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Mater Maria > Student Wellbeing > Wellbeing Structures

Wellbeing Structures

All teachers are responsible for pastoral care. Students are arranged into mentor groups based on the College House system and their Year Group. A teacher is assigned to each mentor group and in effect has the dual responsibility of being a mentor teacher and a house teacher.

Leading each Year Group is a Wellbeing Leader. The College employs a number of Counsellors (male and female) in a job share arrangement.

The KLA Leaders meet on a regular basis with the Principal, Assistant Principal, Director of Student Wellbeing and College Counsellor. Matters of interest and concern are shared and discussed in the best interests of the students.

Wellbeing Staff 

Whilst all teachers are teachers of student wellbeing, some staff are given specific responsibilities.

  • The Director of Student Wellbeing is responsible for the coordination and supervision of the College’s overall pastoral care. This includes the management of whole school approaches to well being including, but not limited to, restorative justice approaches to behaviour management, transition to secondary school, peer counselling, drug education, anti‐bullying, cyber‐safety (eSmart Program), effective study skills and mental health.  
  • Each year group is assigned a Wellbeing Leader who has the responsibility to provide wellbeing and pastoral care to the cohort. The Wellbeing Leaders meet on a regular basis with the Principal, Assistant Principal, Director of Student Wellbeing and College Counsellor to discuss any issues of concern.  
  • Students are arranged into Mentor Groups based on the College House system. A Mentor teacher is attached to this group and their responsibilities include nurturing within the respective Mentor Group, a spirit of community and fellowship within the House system, for stimulating the growth of the whole person in each student and for reporting periodically on each student’s progress.
  • Students at Mater Maria also have access to a team of College Counsellors who provide a range of counselling services that will assist students to develop as persons, having regard particularly to their social, emotional and cognitive development.

Wellbeing Programs

The Mentor teachers and Wellbeing Leaders are responsible for delivering the formal Wellbeing Program which provides students with skills and understanding of issues relevant to their age and level of development. These include, but are not limited to the appropriate use of social media, safe risk taking and decision making, self image, building resilience and communicating clearly with others both on and offline. 

Unique to Mater Maria is a wellbeing program for Year 7 students designed to enhance the transition to secondary school. Within the curriculum subject of Transition Skills, Year 7 students participate in Peer Counselling with Year 11 student leaders during term 1. During the rest of the year, the class teacher delivers a program designed to equip students with skills necessary for the navigation of Year 7 such as conflict resolution, problem solving, study skills for high school and cybersafety.