St Munchin’s

Pastoral Care

Preamble

The Mission of St Munchin’s Catholic School has, as its foundation, the belief that we are created in God’s image and likeness. We recognise our responsibilities to uphold the dignity and rights of others.

love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.’ (John 13:34).

Our model is the image of Jesus as a shepherd, a symbol of God’s persistent and everlasting love.

Within a Catholic school, the inspiration of Jesus must be translated from the ‘ideal into the real’. This translation of the Gospel values should be evident and integral to the daily life of the school to promote ways of living that are life enhancing. Each member of the community needs to feel loved by others, just as Jesus’ disciples felt loved by Christ. Through this love, they may be inspired to love others in return. Pastoral Care encompasses the love shown within the school community and is experienced whenever people of the school interact positively.

Pastoral Care is, in essence, the face of Christ for the whole community. It is given its spirit by trying to become a genuine Christian community of faith energised by Christ’s vision of love and compassion. Pastoral Care is part of the evangelical ministry of the Church and is driven by the power of love to transform every member of the school community. Through our Pastoral Care Policy, we endeavour to respond to the particular needs of each person in the school community.

Rationale

Pastoral Care is an expression of the ethos of the school, especially endorsing gospel values of love, justice, inclusion, reconciliation and respect. Pastoral Care, in a Catholic school, means enhancing the dignity of each person within a Catholic faith community.

Pastoral Care is a comprehensive concept, which embraces the total life of the school by contributing to the realisation of the gifts within each person and a commitment to the well being of society. It is concerned with maximising learning and growth and developing the beliefs, values, attitudes, knowledge, skills and practices to enable all to become self-directed, contributing members of God’s creation. Pastoral Care is developing emphatic relationships so that an atmosphere of care prevails in which each person of the school community is encouraged to reach his/her full potential. The vision of Pastoral Care is to promote wise living and learning about how to be fully human.

Definition

Pastoral care is a reflection of our Christian beliefs. It permeates the life of the school and embraces every person within it. It is the endeavour of each individual within the community (staff, student, parents and the wider community) to care for each person in the school community and foster the building of meaningful personal relationships. Pastoral Care encompasses support, encouragement and care of others. It provides an opportunity for each person to grow, to be affirmed in his/her dignity and realise his/her true value as a person. Through pastoral care, each member of the school community is invited to become more fully human.

Principle

• Pastoral Care is the responsibility of the whole school community. The scope of Pastoral Care embraces a network of relationships and shared dialogue among administrators, children, staff, parents, the school social workers, consultants from the Catholic Education Office, the Non Government Schools Psychology Services and outside agencies and the wider community.
• Pastoral Care should be part of daily life and characterised by a sense of love, kindness and celebration of living.
  Each person needs to have positive associations with others, including children, staff and parents.
  The primary expression of Pastoral Care is what is happening on a daily basis within the school community. Pastoral Care has legal implications.
• Pastoral Care respects the individual’s rights, freedom and confidentiality in accordance with the Gospel and the laws of our land.
• There are a diverse range of flexible approaches and strategies for all of the school community who have varying needs e.g. people with disabilities, custody disputes, the malnourished, the abused, domestic violence situations, gifted children, grief, illness, learning or emotional needs.
• Pastoral Care is both implicit and explicit in the way it happens.
• There is an acceptance of the limits of time, energy, levels of expertise in what actually may be achieved by the school community.