Our Approach
Our students learn best in an environment that feels safe and secure.
The personal wellbeing of our students is key to their ability to learn, grow and mature into the person they have been designed to be. At Faith, social, emotional, spiritual, and psychological development holds equal importance to academic learning.
A Sense of Belonging
We provide a learning community that promotes wellbeing, safety and positive relationships so that students can reach their full potential. At Faith, senior year levels often provide leadership and mentoring for younger peers as students, families and staff work together in partnership, developing a sense of belonging as valued members of our Faith community.
Wellbeing Support and Counselling
Our Wellbeing Director and College Counsellor spend time at both campuses, building relationships within our students and providing a listening ear.
Verbalising thoughts and emotions can allow students a different perspective with new insight and strategies for moving forward. Solution focused conversations with parents, friends, teachers or a trusted adult helps to take ‘a weight off the shoulders’ and allows students to acknowledge feelings and emotions and move forward.
Counselling at Faith College can provide support and guidance when feeling overwhelmed or unsure of what to do next.
At the Junior School class teachers are the first point of contact and will seek counselling support for those students experiencing greater challenges than they can navigate.
Middle and Senior students can access information and resources, self-help tools, websites and apps through their student portal and they can book their own appointment with our College Counsellor.
Parent connections are developed and encouraged by our passionate team of Class Carers. Each Junior School class has two parents who volunteer to care for teachers and families. Our Class Carers ensure all new families are welcomed and can facilitate support for families in need.
Our RITE Journey Program in the Junior School identifies and celebrates student experiences and milestones, providing age-appropriate challenges, new freedoms and responsibilities for school and home.
In the Middle School, the RITE Journey Program forms an integral part of the Year 7 (Heroic Habits) and Year 9 timetable. This specialised program allows students the time and space, with guidance, to learn about and understand themselves, their importance and their place in the world.
Our Junior School teachers share engaging wellbeing strategies in the classroom and beyond.
This focus on gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy provides students with the foundation to build strong and valuable relationships.
What happens when things go wrong?
Our approach is restorative, where we ask questions and follow a process to better understand the situation and work with students and families to resolve the situation and move forward.
Tell: What happened? What were you thinking at the time?
Explore: Who has been affected? How?
Repair: How can you put things right? What else needs to be done?
Move Forward: How can we stop this from happening again? What should YOU do and how can I help you? What goals will you set to help you move forward?
Each Village Care Group is named after a significant historical settlement in the Barossa and is comprised of students from Year 7 through to Year 12.
Students meet with their Village Care Group at the start of each day, with students in our Middle and Senior School often referring to their Village as their school family, which highlights the depth of relationships formed.
Five Village Care Groups form a District to foster greater connection throughout a student’s time at Faith Middle and Senior School.
District Leaders play an active role in building and maintaining a positive learning environment where the whole College community feels valued, connected, safe and respected. Districts compete against each other during Aquatics Day and Athletics Day and host special activities throughout the year to raise awareness about current humanitarian and environmental issues.
District Leaders work closely with Student Leaders to foster a positive culture at the College and enhance learning opportunities for our students and families.