Pastoral Care and Taught Wellbeing Curriculum at TGS
Dear TGS parents and carers
It’s hard to believe we have passed the halfway mark of the term. The boys are most certainly making the most of every opportunity presented to them thus far. It is particularly heartening to see our new students, particularly our Year 7s, signing up for sporting, arts and co-curricular activities.
Sharing our White Ribbon Program
Last night, Deputy Headmaster, John Anderson, and I attended a Darling Downs Principal’s meeting. Mr Anderson shared the various initiatives of our White Ribbon program and the success of the boys’ involvement. At this function, we also heard from Adair Donaldson, member of the Premier’s Domestic and Family Violence Council, about the latest approach to this issue, including education around coercive control. We are very fortunate to have had Adair Donaldson provide year level specific addresses at TGS over the years about these matters.
The session inspired us to reflect on how respect and empathy is important in all of our relationships, at home, at School, in work and play.
Our service committees
Many of the School’s service committees support our boys to embody the qualities of respect, service and resilience as they explore the world around them. In this edition of The Blue and Gold, we are pleased to confirm the upcoming review of our much-valued Cadet Program. The Cadet Program forms part of our School’s strong commitment to character and wellbeing education, our commitment to service and the development of service opportunities for boys and girls.
Taking advantage of service opportunities, including our Cadet Program, Interact (involving more than 120 students), Student Representative Committees, White Ribbon Committee (involving more than 60 students in fundraising and awareness activities) and Senior Leadership groups enables the boys to learn together about social justice issues while supporting each other and raising the awareness of our entire community.
Look out for the work we are putting into celebrating International Women's Day on Friday, 8 March. Women form the backbone of our community in our teaching, boarding and support staff. Look out for our social media updates about some of the incredible women of TGS.
Pastoral care and taught wellbeing
Pastoral care refers to all of the interactions our boys have with their environment outside of the academic curriculum and co-curricular programs. Central to this is the relationships that boys must learn to build with their teachers and peers.
Our Pastoral Care Program is central to our ethos and is fundamental to the development of the Toowoomba Grammar boy. As educators, our staff know that care for students must permeate through all that we do in order to recognise each student’s unique needs, personal potential, their limitations, their opportunities and their journey through childhood and adolescence into adulthood.
TGS works to review, refine and implement best practice programs across student wellbeing, respectful relationships, resilience, service and leadership. There is a strong foundation in place to reinforce our culture of respect, service and leadership.
Key features of our Wellbeing and Character Development Program include:
- Weekly timetabled lessons for boys in Years 7 to 12, reinforced by Mentors
- The Junior School’s Mates program
- Inter and intra-personal relationships, online relationships, consent, developing good habits, nutrition, growth and development, mindset, alcohol and parties, and rights and responsibilities, taught in an age appropriate way
- Parent education supported by the Raising Good Men Seminar Series
We thank the Head of Pastoral Care, Mr Michael Hall, and School Counsellors, Mr Lyle Gothmann and Dr Rina Scott-Wilson along with Mr Adair Donaldson, Mrs Susan McLean and Mr Paul Dillon for their contribution to topics covered in the Wellbeing and Character Education Program including:
- social media and use of technology
- ethical decision making
- personal responsibility
- drug and alcohol use
- consent
- gender-based violence
Staff professional development
While our staff are dedicated in their support of our boys, we support our staff to be their best through our professional development program, encouraging staff to explore their areas of passion. Whether it be through investigating a mathematics framework via our Teaching Fellowship, undertaking external courses, or visiting other schools to explore their best practice, staff routinely have access to development opportunities.
The work of growing men of integrity is not the job of any one person. TGS boys learn their values from their families and community. When they start at TGS our staff, volunteers, mentors, partners, coaches and community work together to guide our boys to becoming men of quality and character. It is not always easy but it is always rewarding, and it is what we are called together to do by creating school and home environments where respectful conduct is modelled and valued.
