“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Introducing Kennedy Baptist College’s Renewed Pastoral Care Framework
Kennedy Baptist College has a reputation for excellent pastoral care. Sitting under the College vision and mission are the four pillars and the overarching goal of pastoral care:
“The goal of pastoral care is to create and maintain a safe, nurturing, and engaging educational community where students can thrive academically, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.”
Over the last eighteen months, the pastoral care team has collaborated on a refreshed program. The result is an explicit narrative of pastoral care from Years 7-12 that provides a comprehensive outworking of our mission and is firmly grounded in the Bible. It establishes common language across Years 7-12 and includes complementary goals for both teachers and students.
Grounded in our Christian faith and aligned with the College’s Vision, Mission and Four Pillars, the framework is built around the concept of journey. Across all year levels, students are encouraged to grow through three key goals:
- Christian Faith
- Respect
- Culture
Alongside these common goals, each year level also has a specific concept and corresponding goals. The development process has been recursive. At various stages, the team shared its ideas with all staff for feedback, leading to ongoing refinement of the program and supporting documentation. Homeroom teachers are now implementing the program, and it forms part of the documentation required for College registration with the Department of Education later this year.
An additional benefit has been developing leadership capacity among the Heads of Year through authentic opportunities to lead, collaborate, and influence positive outcomes for students.
Our College has a long-established tradition of devotions through assemblies, camps, many Homerooms, and Year Group meetings. Last year, Peter Chase introduced Testimony Tuesdays. This year, as part of our refreshed pastoral care program, every student begins the week by hearing a devotion on Monday morning. These are pre-recorded and presented by a range of staff members, with students viewing them in Homeroom.
Peter previously mentioned our Term 1 series on the Sermon on the Mount. We are currently exploring some of Jesus’ parables through Luke’s Gospel. We then revisit these weekly devotions in Homeroom throughout the week through discussion, prayer, and supplementary activities.
At its heart, the refreshed Pastoral Care Journey seeks to ensure every student is known, supported and equipped to flourish as they navigate their years at Kennedy Baptist College.
This refreshed Pastoral Care Journey is the result of many people contributing their ideas, expertise, and passion for student wellbeing. I would like to thank the current pastoral care team, as well as former Heads of Year David Orr and Murray Dunstan, for their invaluable contributions. Special thanks also go to Linda Ang for her professional assistance in developing the documentation, and to Andrew Dunn for his ongoing support and encouragement throughout the journey.
As we continue to partner with families in each student’s growth and development, we are excited about the impact this renewed framework will have across our College community. We invite you to explore the full Pastoral Care Journey and see how Kennedy Baptist College intentionally guides students through every stage of their secondary school experience.
Mrs Christine Crump
Director of Students
