Assistant Head of Primary P-4

Over the past few weeks since starting my position here at the P-4 campus, I have felt very warmly welcomed into the wonderful community we enjoy here at the College. I join the College as an ex-parent, ex-student and eternal truth seeker. In many ways, my return to a community that I have known and loved for many years, has felt like a homecoming, with friendships rekindled and new ones emerging as I get to know students, parents and the beautiful staff I have the pleasure of working alongside in educating your children. I look forward to getting to know many more families over the coming weeks at the Carrington Avenue gates, around the campus or at special functions and events, including our Coffee and Conversations for Lunar New Year tomorrow. 

Pastoral Care

We are excited to announce the rollout of a number of changes to our Pastoral Care program at the Primary campus this term that have resulted from an extensive review, in 2023, of Pastoral Care policies and practices. The changes include the introduction of the DM Pastoral Behaviour Matrix and commencement of Community Time for K-4 students. The result is a Pastoral Care program that is grounded in contemporary research, one that promotes student agency and employs a shared language across the College campuses to support consistent understanding and develop lifelong skills of respect, resilience, resourcefulness, self-regulation and responsibility.

Del Mont Pastoral Behaviour Matrix

Del Monte Pastoral Behaviour Matrix

The Del Monte Pastoral Behaviour Management Matrix was introduced to staff at our Staff Professional Learning Day at the start of the term, to students in their classrooms during their first week back at school, and to parents at our Parent Information Evening last week. The matrix forms part of our Pastoral Behaviour Management Framework which outlines the processes to help students learn and allow others to learn in a safe and respectful environment. It establishes clear, positive expectations for student behaviour in classrooms, on playgrounds and whilst on school excursions. Students use the matrix to identify and take ownership for unsafe and disrespectful behaviours exhibited by themselves and others and use explicitly taught strategies to self regulate, develop resilience, increase readiness to learn and allow others to learn. 

In helping students resolve pastoral issues, staff employ a series of restorative questions to establish: what happened, what behaviours were being displayed and the restorative actions that can be taken to resolve and restore the relationship. This process also includes logical and reasonable consequences for student behaviour that breaches the College expectations and policies. Further details about the Behaviour Management Policy are outlined in student diaries.

We continue to commit to ongoing development of the Pastoral Care program with emphasis on the five essential skills your child needs for success at school and beyond; resilience, self-regulation, resourcefulness, respect and responsibility. We look forward to working with you and your child, as we work together to develop these lifelong skills.

Community Time

Last Thursday marked the first of our Community Time sessions where Kindergarten students met their Year 4 buddies for the first time. The students engaged in this session with great excitement and delight in having the Year 4 Leaders of our Primary campus, take them under their wings and form a friendship that will in many cases, last well beyond their first year of Primary school.

Students in Years 1-3 met in their House Colour groups during Community Time, participating in fun and engaging activities around the theme of Friendship. Designing the Community Time groups in this way, provides a platform for peer-to-peer learning in vertical groups across the Primary campus and aligns with the Homeroom grouping used on the senior campus. It builds friendships and community between students across different grades as they learn from each other and develop skills together. 

Love Week

P-4 students have enjoyed participating in a variety of activities to celebrate Love Week this week at Del Monte. Each day of Love Week, saw students engage in a variety of activities centred around a daily theme. 

On Monday, students explored the theme, Love Your Family, your Teachers and your Friends, creating illustrated love hearts with images and symbols of practical ways to put this theme into action. These hearts will be placed in our prayer space at this week’s assembly. On Tuesday, students offered up gratitude prayer intentions as they engaged with the daily theme of Recognise Your Blessings. The theme of Love Your Neighbour was brought to life through Ash Wednesday liturgies in our DM Chapel on Wednesday. To develop an inclusive culture by learning about each other, students explored the rich history and traditions of the Lunar New Year, on Thursday this week. To celebrate this occasion, students wore a touch of red. The playgrounds were bursting with colour and the students delighted in learning activities put together by our EAL/D Staff. Love Week concludes this Friday with students exploring the theme of Love God’s Creation by taking time after lunch to clean up classrooms and playground areas. 

Lauren Petroni
Assistant Head of Primary P-4