At Marian Catholic College, Griffith we value a faith-centered approach to life, offering to people in our diverse community a Catholic Education which reflects our belief and trust in God.
Our College spirit emphasizes the development of the whole person based on their uniqueness, integrity and dignity.
We prize a caring environment where there are equity and justice, and where talents, responsibilities and resources are shared. We believe that everyone should reach their full potential.
The College recognizes the Church’s particular mission to those in greatest need.
No Catholic student will be denied a place at the school because of the inability of their parents to pay fees.
In accordance with the general principles set by the Wagga Wagga Diocesan Catholic Education Commission Enrolment Policy: the following criteria for the acceptance of students into the College have been determined:
PRIORITIES:
- Catholic children of new families:
- With regards to Year 7 enrolments, priority will be usually given to students who attend Catholic Primary
- Parents of these children should indicate that they support the Catholic ethos and practices of the College.
- Enrolment of siblings of students already attending Marian Catholic
- Children of other religious traditions:
- Parents of these children should indicate that they support the involvement of their children in their own faith communities, and accept the Catholic ethos and practices of the College
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
- In relation to No.3 above, enrolments of non-Catholic students will be accepted as long as the proportion of non-Catholic pupils does not become so large as to affect the Catholic ethos of the College.
- Where an application is made for a student who is currently attending another Catholic or local high school or for a student entering Year 7 who has access to another Catholic Secondary School, the application will only be considered where it is judged that the student can be helped by attending Marian Catholic College in a way that is not possible at the student’s present, or other available schools.
- Integration students will be enrolled on the same basis as other students except in the case where the student is admitted, ‘would require services or facilities that are not required by students who do not have a disability and the provision of which would impose unjustifiable hardship on the College’. (Disability Discrimination Act 1992). The hardship must be determined prior to enrolment.
- In accepting an officer of enrolment parents assume responsibility for all fees and charges as set out in the College Prospectus. The College has a policy of fee remission depending on arrangements being made with the Business Manager.
Rationale
Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Wagga Wagga are committed to ‘the complete formation of interculturalisation, of apprenticeship in a lovely dialogue between peoples of different Religions and social backgrounds’ this ensures that our Catholic Schools ‘are welcoming, compassionate and inclusive communities of faith, learning, care service and stewardship’ as outlined in Bishop Hanna’s Mandate. This is hand in hand with the desire to enable young people to:
- grow and develop as whole human beings
- live Christian, Gospel-based values,
- maximise their talents to achieve their personal best
- become responsible contributing members of society
- play and active part in shaping a better world for all’
Pastoral care is central to the ethos of Marian Catholic College and integrates with the intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual dimensions of learning. The goal of pastoral care within the College community is to create and maintain an atmosphere where members feel they are known, safe, valued, respected and happy and have a sense of belonging and empowerment.
‘Schools are required to demonstrate that they have in place policies and procedures to provide for the mental, physical and emotional well-being of students’ . Pastoral Care encompasses all relationships and activities of the College. Pastoral Care is the overt expression of the worth and value of each individual.
At Marian, Pastoral Care is the active and ongoing concern for each individual which embodies the Catholic ethos of the College in the tradition of the Mercy Sisters and Marist Brothers. All staff are responsible for the pastoral care of students.
The Pastoral Care team at the College is:
- Principal
- Co Assistant Principals
- Pastoral Coordinators (Years 7-12)
- Pastoral Care Worker
- Aboriginal Liaison Officer
- School Counsellor
- Special Education Team
Definition
Pastoral Care is expressed through:
- the building of positive and harmonious relationships.
- teaching and learning experiences based on mutual respect and acknowledgement of individual differences.
- co-operation between all members of the College community.
- fostering and development of a philosophy of self-discipline.
- reflection of Gospel values of love, service and justice in all aspects of College life.
- recognition and acceptance of the cultural diversity within the College.
Implementation
Pastoral Care at Marian will:
- promote the vision and mission of the College and should be seen in conjunction with all other policies, procedures and guidelines operating within the College;
- Follow the behaviour management procedures set out in the Students Management Policy
- have the individual as the focus;
- permeate all aspects of College life;
- be seen as a mutual responsibility of all members of the learning community; and
- acknowledge the rights and responsibilities of each person.
