Pastoral Care

Vertical Pastoral Care

At MacKillop Catholic College we provide a vertical pastoral care system for Year 7-12. Our vertical pastoral care structure enables the grouping of younger and older students together in a long-term relationship with their Pastoral Care teacher. Each Pastoral Care group is House-based and consists of approximately 22 students, with 3 or 4 students being drawn from each year level. The six Houses at MacKillop are Fitzroy, Tenison, Waterford, Penola, Rice and Sion.

Vertical pastoral care encourages the development of genuine and effective relationships between each student and their Pastoral Care teacher. Pastoral Care groups meet each day before recess after their morning classes.  Having daily contact with the student over a six-year period, the Pastoral Care teacher is in an ideal position to get to know them and their parents/caregivers very well.

Some of the many benefits of our vertical pastoral care system include:

• Increased college and house spirit
• Helping to build a greater sense of community with increased interaction between year levels
• Providing additional opportunities for students to lead, particularly in the older age groups
• Providing peer mentoring and support
• Establishing, and instilling, a strong sense of belonging
• Providing parents/caregivers with a familiar point of contact at the College
• Allowing students to observe the school journey through other students before it is their turn
• Increased college and house spirit

Counselling Services

MacKillop Catholic College has two College Counsellors, Diane Pitman and Tylisha Crawford. Tracey Webster is the College Student Wellbeing Officer. The College Counsellors provide support to students and their families in dealing with challenges in a sensitive, caring and confidential manner.

The Counsellor’s role in the school community is to enhance the emotional and physical well-being of our students. The Counsellor can support students and their families if they are experiencing challenges with any aspect of life.

The College Counsellors also provide preventative counselling to the school by offering information that will educate staff, parents, and students on the early identification and self-management of issues that may escalate and become troublesome.

Students can access our College Counsellors through an internal appointment system via direct email to our counsellors or by talking with their Pastoral Care Teacher or House Leaders.  Parents are welcome to contact either of our College Counsellors by phone or email with any concerns and are also welcome to make individual appointments if required.

For further resources the College subscribes to School TV for our parent community.

SchoolTV addresses this as a new online resource designed to empower parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies.

Please take the opportunity to engage with School TV