LIFE TO THE FULL PROSPECTUS
CHARACTERISTICS OF MARIANIST EDUCATION
TO KNOW, TO DO, TO BE - TOGETHER
Emmanuel College works with the families it serves to provide a challenging, Catholic education for young men and women in the Marianist tradition. This tradition, grounded in the values of Jesus, educates the whole person while emphasising family spirit in a nurturing, caring environment, attentive to the moral, spiritual and religious development of students. Emmanuel College bases its education upon the characteristics of Marianist education where we:
EDUCATE FOR FORMATION IN FAITH
Students at Emmanuel strive to imitate Mary’s example of faith and discipleship. We see Mary as a woman who is strong in faith, courageous, compassionate and an advocate for social justice. College staff strive personally to take on Mary’s mission of bringing Christ to life in their students. Our students are encouraged to connect to faith in their own style which will guide their personal values and development. We encourage an understanding of all faiths and build the compassion of our students through a lens of acceptance and tolerance. The College nurtures students to grow to be adults of compassion.
Education in faith at Emmanuel provides opportunities for students to participate in special events such as liturgical and eucharistic celebrations, student ministry and retreat and immersion programs. Such experiences support students’ spiritual growth and give meaning to their lives.
BUILDING EMPATHY
Students at the College are encouraged to build an understanding of and empathy towards different faiths of the world and in particular different spiritual traditions of those within ours and the wider Emmanuel community.
During their life at the College, students gain valuable experiences in forgiveness, understanding and acceptance through a range of opportunities to better understand people and the world in which they live.
EDUCATE IN THE FAMILY SPIRIT.
The Marianist family spirit found at Emmanuel College is a way of life and way of connecting. By providing a climate of acceptance and love, the school acts as an extended family, nurturing growth, development and personal responsibility. We strive to embrace opportunities to praise, thank and celebrate members of the school community. We listen attentively and engage in dialogue with trust and empathy, recognising that we educate by “our every word, gesture, and look.” By being present in the school / home partnership, the young people of the College understand that family spirit and inclusion are the cornerstone upon which all else is built. Every student enjoys a strong, caring and trusted relationship with their peers and staff.
The Catholic education provided at Emmanuel, in partnership with parents, strives for the young people of the College to flourish and challenges them to live authentically at being their best.
“I love the partnership between my son’s teachers and home. We really are all in this together! The communication between his teachers and home has been outstanding.”
Amanda – Parent.
FORGING RELATIONSHIPS
The relationships forged by students with their teachers and fellow students are the backbone of the pastoral care program.
Having really good relationships with staff allows students to have input into the future of the school. It feels powerful” Tommy – Year 10.
Student leadership is a strategic focus at the College. Representatives of each year level and each House act as the voice of the student body and give crucial feedback to inform the decision making of the College.
PROVIDE AN INTEGRAL, QUALITY EDUCATION
Collaboration among academic disciplines and cross - curricular learning opportunities help students to experience learning as more than a collection of unrelated subjects. Emmanuel College staff members encourage students to cultivate their personal talents, nourishing their desire and acquiring the skills that will equip them as lifelong learners.
Acknowledging that these talents may take different forms, our College offers a variety of high-quality educational opportunities, providing education in the arts as well as the sciences, along with elective based core curriculum offerings, creating a favourable environment for learning. Students learn to properly use contemporary technologies to support their learning, to effectively communicate and collaborate and to formulate personal learning strategies.
Our aim is to utilise technology and digital resources to support high quality learning and teaching programs.
Providing anywhere, anytime access to learning enables students and teachers to create, communicate and collaborate locally and globally.
ACADEMIC PATHWAYS
Providing a range of academic pathways as well as co-curricular opportunities, students are well-prepared for their post-secondary school journey. Camps, music, sport and international travel are just some of the opportunities presented to students to enhance personal growth.
“Seeing and experiencing a different culture was amazing. Having the chance to use and grow our Italian language skills was lots of fun. We still can’t believe that we got to go to the other side of the world with our friends!”
Brianna and Isabella – Year 9
Students at Emmanuel are provided opportunities both inside and out of the classroom to challenge themselves. We not only provide them with these challenges, but, allow time for reflection and to adapt to future challenges.
Blessed William Chaminade said “New times call for new methods”. Emmanuel College faces the future calmly, integrating acceptance and adaptation. Our intention is not simple submission to the future but the hope-filled shaping of it. We encourage this attitude in our students, helping them to develop the skills needed to acquire, process and evaluate information, but, also encouraging them to link what they learn to shape the future through their actions.
EDUCATE FOR ADAPTATION AND CHANGE
The College aims to provide students with the skills necessary to thrive in the exciting world of the future – to be independent learners, self-directed, ethical, spiritually centred and emotionally intelligent, while able to relate and collaborate in the interconnected world of tomorrow.
PURSUING PERSONAL BEST
We believe that every student is able to achieve their personal best. This is achieved through their hard work, perseverance with rigorous academic work and clear teacher feedback about progress and next steps.
It is really helpful that teachers are always available to offer extra help with my learning. There are even clubs and groups after school to help me with my understanding of things.”
