Student Wellbeing

Pastoral Care at De La Salle Senior College, Cronulla is based on:

• An understanding of God’s personal and unconditional love of the individual, who is created in God’s image and likeness.
• The fact that “the Catholic School is committed to the development of the whole person, since in Christ, the perfect human being, all human values find their fulfilment and unity.”  (The Catholic School, 1997, n.35)
• Jesus’ message of love which is proclaimed in the Gospels.
• A community modelled on the teachings of St John Baptist De La Salle.
• The recognition of the value and contribution each member of the College community makes to the development of the particular charism of the school.
• The belief that teaching is a vocation of service.
• An acceptance of equity, fairness and justice in all policies, structures and relationships.
• A safe and disciplined environment where the students feel the challenge to pursue excellence in all areas of school life, spiritual, academic, cultural and sporting.
• A commitment to the development of self-discipline in students, founded on affirmation, in a secure, structured environment.
• The network of relationships between administrators, staff, students, parents and the wider community.

Pastoral Care at De La Salle Senior College, Cronulla is an ongoing process which finds its inspiration in the Gospels and is founded in the love that Jesus Christ has for every individual. It provides an atmosphere which makes the individual feel accepted, valued and loved. It is developed through the interplay of relationships within the whole College community, based on mutual respect and open communication. It encourages a freedom, openness and flexibility in the approach to student management that enables each student to be cared for in an individual manner, and places great emphasis on affirming the good qualities of each while encouraging them to grow and to assume responsibility for their own personal development.

At De La Salle College Cronulla we recognise that the well being of students and staff are of primary concern. The College has a clear pathway of communication that students and parents can use if specific and/or urgent pastoral care needs emerge. An important part of this is access to the College Counselor, who is available two days per week, but also may be available at other times if an emergency eventuates. Our Counselor works closely with external professional support agencies and appointments to meet with our Counselor can be initiated by students, parents, or staff.

The College also recognises the need for specific members of staff such as the Year Coordinators, to have ongoing professional development in all aspects of Pastoral Care. These key people work with the Counselor to support students. Our Pastoral Care program also recognizes that counseling should not always be “reactive”. Therefore, students are guided in their development of taking responsibility for important skills such as building resilience.

Our college retreat program for Year 11 students takes place early in Term 3. It is facilitated by the teachers at the college and provides an opportunity for the students to explore their own spirituality. This is a valuable time as students reflect on their lives, their role in the community, at the college and beyond. This is a meaningful experience for the students and noted as one of the highlights of their time at the College

The Lasallian charism is fostered in our community. Staff and students experience training and education that continues to develop our sense of being Lasallian at the college. This year we are fortunate to have Jake Wedesweiler (Year 12, 2015) as our Lasallian Youth Minister working with the students two days per week, providing a ‘Lasallian youth experience.’

When in Year 12 the Leadership team undertake further training that will enable them to lead the College community in the ways of De La Salle. They also have opportunities to work with other senior students from other Lasallian schools.

Immersion experiences provide a much deeper experience and the Lasallian Youth Ministry offers a number of experiences to students at the end of Year 12 including trips to New Zealand, New Guinea and Pakistan.