year 5 and 6 students will become familiar with. Classroom teachers manage student pastoral care from a relational perspective and utilise morning ‘Home Room’ classes to develop positive relationships with and among students.

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Drawing upon established programs and policies, student expectations, routines and knowledge of ‘Who We Are’ at Rosebank is explicitly taught and modelled. Age-appropriate socio-emotional lessons utilise the foundations of the POWER (Personal Identity, Ownership, Wellbeing, Emerging Leadership, Relationships) Program to teach core socio-emotional learning (SEL) competencies to students so that they become empowered to manage and advocate for themselves at school. These competencies and focus areas are also consistently incorporated to key learning area (KLA) learning and weekly messaging to build deeper understanding of their importance and applicability to all areas of College and community life.

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Our approach to behaviour management utilises affirmation and restorative practices to celebrate student success and work with students to meet and exceed College expectations. These expectations are communicated early and consistently to students and are linked carefully to our charism, the Good Samaritan Educational Philosophy and Benedictine traditions. Our call as educators in the Benedictine tradition is to ‘Listen’ and we believe that all behaviour, positive or negative, communicates a need and that we are here to understand and support those needs in age-appropriate ways that are consistent with wider College policies.

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A peer mentoring program with Year 8 students has been developed to assist Year 5 students with their transition to the College. The program is centered on the development of positive peer relationships, creating an understanding of College culture and expectations, and immersing our newest students in hands-on, peer led activities that will help them learn about themselves, each other and what it means to be part of Rosebank. Research has shown peer-mentoring and peer relationships to be a supportive factor in student wellbeing and transition. We are excited to implement this type of program for our new Year 5’s.

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Further consideration has been given to other initiatives to support student wellbeing, particularly in the digital realm and these include laptop usage and screentime in class, as well as the Year 5 Mobile Phone Initiative.