Pastoral Care
Our Pastoral Care System
St Thomas of Canterbury College’s Pastoral Care system is underpinned by the values of the school – Brotherhood, Manawa, Compassion and Legacy. Through explicit teaching of the values, our restorative philosophy, and through our Kotahitanga mentoring program, we aim to make sure the dignity and respect of each person in the school community are considered fundamental in the entire educational process. Our Pastoral team is responsible for the overall wellbeing of our ākonga, coordinating our pastoral care approaches school-wide.
We aim to inspire students to be responsible, socially conscious, resilient, and personally successful in the rapidly changing 21st century, and to be a student-centred model for educational innovation.
Our educational programs encourage students to learn through collaboration with family (home), our college and the community. Students develop the resilience necessary to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Their education at St Thomas’ prepares them for lifelong learning, productive citizenship or service, and personal growth.
Students learn in an innovative and professional environment fostered by the use of advanced learning methods and technology. Both staff and students understand the commitment necessary to implement a rigorous and relevant curriculum, one in which technology, standards, and skills development are embedded.
Integrating education and technology has put St Thomas’ in a privileged position. In order to ensure justice, equity, and success for both students and staff, funding and access to technology are critical. PD in developing the skill levels of teachers for the purpose of using technology for teaching and learning is critical in our endeavours.
Our Principles
As a Catholic school in the Edmund Rice Tradition:
We believe that all students, regardless of social or economic condition, must be provided the capacity to take charge of their lives. Through new models of teaching and learning, they will be enabled and empowered to make critical decisions for their futures. We believe that we must treat others in our school and community with respect, tolerance, compassion, and genuine concern for their well-being.
We believe our flexible business/education environment teaches and encourages student responsibility, independence, and resilience while building life skills in collaboration, project management and leadership. We believe that we must continue to develop and preserve the Community of Trust, Diversity and critical self-reflection that defines the St Thomas learning environment. We believe in sharing our knowledge and experience with other educators and institutions in order to foster and enhance educational change and development in the ever-changing landscape of Christchurch.
We believe that technology provides the opportunity to make significant positive changes in our society. We believe that the model created at St Thomas’ is the future of secondary education and must be nurtured to continue implementation of its innovative and creative approaches to teaching and learning.
Pastoral Support
A Boys School
As a school for boys, we can focus on boys’ needs and learning styles and to provide important role models in our staff and senior students for the junior boys on their journey to becoming young men. We have a caring and supportive pastoral environment and, through our restorative justice philosophy and practice, aim to produce students who will be loving partners, caring fathers and connected citizens.
A Multicultural School
Our pastoral care system also caters to the diversity of students in our College. We can wrap appropriate care and cultural protocols around our students according to their needs. We have staff specifically designated to walk alongside our Maori, Pasifika and International students.
A School Big in Spirit
There is a special spirit at St Thomas’. Students leave the College with great affection for the staff and their time there and are very loyal to the school.
Our smaller size enables us to foster a more intimate, relaxed relationship between staff and students which contributes to the maturity and self-assurance of our graduating students, who are men for the modern world. Students feel they have a genuine voice in the College through their student leadership team and student council, and have ready and open access to the adult leadership team of St Thomas’.
Mentor Groups
Students are organised into five house groups with mixed ages from years 7-13. These house groups are then broken down into small mentor groups into approximately 12-15 students. This builds and maintains engagement with one teacher who keeps a close eye on all pastoral and learning matters and cares for the student right through their schooling. Mentors meet four times each week with their mentor group. During this time they map academic goals and progress, but also keep an eye on the student from a holistic perspective. The mentor teacher will meet once a term with the student and parents for a progress conference.
Progress Reports
Parents and students receive a progress report around key competencies every second week, along with comments from time to time from subject teachers regarding progress, issues, or upcoming assessments. House Deans will identify any students at risk and contact parents. At the end of each term, a conference document is issued on the student’s progress and results, which forms the basis of the conference meeting. In addition, parents will have 24/7 access through a parent portal into our student management system to see their son’s progress.
Student Leadership
A strength in our pastoral system is the number of student leadership opportunities. These empower our students and give them a voice in the running of the college. All leadership opportunities provide real service to the school community and all students in these roles are provided with leadership development. This can include leadership camps and for our head boys leadership development in Australia with the College Captains from the 55 Edmund Rice Schools. For our junior students, there are significant opportunities in leadership including the school council which has a major influence on the running of the school. Alongside the school council, we also have a HIP committee (health in peers) and peer mediators.
Restorative Justice
We are different from many other schools in choosing to have a fully RESTORATIVE JUSTICE culture.
Restorative Justice helps boys develop their emotional awareness and, most importantly, their empathy towards others. It gives boys the tools to use language that might normally be foreign to them. This language is going to make a better teenager, a better friend, a better partner, and one day a better father!
Restorative conferences seek to answer 3 key questions:
- What did you do?
- Who have you affected or hurt?
- How are you going to fix it?
Relationships are at the core of what we do at St Thomas of Canterbury College. When issues arise, we are committed to the values of reconciliation, restoration, and the right relationship. This is done in a way that promotes healing and supports healthy, positive relationships at all levels. Restorative Justice underpins our processes and seeks to make just and right decisions and build our young men’s emotional intelligence.