The College has four Houses and all staff and students are aligned to an individual House. The staff and students start the day in their Homeroom. It is where they receive support, encouragement and guidance. Every fortnight the Homeroom teacher implements the Academic Pastoral Care Program that has been developed by the Pastoral team. This program is designed to emphasis to highlight relevant issues related to each year group within the school and look at literacy and study skills to enhance the feeling of academic well-being within our students.
Marian Catholic College aims to:
- offer a formal Pastoral Care Program that aims to develop the whole person;
- provide and develop effective integrated pastoral care, based on the care of the individual within each year group;
- provide effective teaching and learning experiences;
- promote and provide a variety of co-curricula activities;
- provide specialist services and referral systems for students with special needs;
- undertake just and fair discipline practices;
- maintain open communication with parents and guardians;
- offer a variety of leadership opportunities for students, parents and staff;
- provide opportunities for personal and communal spiritual growth through prayer, liturgy and other faith enhancing experiences;
- provide opportunities for personal growth through the Retreat/Camp/Community Day program;
- develop and review structures and procedures that ensure the care and safety of all individuals within the community;
- have a clear statement of responsibilities, referral protocols and communication processes to support and monitor students at risk;
- support staff professional learning in the area of pastoral care.
The guiding principles to drive the curriculum are best realised through ‘student membership of caring and effective learning communities, where the spirit of support and challenge work in harmony, where relationship is the glue that holds the community together, and where Gospel values such as respect, acceptance and inclusion are the foundation upon which everything else is built’
Equitable educational opportunities, inclusive curriculum and ‘non-discriminatory language and behavioural practices are defined, modelled and reinforced by members of the school community’ .
Pastoral care encompasses behaviour management and emotional support. Marian’s procedures for managing behaviour with understanding, compassion and justice will be aligned with the principles of Restorative Justice. The promotion of respect, justice, honesty, mediation, forgiveness and reconciliation underpins the implementation of pastoral care. It should provide a framework for quality interpersonal relations between members of the community.
This policy operates in conjunction with policies and protocols to counter all forms of bullying, harassment, violence, abuse and neglect to ensure a safe and supportive learning environment. Action will be oriented towards prevention and intervention.
Duty of care and privacy and confidentiality will be consistent with Diocesan policy.
Evaluation
This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure that all elements of Pastoral life at the College are being conducted in accordance with this policy.
Rationale
This statement outlines Marian Catholic College’s policy on how each the College uses and manages personal information provided to or collected by it.
The College is bound by the National Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act.
The College may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy Policy to take account of new laws and technology, changes to schools’ operations and practices and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing school environment.
Collection of personal information
The type of information the College collects and holds includes (but is not limited to) personal information, including sensitive information, about:
- pupils and parents and/or guardians before, during and after the course of a pupil’s enrolment at the College;
- job applicants, staff members, volunteers and contractors; and
- other people who come into contact with the College
Personal information you provide: The College will generally collect personal information held about an individual by way of forms filled out by parents or pupils, face-to-face meetings and interviews, and telephone calls. On occasions, people other than parents and pupils provide personal information.
Personal information provided by other people: In some circumstances, the College may be provided with personal information about an individual from a third party, for example, a report provided by a medical professional or a reference from another school.
Use of personal information provided to the College
The College will use personal information it collects from you for the primary purpose of collection, and for such other secondary purposes that are related to the primary purpose of collection and reasonably be expected, or to which you have consented.
Pupils and Parents: In relation to personal information of pupils and parents, the College’s primary purpose of collection is to enable the College to provide schooling for the pupil. This includes satisfying both the needs of parents and the needs of the pupil throughout the whole period the pupil is enrolled at the College.
The purpose for which the College uses personal information of pupils and parents include:
- to keep parents informed about matters related to their child’s schooling, through correspondence, newsletters and magazines;
- day-to-day administration;
- looking after pupils’ educational, social, spiritual and medical wellbeing;
- seeking donations and marketing for the College,
- to satisfy the College’s legal obligations and allow the College to discharge its duty of
In some cases where the College requests personal information about a pupil or parent, if the information requested is not obtained, the College may not be able to enrol or continue the enrolment of the pupil.
