Student formation
Overview
Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) schools have a strong commitment to quality ongoing formation for their students that reflects a resonant Catholic worldview within a rich and diverse cultural landscape. To this end students participate in a comprehensive program of formation from year to year during their time in a BCE school. This program links in a sequential, developmental, holistic way shaping of habits of mind and heart helping students remain open to God and active for the reign of God in the world. In this way, each student explores the meaning making of their own story. Students find resonance in the meaning making of the shared Catholic tradition and their own place in the great narrative of the deep presence and action of God in the world.
Student formation approach
Brisbane Catholic Education advocates that schools and colleges commit to an explicit school-wide plan for student formation providing a sequential, developmental and holistic shaping of habits of mind and heart that support students in remaining open to God and active for the reign of God in the world. The Procedures for Student Formation provide guidance that address compliance and accountability using best practice principles. It aligns with existing staff formation strategies and the BCE Formation Framework.
Guidelines for retreats and reflection days
Retreat is an opportunity for staff and students to step away from the regular activities of the school day, to give space and time to:
My story (The Individual narrative)
Our story (The Community narrative)
The story (Jesus' Narrative).
In meeting them where they are, students are invited to become aware of the presence of God in their lives, whether for the first time or entering into a deeper awareness of this presence.
Guidelines for school immersions
School immersion experiences are an effective strategy in student formation to help students understand and involve themselves in Jesus’ mission. Immersion experiences offer unique opportunities to stand in solidarity and dialogue with others, coming face to face with local people from different contexts and cultures and recognising them as brothers and sisters. They are designed so the whole experience allows them to reflect deeply with their mind and heart in order to propel them to ongoing action.
Guidelines for service-learning
Service-learning involves two intentional elements: Service and Learning. One does not exist without the other. In an educational context Service-Learning initiatives connect intentionally with Christian spirituality and have powerful links to learning across the curriculum.
Service-Learning is:
planned, experiential and reflective
explicit, sustainable and nurtures authentic community partnerships
safe, ethical, just, legal, transformative, reciprocal and develops solidarity
holistic, engaging the head, heart and hands.