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 Pastoral Coordinator. The College employs a number of Counsellors (male/female) in a job share arrangement.
The Pastoral Coordinators meet on a regular basis with the Principal, Assistant Principal, Director of Pastoral Care and College Counsellor. Matters of interest and concern are shared and discussed in the best interests of the students.
Whilst all teachers are teachers of pastoral care, some staff are given specific responsibilities.
The Mentor teachers and Year Coordinators are responsible for delivering the formal Pastoral Care 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 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 pastoral 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.