Volunteers: The College also obtains personal information about volunteers who assist the College in its functions or conduct associated activities, such as ex-students’ associations, to enable the College and the volunteers to work together.
Marketing and fundraising: The College treats marketing and seeking donations for the future growth and development of the College as an important part of ensuring that the College continues to be a quality learning environment in which both pupils and staff thrive. Personal information held by the College may be disclosed to an organisation that assists in the College’s fundraising, for example, the College’s ex-students’ organisation.
Parents, staff, contractors and other members of the wider school community may from time to time receive fundraising information. College publications, like newsletters and magazines, which include personal information, may be used for marketing purposes.
Disclosure of personal information
The College may disclose personal information, including sensitive information, held about an individual to:
- another school;
- government departments;
- medical practitioners;
- people providing services to the College, including specialist visiting teachers and sports coaches;
- recipients of College publications, like newsletters and magazines;
- anyone to whom you authorise the College to disclose
The College will not send personal information about an individual outside Australia without:
- obtaining the consent of the individual (in some cases this consent will be implied); or
- otherwise complying with the National Privacy
Management and security of sensitive information
In referring to ‘sensitive information’, the College means information relating to a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religion, trade union or other professional or trade association membership, sexual preferences or criminal record, that is also personal information; and health information about an individual.
Sensitive information will be used and disclosed only for the purpose for which it was provided or a directly related secondary purpose unless you agree otherwise, or the use or disclosure of the sensitive information is allowed by law.
The College’s staff are required to respect the confidentiality of pupils’ and parents’ personal information and the privacy of individuals.
The College has in place steps to protect the personal information the College holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure by use of various methods including locked storage of paper records and pass worded access rights to computerised records.
Updating personal information
The College endeavours to ensure that the personal information it holds is accurate, complete and up-to-date. A person may seek to update their personal information held by the College by contacting the secretary of the College at any time.
The National Privacy Principles require the College not to store personal information longer than necessary.
Consent and rights of access to the personal information of pupils
The College respects every parent’s right to make decisions concerning their child’s education. Generally, the College will refer any requests for consent and notices in relation to the personal information of a pupil to the pupil’s parents. The College will treat consent given by parents as consent given on behalf of the pupil, and notice to parents will act as notice to the pupil.
Parents may seek access to personal information held by the College about them or their child by contacting the College’s Principal. However, there will be occasions when access is denied. Such occasions would include where a release of the information would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others, or where the release may result in a breach of the College’s duty of care to the pupil.
The College may, at its discretion, on the request of a pupil grant that pupil access to information held by the College about them, or allow a pupil to give or withhold consent to the use of their personal information, independently of their parents. This would normally be done only when the maturity of the pupil and/or the pupil’s personal circumstances so warranted.
Access to the personal information the College holds
Under the Commonwealth Privacy Act, an individual may seek access to personal information which the College holds about them. There are some exceptions through their Parents, but older pupils may seek access themselves.
To make a request to access any information the College holds about you or your child, please contact the College Principal in writing.
The College may require you to verify your identity and specify what information you require. The College may charge a fee to access and will advise the likely cost in advance.
Enquiries
If you would like further information about the way the College manages the personal information it holds, please contact the College’s Principal.
Marian Catholic College collects personal information, including sensitive information about pupils and parents or guardians before and during the course of a pupil’s enrolment at the College.
Marian Catholic College follows the Catholic School Office guidelines for the collection of personal information: Standard Collection Notice.
Marian Catholic College follows the Catholic School Office procedures for:
(Documents Currently Under Review)
- Suspension, Exclusion and Expulsion Policy
- Suspension, Exclusion and Expulsion Procedures
Marian Catholic College follows the Catholic School Office procedures to engage volunteers working with students. Click here to follow the link to ascertain if you are required to register to work as a Volunteer with Children in our College environment.
Marian Catholic College follows the Catholic Education Office Wagga Wagga’s Attendance policies & procedures. Click here for the latest policy.
Marian Catholic College follows the procedures and guidelines set down by the Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga for Complaints Handling Procedures: