JPC Academic Welfare Program
John Paul College provides a supportive and co-operative Christian Ecumenical environment where students are encouraged to strive for excellence in every endeavour and have opportunities to reach their individual potential.
Our traditional values of Mutual Respect, Integrity, Compassion and Excellence and our SOARING model of Positive Education are reflected in a whole-school approach to student wellbeing. Academic and Pastoral Welfare is developed through a sequenced K – 12 Academic Welfare Program. Students are more able to achieve success when they are supported and feel that they belong to a healthy, happy and safe learning community.
In the Secondary School, our Academic Welfare Program focusses on developing the whole learner. It incorporates learning opportunities to support our student's social and emotional wellbeing and opportunities to develop leadership skillsets, while also developing study strategies to assist students' academic development.
Our Academic Welfare Program aims to:
| Provide a school environment where each member of the learning community feels safe, valued and that their contributions are valued
Deliver a structured wellbeing curriculum to students K-12 to provide students opportunities to learn knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviours and College values Identify and support students with diverse learning, social, emotional or wellbeing needs Foster personal and social development Promote leadership
Strengthen learning outcomes Develop career and academics pathways.
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To ensure that our Academic Welfare Program best meets the developmental needs of our students, it sequences age-appropriate learning opportunities to develop our students' skillsets. By tracking student development and wellbeing using teacher observation, our Flourishing Surveys, student wellbeing surveys, DARTS data, and academic results, we develop a clear picture of each student and develop learning opportunities responsive to their needs.
Further to this, the program is underpinned by the
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority's (ACARA) framework for Personal and Social Capabilities and
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).
It also incorporates research in
Positive Psychology
by Martin Seligman, and Peer Support research from James Cook University and the University of Western Sydney. While our program is responsive to our student needs, these evidence-based frameworks underpin the learning opportunities in our program to ensure rigour in the development of student skills.
Academic Welfare Structure
Underpinning the Academic Welfare Program is a dedicated group of highly skilled and qualified teachers who provide support, guidance and supervision of students. For close monitoring of student development, the Secondary School has a robust student support structure to ensure that each student is provided with supportive and nurturing support networks to thrive.
The following roles ensure students are well catered for in their learning and holistic development:
Academic Welfare teachers have responsibility for supporting their Academic Welfare class
Heads of Year have a particular responsibility for a year level, allowing a deeper knowledge of each student’s academic welfare. They lead a year level and the team of Academic Welfare Mentors to provide the best possible care for students
The Dean of Academic Welfare provides leadership and management in all areas associated with student welfare in the Secondary School. The Dean of Academic Welfare is also responsible for the provision of a supportive environment where all students can thrive
The Head of Secondary School has responsibility for promoting learning for all students in Year Seven to Twelve.
The daily monitoring of a students’ progress is the immediate responsibility of the Academic Welfare (AW) Mentor who meets regularly with the Academic Welfare class. It is the Academic Welfare Mentor who knows the student in the widest sense and who should be the student’s and parents’ first point of contact with problems or queries.
Heads of Year lead a cohort, and their team of Academic Welfare Mentors to support students. They liaise with students, families, AW Mentors, Heads of Faculty and subject teachers to support student wellbeing and learning. As key ‘bookends’, the Head of Year Seven, and Head of Year Twelve specialise in supporting students with their transition into the Secondary school, and into post-schooling.
Other Heads of Year work with a cohort for a two-year tenure, supporting their wellbeing across Years Eight and Nine, and Years Ten and Eleven. This model aims to support students as they transition into, and out of the Secondary School as Year Seven and Year Twelve students, respectively, and provides the opportunity for students to build strong connections with their Heads of Year and Academic Welfare Mentors.
Education is a shared experience between the school and home. Parents are encouraged to contact their son or daughter’s Academic Welfare Mentor, Head of Year or subject teacher to discuss any aspect of their progress.
