In Hillcrest’s Educational Model, there are four domains: IQ (intellectual quotient/academic), EQ (emotional quotient), WQ (wellbeing quotient) and SQ (spiritual quotient/values). While schools have traditionally only concerned themselves with delivering outcomes in the IQ domain (consider the media and political focus on NAPLAN results and public league tables), the time has come when progressive school leaders and educational experts recognise that the fundamental role of schooling is shifting.
In a recent article by The Educator Australia, it discusses the alarming rate at which students’ health and wellbeing has seen a decline. It states: “Research shows that anxiety, depression, and conduct disorders are leading mental health concerns among Australia’s youth, with a 2019 study revealing one-in-seven 4-17-year olds suffer from a mental disorder and one in six adolescents experiencing problematic levels of loneliness”.
At Hillcrest, caring for students’ wellbeing and emotional development is not just a one-off program, or a special day of recognition. Rather, it is weaved into the fabric of our educational delivery. In the Virtual Learning Community, students attend a daily, online Life Group (pastoral care) session with their teacher and peers, giving them a regular social and emotional touch-point with a trusted adult and their classmates. In Life Group, they can discuss things that are happening in the world around them, outwork skill-building programs such as how to deal with conflict, unpack our College and community values, and have fun together through interactive online games and activities. Families have access to our wellbeing hub, “The Well”, which provides support to students and their parents/carers through programs such as ‘Tuning into Teens’, weekly programs for fathers, emotional coaching courses, and other physical and online resources which can assist in raising young people. Students also have access to our counselling and chaplaincy team, either in-person or online.
Hillcrest is a community that truly cares about delivering young people to the world that are educated, not only academically, but also about who they are, their strengths, and their own emotional capacity. Find out how your child can thrive in a program that is taking the ‘distance’ out of Distance Education. https://hillcrestvlc.school
Author: Danni Foster-Brown
Head of Virtual Learning Community
Distance Education suited to your family and lifestyle
Hillcrest Christian College’s Virtual Learning Community (VLC) offers your family a truly flexible Distance Education learning experience, so your child can access an exceptional independent school education to suit your family’s lifestyle.
