On behalf of the College Pastoral Team, I would like to welcome back all students to the College for the beginning of Term 2. For the first half of this term, it is my pleasure to support your sons as the Acting Director of Pastoral Care & Wellbeing. I would also like to extend my thanks to Mrs Jade Roper and Ms Alexandra Gregorio who will be acting Year 10 Pastoral Care Coordinator and Acting Year 10 Assistant Pastoral Care Coordinator respectively.

My Strengths

At the end of last week, Year 10 students were introduced to the My Strengths program. In these two-hour long sessions, each student was presented with their top five strengths based upon a personality assessment that targets their key skills and traits. As I visited this program on a number of occasions, it was very pleasing to see the positivity that was evident on the faces of our students who will benefit from the strengths based approach to their learning.

The results indicated that this cohort’s strengths lie in the following areas: Practicality, Hard Working, Visionary, Responsibility and Loyalty. I have no doubt that these strengths will assist in their continued growth as they continue on their educational journey and pathways.

It is my hope that our Year 10 students share their strengths with their families and strive to achieve all that they can with their natural abilities. I’ve attached a link that provides valuable insight into the positive effects of self-confidence.

I would like to add that the College’s partnership with My Strengths allows for ERC families to access the My Strengths Parenting Courses via this link . Simply look for ‘Edmund Rice College’ through the ‘Find My School Subscription’ link, register your details and you’ll have access to a number of resources at no cost to you.

Wellbeing Survey

Next week, all students at the College will undertake the Annual Wellbeing Survey. The survey will consist of different areas that pertain to a student’s wellbeing, including their physical, mental and emotional health. I look forward to unpacking the data and being able to share this in future newsletters, highlighting key areas of strength as well as those for growth.

Upcoming Pastoral Care Activities

Over the coming weeks, a number of programs will be running during our assigned Pastoral Care Lessons. These opportunities include presentations by the Police Liaison Officer from Wollongong Police LAC, Counselling presentations by our College Counselling Team and Careers workshops from the College Careers advisor, just to name a few. I look forward to discussing with your sons the benefits that they receive as a result of these programs.

Again, I look forward to supporting the young men of Edmund Rice College in my acting role over the next few weeks.

Mr Forshaw
Acting Director of Pastoral Care & Wellbeing