At St Mary’s we believe that pastoral care is a key part of school life, and we take this aspect of education very seriously. St Mary’s College Leadership Team, House Coordinators and Counsellors with committed teams of Homeroom teachers, are pivotal to the health and happiness of the student body.

We acknowledge that learning only takes place in an environment where the learner feels comfortable, so helping students to achieve an optimum degree of comfort in school is a priority.

Another important goal is the idea of connectedness. We encourage the idea of working closely with parents as partners in their daughter’s education, and as we care for our students, we offer support to their parents.

We are continually reviewing our policies and procedures to make sure that we are providing the best possible learning environment and believe that we are giving our students opportunities to grow in confidence.

We also believe that a large helping of fun is important, and we aim to give students the chance to enjoy themselves.


SchoolTV is a wellbeing platform for school communities that addresses the modern-day realities of raising safe, happy and resilient young people using credible information whilst offering realistic and practical strategies.

St Mary’s College now has its very own SchoolTV portal, for sharing articles, videos and journals that support wellbeing with our community.

Best practice content is represented in the latest articles and journals from 48 trusted source organisations in Australia and New Zealand, including Beyond Blue, Headspace and ReachOut.

All SchoolTV topics are divided into series. The number of topics relating to a series will differ and over time new topics will be added. You are invited to take the time to explore each series and topic and make sure you visit the resources section. Here you will find useful factsheets, apps, books, websites and other additional videos – all on one single topic!

Topics include cybersafety, mental health, school survival, healthy body, positive parenting and special topics of timely relevance based on trending topics.

Your Mind Matters

The library of useful resources from the Your Mind Matters collection is still available for you here via the link below, at any time you may wish to refer to a resource.


Counsellors

Our Counsellors, Olivia Dorsett, Courtney Hartog and Taylor Fletcher (currently on maternity leave) are leading the College in our approach to daily student wellbeing and support. Olivia, Courtney and Taylor play a key role in the pastoral care of St Mary’s College Students.

Olivia is available Monday to Friday and focuses on Junior School Students. Olivia’s experience as a Social Worker includes working at Lifeline Australia in the role of a Crisis Supporter on the 13 11 14 phone line and she is currently studying a Master of Social Work at UTAS. Olivia has a special interest in crisis support, family support and supporting those who are bereaved by suicide.

Courtney is available Monday to Friday and will be supporting students from Kinder to Year 12. Courtney is provisionally registered as a psychologist and has a range of experiences in various industries including child safety, domestic violence and employment services.  Supporting young people is a passion of Courtney’s and she looks forward to providing psychological intervention, assessment and support to those at SMC.

Taylor Fletcher is available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and focuses on Junior School students. Taylor’s experience as a Social Worker has been working for Child Safety Services and non-government agencies since finishing her bachelor’s degree. Taylor has specialised in long term case management of young people in out of-home care, and supporting children, families and foster carers.

Olivia, Courtney and Taylor are committed to helping your child/ren if they are struggling with any aspect of life, and they are keen to communicate with you regarding any concerns for their wellbeing.

To make a confidential appointment or to discuss a concern, contact Olivia Dorsett or Courtney Hartog on wellbeing@smc.tas.edu.au.

Pictured below (left to right): Taylor Fletcher, Olivia Dorsett and Courtney Hartog.


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St Mary's College is located on the traditional lands of the muwinina people of the South East Nation. We acknowledge and deeply respect the palawa people, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community, and all Elders past and present. We are committed to learning alongside our students and community in this place, nipaluna, and support the continued sharing of knowledge and culture.