At Ivanhoe Girls’ we care as much about the developing character of each girl as we do about their academic achievement.
The early-to-middle teenage years are an exciting time of exploration and character development, yet they can also be fraught, as young people at this age and stage can be distracted by the complexities of friendships and friendship groupings. The potential for this to occur has only been increased by the widespread use of social media and other emerging technologies.
In order to enable our students to develop a real sense of connectedness and a clear understanding of what respectful relationships look like, our approach to pastoral care in each of Years 7, 8 and 9 involves:
A sequential Outdoor Education program is also used in each of these years to connect students to the natural environment and as a means to build strong connections within Year Levels whilst fostering resilience.
With students starting to plan both for success in the VCE and for life beyond school, at Year 10 we support them through:
Leadership remains an important theme in Year 11, especially as we look forward to the selection of School Leaders for the following year.
Unity as a Year Level, especially in the context of managing examinations, work/life balance and potential stress, is a further priority. Key specific elements of the pastoral program include:
In addition, we work with external experts regarding body image, as research tells us that girls’ negative feelings about their bodies can increase around Year 11.
A very strong academic focus among our students at Year 12 is both inevitable and desirable.
Our approach to pastoral care in this final year of school aims to support students in their academic endeavours whilst ensuring a broader focus, especially on 21st Century skills. Encouraging wellbeing at such an exciting, yet potentially stressful, time is a further key priority. Some of the ways we seek to do this involve: