Pastoral Care - thoughts from Wellington NZCEO Aspiring Leaders

Pastoral Care - thoughts from Wellington NZCEO Aspiring Leaders 

On what philosophy are our school decisions based?

Why are you here? Why a Catholic school? 

What does teaching in a Catholic School mean to you?

What is the philosophy of pastoral care at St Joe’s?

Do students, staff and community know it/understand it?

“At St Joseph's Catholic School Pukekohe, we provide education in a safe, nurturing environment supported by a strong pastoral care network, in which each member of the school community is known, respected, cared for, and aware that they are loved unconditionally by God.

Behaviour management processes at our school are just, fair, and clear to all, and we ensure the mana of everyone involved is upheld. We are guided by restorative practice and Catholic social teaching. Our pastoral care systems reflect Gospel values and Church teachings, and draw on the support of the Church and external authorities.” - School Docs 5/5/25

• It is the umbrella for all that happens in our school. 

• A ministry of mercy and compassion

• It is an imitation of Jesus’ own presence - not about bringing Jesus to students; discovering that Jesus is already here. 

• Enables healing and growth

• Deals with honesty

• Nurtures growth towards wholeness and justice

• Openness to learning

• Inner attitude of heart that we as educators develop

• We should not give up on any child

 

Staff Meeting Week 2

 Shared the Tracking data with staff. we had discussions around achievement and identified tier 2 and tier 3 students. 

Beginning of the Year 2025

 Today I have worked with Amy in getting started for the year. We have gone over the leadership minutes and made a plan as to where to next. Then we made blogs. 

Creating labels 2025

Blog Making

 Today Jess and Ashley and I worked on updating our blogs. Ashley already had a blog set-up from previous years and we both supported Jess in setting up her very brand new blog. 

Some reminders for setting up new blogs

- labels need to be made on posts

- Pages is what we copy the annual goals, targets etc onto. 

Self Review Term 3

At staff meeting today, we reviewed the term that was. Each team shared how they met their goals and what their next steps are. I helped to facilitate the discussions to ensure a robust meeting.

Unpacking the New Maths and English Drafts

 The new curriculums have come out very fast and furious. Ursula and I have attended the MOE online huis for both Maths and English. This has been very valuable, so we are able to give constructive feedback.