Later Years

Attendance

The education that the students at Wantirna College receive is critical to their future success and research tells us that ‘time on task’ is one of the most influential factors. For children to make the most of their opportunities we as a school community need to ensure that children are at school as often as possible. Every time a child is away from a day of school it is a missed day of learning and progression. If a child misses just 7-8 days per term from Year 7 through to Year 10, they will have missed over half a year of school by the end of Year 10. In the competitive world in which we live it is essential that we give children the best education possible. This can only occur if children are consistently at school.

We hear a number of reasons from our parents that explain why a child has missed a day of school. Some of these are acceptable reasons, others are not.

The following are some examples of acceptable reasons for students to be absent from the College:

being sick, or having an infectious disease
having an unavoidable medical/dental appointment
being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral)

Unfortunately there are other excuses that have been used for student absence. The following are examples of unacceptable reasons for students not attending:

Leisure
Shopping
Visiting relatives
Care of a relative, young child, or elderly
Birthdays
Truancy / School refusal (without having a support plan in place with the College)

Overseas family holidays are an excellent opportunity for children to experience learning out of school. The cultural differences, the history, food and people all provide a type of learning that is hard to replicate in school. As such overseas family holidays are a reasonable excuse for student absences from school. However, please note that a holiday interstate or regular holidays that take the child out of school often, do have a negative impact on their learning. These would not be considered acceptable reasons for absence.

Year 12 students in particular need to have their time planned very carefully. As the completion of VCE or VCAL programs are vitally important to assist in preparing them for future pathways, we want to give them every opportunity to do well. This means trying to avoid family holidays for these students until the completion of each school year.

It is expected that parents assist the College with keeping student attendance information up to date. If you child is to be away from the school, please notify the College as early as possible. If the absence is unplanned, please inform the College on the day, where possible. If this isn’t possible, please contact as soon as you are able. To provide explanation of any absence there are two

Mock Interviews

Year 10 Parents

Over the coming weeks Year 10 students will be preparing for Mock Interviews. Please have a conversation with your child about what they have been learning in the first round of Mock Interview preparation sessions. All students must have a professionally completed cover letter and resume for the day and will be learning how to create these documents during Learning Mentor class.

Parent volunteers

Thank you to those parents who have volunteered for the Year 10 Mock Interviews on Thursday 28th March. We look forward to involving you in this important day. We are still looking for 5-6 more parent volunteers to assist with the Mock Interviews. Volunteers will work as part of a team of two with a staff member and/or member of the local community. Interview questions, student feedback forms, morning tea and lunch provided.

Ms Katrina King

Catalyst Programs Later Years