CARE

Families can expect a very different and dynamic approach to CARE time at Berwick Grammar School this year.  We now have a full 20 minutes of pastoral care time each morning.  This is wonderful opportunity for staff to build relationships with students, and a space to teach meaningful things that sit outside the curriculum – the type of things that grow good men.

Each day has a different focus, beginning with Mindfulness Mondays, where boys learn about the important of strategies that help them remain calm and confident when times get difficult.  There is also a second weekly session focussing on a wide variety of elements that contribute to student wellbeing.  To begin with, these have focussed on boys understanding their Character Strengths, as informed by the VIA Character Survey. We encourage parents to take this survey as well as. You can read more about our new initiative Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) in this publication.  Students also have regular Year Level Meetings and more regular House Meetings, to ensure the boys connect with their peers in different Year Levels.  Some wonderful activities were run in the first session by our new House Captains.

Finally, leadership is high on the agenda in these sessions.  Every boy at Berwick Grammar School is now undertaking a 4-year leadership program that will be delivered in pastoral care sessions. In addition to this, Year 10 students have begun training for the Peer Mentoring Program which will see them paired with a Year 7 student for everything from games to reading.