BURDEKIN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE

Policies

GOVERNANCE POLICIES HANDBOOK

This Handbook

In order to guide its own operations and to provide clarity for the governance of the College, the Board has adopted the policies and procedures in this Handbook.

This Handbook therefore has the force of Board policy. It is a living document which the Board may amend when appropriate.

Where any conflict inadvertently arises between this document and the Constitution, the Constitution prevails.

BCC'S PHILOSOPHY & AIMS IN REGARDS TO THE MELBOURNE DECLARATION.

Burdekin Christian College is part of the wider education community of Australia. It is therefore imperative that its distinctiveness as expressed in its philosophy and aims still enables the College to be part of the wider education community as expressed in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians December, 2008.

EDUCATING FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

In the beginning God……

This profound statement is the foundation of a Christian Worldview of reality.

The environment exists because of God.

God described the environment He created as "good". It was exactly as He intended it to be.

It is difficult to describe the environment that God called "good". Our human responses could include wonder, beauty, order and diversity.

Sin came into existence. God’s creation that was "good" is no longer good. The result of sin is catastrophic to the original creation.

This is the environment we find ourselves in. The wonder, beauty, order and diversity still exist but it has been marred.

Throughout the centuries the environment has continually declined in quality of life. At different times attempts have been made to address this decline

It was only been in recent years that there has been a move to address environmental issues.

Environmental education has been a part of Australian schooling since the 1970’s. Environmental issues initially concerned natural ecosystems and values arising from pollution of land, air and water, the growth of world population and the depletion of natural resources.

This then expanded where principles of environmental education began to emphasise the total environment – ecological, economic, cultural, historical, social and political- with consideration of technological changes.

In recent years the language of sustainability began to emerge.

Environmental education for sustainability can best be described as a vision of education where people are inspired to assume responsibility for creating an optimistic approach for the future.

This is because there are coordinated attempts to solve environmental issues such as degradation of land and water, problems of high population growth, high energy consumption, pollution across waterways and a continuing decline in biodiversity through activities such as land clearing, destruction of habitats and introduction of pest species to ecosystems.

Burdekin Christian College desires that its students have a positive approach to their future and fully endorses educating its students for a sustainable future.

The following policy refers to national goals and the College’s vision, goals, objectives, focuses areas and indicates a framework for implementation and evaluating, monitoring and reporting.

It is the desire of the College’s Board that the College become a leader in the area of educating for a sustainable future so its students leave the College with an optimistic attitude to their future.

BULLYING AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR

POLICY

Introduction:

There are many definitions of bullying and aggressive behaviour suggested by writers in the

field. There are also many differences of opinion in regard to whether bullying and aggressive

behaviour is inherited or a product of environmental factors.

There is a danger of being too definitive in determining the meaning of bullying and aggressive

behaviour.

There is also recognition that there are differing degrees of aggressive behaviour that can be

difficult to detect and manage.

The College has adopted the approach of identifying from the literature a number of elements of

what constitutes bullying, and a number of forms of aggressive behaviour.

Elements of Bullying:

Some of the elements of bullying as aggressive behaviour is:-

·repetitive in nature

·a hurtful action

·a desire to hurt by the aggressor

·a power imbalance such as age, power or strength

·here could be enjoyment by the aggressor

·the victim feels distressed

·can be an individual or group act.

Bullying could be physical, verbal, social and psychological.

In determining what is bullying these elements need to be considered.

Forms of Aggressive Behaviour:

Physical: Hitting, kicking, spitting, pinching, biting, throwing stones, use of weapons.

Verbal:Non-physical and includes name calling, rumour spreading, taunting and teasing.

Gesture:Non-verbal and includes threatening and obscene gestures.

Extortion:Stand over tactics and threats that may involve demands for money and property.

Exclusion:Isolating others from the group.

Other elements of bullying and forms of aggressive behaviour may be added in the future.