Dear Parents,

This newsletter contains information about student expectations and attendance, as well as other information relating to the new school year. Welcome to all the new families who are joining our school this year. 2019 promises to be an exciting year.

Going to school every day is the single most important part of a child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.

The most important reminder for all students is that a minimum attendance rate of 90% has been set. If any student does not achieve 90% attendance it is quite likely that the student will be asked to repeat the year. Arrangements will be made for students who may suffer long term illness, however long term holidays will not be exempt from the 90% rule, unless arrangements are put in place to send work to teachers during the absence.

Families who are planning an extended holiday overseas will be required to complete a notification form at the general office advising a return date to school and assurance that they have obtained school work to continue during their absence, so that their education is not compromised. For more information relating to attendance please see this attachment:

RETURN TO SCHOOL DATES:

Staff Return:

All staff return Tuesday 29th January 2019

Year 7 - 12 Students :

First Day Student Conference:

Wednesday 30th January 2019 11.30am–6.15pm

Students Commence :

Year 7 and Year 12 ONLY

Thursday 31st January 2019

Year 8 - Year 11

Friday 1st February 2019

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School photos will be taken on Wednesday 30th January 2019 by MSP Photographers. Information was sent home in December 2018. Please present students in school uniform and bring your order and payment for school photo's with you when you attend the Student Conference on Wednesday 30th January 2019.

SCHOOL CHARGES

Shepparton High School offers a high quality education to our students, and in recent years we have made major improvements to the school facilities and environment. This has been brought about by the outstanding support we receive from parents in relation to our school charges and voluntary contributions.

The partnership that exists between our School Council and parents demonstrates a real commitment to, and investment in, the education of students at Shepparton High School. Our subject charges help us to provide a broad range of text books and printed material for students, as well as items such as food in home economics and materials for technology subjects above the basic model.

It is School Council Policy to keep the number of textbooks on the booklist to a minimum, and purchase class sets and resource materials for students.

THE SERVICE LEVY

The school provides a range of services to students including: the use of a school locker; local bus transport and activities; library activities; computer resources; local incursions and network levy.

THE PARENT VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION

This helps us to provide the School Chaplain, the Grounds Person and the School Council Building Program. The School Council believes that these are very important to the wellbeing of our students, and parent support is greatly appreciated. As stated previously, parents can elect to make this contribution or not.

PRIVACY POLICY

The Victorian privacy laws, the Information Privacy Act 2000, and Health Records Act 2001, provide for the protection of personal and health information.

The school will at all times adhere to the privacy requirements. From time to time photographs are taken of students participating in sports events, school productions or special events, or other activities around the school.

These photographs may be used in our school newsletter, school magazine, school website and our facebook page. They may also be used by the local media for an article about the activity, or they may be placed on our home page on the internet. If the photograph is published, it will only be in the context of the activity in which the child is participating, and whilst names may be used, no other information will be provided.

If any parent does not wish their child’s photograph to be published in any of the mediums outlined above, please complete a form at the general office.

SUNSMART POLICY

Shepparton High School is a Sunsmart School, and as such, each student must wear a broad brimmed hat when outside, whether it be walking from the lockers to the canteen, playing sport on the oval or simply walking around the school.

Students are free to select a hat of their choice, provided it is of a conservative colour, and the brim is at least 5cm wide. Baseball caps are not permitted.

PERSONAL PROPERTY BROUGHT TO SCHOOL

Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This includes mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. Please note the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development does not hold insurance for personal property brought to school and will not pay for any loss or damage to such property. Staff and students are discouraged from bringing unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school. Please ensure that all belongings your student does bring to school, including school and sport uniform, bags, books, towels etc have their name clearly marked on them so that we can return lost items when they are handed in to the general office.

LOCKERS

Each student will be allocated a locker for the year. The lockers are school property and it is the responsibility of students to keep their locker in a clean and tidy state. Naturally it is important that a good lock be purchased to ensure security.

Students will not be allocated a locker unless they have a lock to put on it. Combination locks can also be purchased from the Bursar’s Office for $10. We hope that lockers will be allocated at the first day Student Conferences, so make sure you bring your lock.

If a student damages or puts graffiti on a locker they will lose the right to have use of the locker. This may be for a short period of time or a longer period depending on the extent of the damage. The school lockers remain the property of the school and can be searched if there is a reasonable cause for concern that it contains unsanctioned or illegal substances, weapons or prohibited items. A locker search can take place without notice.

If students have sums of money or valuables at school for a day they may like to give those to their Team Leader, Assistant Principal or the General Office to lock in a cupboard for the day.

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD)

At Shepparton High School we have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) acceptable use and policy for our students. This is where students are able to bring their own laptop or tablet to school rather than having to purchase a specific device through the school.

When a student brings a new device to school they must also complete the BYOD Agreement and return it to the IT office before their device can be connected.

The use of mobile phones is also covered in the SHS Acceptable Use Policy and the SHS Mobile Phone Policy, so it is important that all our students and families read this carefully (copies are available from the general office). If students do bring a phone to school and take their phone to class, it must always be placed in the tub at the front of the classroom.

We would like to encourage all students and families to purchase or bring a device from home, as it is a very important educational tool for our students. This year we will again be looking to provide more opportunities for our students to access curriculum and resources on line and also seek to communicate further with our families through technology.

For recommended specifications please contact the school.

STAFFING:

Year Level Team Leaders

Teacher Advisors will continue to be the first point of contact for parents wishing to discuss their child's education, progress and behaviour, with the school. The following staff have been appointed to important leadership roles to assist staff and students at each year level.

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