Pastoral care at Marist College Ashgrove extends beyond the delivery of well-prepared, thought provoking and stimulating lessons.
It means being concerned for the total wellbeing of students with the development of the whole person in mind. The philosophies underpinning pastoral care, the active pursuit of programs and practices aimed at promoting and supporting well-being and school ethos, as well as the climate and atmosphere in which students and staff learn and work, are complementary.
Through explicit philosophies, we hope to educate young men in the way of St Marcellin Champagnat so that they have the courage and confidence to develop traits like those modelled by Marcellin himself.
Pastoral care is a strong feature of the College.
The Brother Ignatius Centre, catering to the needs of boys in Years 5 and 6, is also an integral part of the College and its pastoral care structure.
It is a welcoming place where the younger students are cared for and initiated into the Marist community and its ethos. Due to their stage of development and learning needs, students in the primary school are cared for by the Head of Primary, Year 5/6 Pastoral Leader and their classroom teachers in a horizontal pastoral care model.
Pastoral care for students in Years 7–12 is provided through a vertical eight House system. This vertical approach sees the students at the College being well-known, encouraged and well-advised by their Head of House and pastoral group teachers. Each House (during pastoral group time and weekly house meetings) has its own way of encouraging active contribution in college life as well as co-operation and peer mentoring amongst the students. This builds in the boys a growing sense of belonging and ownership.
Both primary and secondary classes follow the ASH Program. The program is based on the developmental needs of each age group and incorporates evidenced based strategies from areas such as positive psychology, respectful relationships, resilience, cognitive behaviour therapy and emotional regulation to assist in the social and emotional development of students to ensure each student has opportunity to reach their learning potential.