Care

Relationship building is at the core of care at Tintern Grammar’s ELC. Students in the ELC are supported by familiar and regular ELC teachers, allowing children to build strong relationships, trust and the confidence to take risks in their learning. In a continuous environment of care, respect and purposeful play, our children feel motivated and valued as foundational academic skills, social and emotional growth and readiness for school develops.

A beautiful environment

The ELC is located on-campus. The feeling of belonging starts as you enter the welcoming foyer where students’ work is proudly displayed. The foyer is a community space and the heart of the ELC, and the learning spaces are configured in a circular layout offering indoor and outdoor play, which is integrated through seamless access to outside decks and a natural adventure playground. The play space is beautifully landscaped and designed to evoke curiosity and imaginative play, and ELC students enjoy the use of Tintern Grammar’s extensive grounds during supervised sessions.

Respectful relationships

Through play, song and stories ongoing throughout the year, our Respectful Relationships Program is integrated through all programs at the ELC. Our students begin to understand their feelings, regulate their emotions, develop skills to successfully interact in social situations, building their social and emotional skills. Working alongside the Respectful Relationships Program all the children in the ELC participate in the Kimochi Program where they learn to identify and regulate emotions through stories, plush toys, and group sessions.

Orientation and transition

Families and students meet with the Head of the ELC during the enrolment process to discuss each child’s potential, to establish a connection to the School and community. Commencing at the ELC begins with orientation/transition sessions the year before entry. During these sessions students and families get to know their teachers, staff and other children, to ensure they are set-up for a great start.

Exploring the world around them

Through regular visits to our unique on-campus Tinternwood farm, students learn about their world through enquiry-based learning, developing understanding about sustainability, our First Nations Peoples and their connection to country.

The ELC includes a working vegetable garden, where students learn how to grow, harvest, and cook produce, as well as learning about the importance of healthy eating.

Incursions throughout the year provide engaging presentations to support the students’ learning, and topics include recycling and building strong emotional intelligence.

Connection to the Tintern community

The Early Start program is to prepare students in the year prior to ELC commencement in our three-year-old program. These sessions of supervised play with parents, are a great way for children to familiarise themselves with our learning spaces and make friends prior to starting at Tintern Grammar.

ELC students connect with our Junior School students through formalised mentoring programs:

• Buddies – Prep-Preps with Year 5 students
• Fantastic friends – All ELC students with Year 6 students

The wonderful light filled foyer of the ELC is often a place of sharing and community. Here the ELC students are treated to regular musical performances by Junior and Secondary students, building the joy and self-expression of music, identity and belonging to Tintern.

Secondary student led learning opportunities are eagerly anticipated such as science experiment demonstrations during Science Week by our Science Captains.

Family events are held throughout the year further building a sense of community, belonging and identity for the students and their families.

Each Junior School student is known, understood and supported.

Care is both individual through Personalised Learning Plans, development of emotional intelligence through tools such as Mood Meter as a core component of the RULER program (Yale University) and community focused activities.

A sense of connection to the broader Tintern Community through programs that instil a sense of belonging include Peer Leadership and Fantastic Friends and Buddies Programs. Students discover the power of reflection through Mindfulness, Yoga and Religion And Values Education (RAVE). Our Year 5 Leadership Program is a comprehensive experience of personal development, reflection, understanding strengths and challenges and building leadership skills.  Our wellbeing partners provide targeted sessions on age-appropriate wellbeing subjects including:

• Butterfly Foundation – Girls’ Junior School Years 5 – 6
• Elephant Ed – Girls’ and Boys’ Junior Schools Years 5 – 6
• Kids ROAR – Girls’ and Boys’ Junior Schools Prep – 6
• St Johns First Aid – Girls’ and Boys Junior Schools Prep – Year 6

Each week our students come together in Assembly to celebrate achievements, support student performances, hear inspirational speakers and thought-provoking discussion.

Physical Wellbeing

Physical wellbeing is encouraged and includes PE classes held in our beautiful grounds. Years 3 – 6 House Sport or Interschool Sport develops skills, physical wellbeing and teamwork. Our students learn to swim in Junior School at our on-campus pool. Participation in House events such as House Athletics and House Cross-country builds camaraderie, lasting memories and is a lot of fun.

Camps

Tintern Grammar’s camps travel to some of Victoria’s most beautiful regions and beyond, where students participate in experiential learning, challenges and teamwork.  Camps are fun and provide lasting memories building wellbeing in:

• Belonging
• Social and emotional learning
• Independence skills
• Resilience building

House

Students are assigned to one of our five House groups promoting belonging, teamwork, healthy rivalry and fun.