Jeremy – Year 8
EDUCATE FOR SERVICE, JUSTICE, PEACE AND THE
INTEGRITY OF CREATION
We encourage our students to see the value in all people. Our students are supported to identify and respond to instances of discrimination that seek to control us and to begin to understand the systemic nature of injustice. Emmanuel College provides our students both the tools and the motivation to be promoters of the common good and agents of positive social change. Students are encouraged to engage in charity, awareness building and outreach activities to foster within them a life of justice seeking. As well as developing an understanding of the innate relationship between First Nations people and the land.
PRINCIPAL’S REFLECTION
EMMANUEL COLLEGE PRINCIPAL
- DR JANINE BIGGIN
Students who graduate from Emmanuel College exemplify the qualities received from a rich Marianist education. Students are provided with an integral and quality education, where the learner is placed at the centre, and they flourish because of the strong relationships that are forged between teachers and students. Through this student-centred approach, learning and wellbeing are equally focused upon because a happy child is a happy learner. In supporting our young people, we guide them consistently to strive to be better, to pursue their personal best. The Emmanuel College motto is lived authentically in how we nurture and walk alongside our young people so that they can have ‘Life to the Full’.
Teachers at the College are provided with regular opportunities to hone their craft as educators accessing up to date professional learning, and working collaboratively to ensure that innovation occurs, and learning programs are the best that they can be. In pursuing our educational goals, students and parents are asked for feedback as we are all on this journey together.
We take great pride in the expertise we show to deliver co-educational learning at the Notre Dame campus. The College facilities enhance the educational and extra-curricular programs that are provided for students. The campus itself boasts beautiful places with the various subject areas able to explore modern ways to engage learners through a variety of pedagogical approaches and learning methods.
The learning journey of each Emmanuel student is a personal one. From the moment a young person begins with us, through their school years and graduation and including their life as members of our Alumni, they are known, loved, supported and guided. We work in partnership with the parents, the first educators of their children. This ongoing relationship is crucial. In our shared endeavour, we strive alongside one another to develop resilient young people who have self-belief.
The evidence of the success of Emmanuel College is in the capacity of our graduates to make informed decisions about how they can contribute to society when they transition into adulthood. Alongside the academic programs and extracurricular activities that guide their future pathways, the students are encouraged in a welcoming and safe environment where pastoral care support and the faith dimension underpin the learning aspects of each student’s program.
It is a great privilege for all community members at Emmanuel College to be part of the journey of growth and learning, within an environment where all are welcomed.
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL LEARNING AND TEACHING
WE AIM TO DEVELOP IN YOUNG PEOPLE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT ENABLE THEM TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS AND MAKE AN ONGOING CONTRIBUTION TO OUR SOCIETY
LEAH ELMER
At Emmanuel College we are committed to student-centred, personalised learning through tradition. Our learning environments foster growth for all students, encompassing their individual characteristics, with a focus on their faith, emotional, social and academic capacities.
Living Life to the Full…
In addition to the personalised and contemporary learning approaches that support student growth towards their future goals, our co-curricular program also provides our students with opportunities to stretch themselves beyond their comfort zones and try something different. These opportunities include music, sport and social justice involvement as well as Learning Area specific clubs for those students with a particular passion!
Students at the centre of all we do…
As a College, our pedagogy is informed by the characteristics of Student Centred Learning. Student Centred Learning is a pedagogy that requires students to be active participants and agents of their own learning.
• It is organised around an open-ended driving question or challenge
• It is rigorous and teaches significant content
• It requires research and inquiry to learn
• It develops students‘ enterprise skills: critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, written and oral communication, creativity, digital literacy
• It allows for student voice and choice
• It incorporates feedback and reflection
Working to achieve personal bests…
Within all their classes, the young people of Emmanuel College are encouraged to achieve their personal best through a proactive and positive approach to their academic endeavours. The skills developed through their work in Years 7 through to 10 serve to provide skills that will enable them to achieve success within VCE and Vocational Major programs. We take great pride in the efforts of all our students and continue to celebrate the growth each of them makes throughout their time at Emmanuel College. Providing opportunities for all…
The learning at Emmanuel College is personalised to ensure all have an opportunity to experience growth whilst using the individual gifts each has been given.
Supported by our Inclusion Framework, staff aim to ensure that all students receive the support and guidance they need to thrive.
Pathway options provide a future focussed program for our Senior students that enable them to set and achieve their goals. This includes both Academic and Vocational options as well as the ability to combine both to best support the student.
STRENGTH IN SPIRIT
In a spirit of gratitude for our many blessings, Emmanuel students aim to improve the lives of others by sharing the experiences of the needy through the Winter Sleepout and Below the Line activities while raising awareness. They support the plight of refugees in detention and marginalised communities building their capacity to make a difference and strive for justice in the world.
Developing an understanding of indigenous spirituality and their relationship with the land, water and sky is an integral part of connecting with our country and its history and stories.
I love being able to help people who need support, the out reach programs at school allow me to do something real valuable”
Anthony – Year 10