• Group activities – single or multiple year levels
• Co-curricular based activities
• Sport competitions
• Performing Arts competitions
• Service/social justice opportunities
• House leadership opportunities

Leadership opportunities

• Buddies
• Peer Leadership
• Fantastic Friends
• Student Representative Council (SRC)
• Year 5 Leadership Program

Therapy dog

Belle is our official therapy dog who visits the Tintern Grammar Junior School regularly. With her beautiful temperament and gentle nature, she can be found enjoying a pat from the students or snoozing under a desk. Belle has been bringing joy on her visits to Tintern since 2017.

Relationships for Learning

Students are known

Emotional intelligence

Guidance

Mentoring

Emotional and wellbeing care

Restorative practice

Pastoral Care

Through adolescence, students move from concrete to abstract thinking, as well as moving towards more rational decision-making and a better understanding of the consequences of behaviour. We are committed to engaging and supporting our middle years students in ways that inspire them to be passionate and successful in their learning outcomes. What we recognise during this stage of development, is that there are significant differences between boys and girls and how they both deal with and learn about themselves and the world around them.

Our Pastoral Care system begins in the middle years starts with the transition program into Year 7. In the year prior, our incoming students are provided with three transition days that guide them through life in the Middle School, expectations in the classroom, and the opportunity to meet and connect with other students prior to beginning their journey. Our Pastoral Program throughout Years 7 – 9 is structured in a gender-based, age-and-stage way, to ensure we are best meeting the developmental requirements of our students. The program covers major social, emotional and developmental concepts, whilst also providing many opportunities for our students to connect and engage with our School.

As our students enter the senior years from Years 10 – 12 they transition to co-educational learning. Pastoral care continues and supports our Parallel Learning model and provides care to our senior students to best support them in their senior secondary years and beyond. Pastoral care is structured using House groups.

Regular check-ins with each student

Pastoral – face to face daily 10-minute sessions

Years 7 – 9 Pastoral Mentor Group (class based)

Years 10 – 12 House group based

Electronic

Pulse personal check-in email sent each week

Survey once per year per cohort.

Utility sessions

Utility sessions are weekly classes with the focus of wellbeing, the development of emotional intelligence and life skills, connectedness and celebration including:

• Pastoral sessions
• Assemblies
• Celebration events
• Year 9 Challenge – life skills
• Duke of Edinburgh

Camps

Tintern Grammar’s camps travel to some of Victoria’s most beautiful regions and beyond, where students participate in experiential learning, challenges and teamwork.  Camps are fun and provide lasting memories as students develop:

• Sense of belonging
• Social and emotional learning
• Independence skills
• Resilience building

Sport

Participation in physical activity, teamwork, healthy competition, striving to improve on a personal best and developing leadership skills are benefits offered by our Sport Program.

Held during school time to allow students to participate in community sport on the weekend

Compulsory Sport up to Year 11

Competitive Sport or Recreation

House

Students are assigned to one of our five House groups promoting belonging, teamwork, healthy rivalry and fun.

Group activities – single or multiple year levels

Co-curricular based activities

Sport competitions

Performing Arts competitions

Service/social justice opportunities

House Leadership opportunities

Wellbeing partners/programs

We partner with organisations that have programs underpinned by research that are tailored to students age and stage, and who are leaders in the education of young people. These programs provide an additional voice of care supporting Tintern’s Wellbeing Program including:

The Resilience Project, Year 7 Girls and Boys  

Year 7 girls and boys develop their understanding of wellbeing and resilience by learning and applying evidence-based practical strategies in dedicated pastoral sessions and targeted day programs.

Man Cave, Year 7 and Year 8 Boys

Supporting our Years 7 – 8 boys to become compassionate, respectful, independent and responsible members of their community. The program includes preventative mental health and emotional intelligence strategies.

Elephant Ed, Year 9 Girls and Boys

Evidence based, age-appropriate workshops on respectful relationships, consent and sexuality education.

Elevate Education, Year 10

Tintern Grammar partners with Elevate Education in our commitment to improving study skills and habits at the start of Senior College for Year 10 students and involves two workshops:

Study Sensei helps the students’ study effectively

Ace Your Exams helps students prepare for exams

In addition to this, the Parent Seminar, at the beginning of the year, helps reinforce study skills at home.