General Information
General Office / Reception
Office Hours: Mon-Thu 8:00am - 4:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 3:30pm
Telephone: 9801 9700
The General Office is always the first point of contact for parents/visitors/contractors when attending the school or making contact with staff or students during school hours.
All visitors to the College must sign into and out of the College using the Compass touchscreen kiosk in the General Office. Appointments are recommended for teachers and can be made by email or telephone.
2024 Staff Contacts
At Wantirna College, we encourage our parents to make contact with their child’s Transition Support teacher (Year 7 and 8) or their child’s Explore teacher (Year 9-12) as their first point of contact. If you need to elevate your concern or query, please contact your child’s relevant Year Level Leader.
If you need to elevate your concern or query again, please contact your child’s relevant Sub School Leader. If the issue or concern is still unresolved, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s relevant Sub School Assistant Principal.
Please find our staff contact list below:
Student Absences
In line with the Government’s commitment to compulsory attendance, the College is required to ensure all absences are recorded pursuant to DET guidelines. It is the responsibility of a student’s parent/guardian to explain why their child is absent/late. This can be done using the parent portal on Compass, by written note, by phone call to the General Office or by face-to-face conversation with a staff member. Given the convenience and security the Compass portal offers for this important part of college life, this is the preferred method.
If your child has missed a SAC or been away for more than a couple of days, then they will be required to supply a doctor's certificate.
Arriving Late to School
Students are expected to be at school at 8.30am. The first bell rings at 8.40am and classes begin at 8:45am. If you are aware your child will be late to school, parental approval should be submitted in the Compass portal, or by notifying the General Office.
To maximise learning time, students arriving late should head straight to their timetabled class where the classroom teacher will update the roll. Due to a change in policy by the Department of Education in 2023, students will no longer be marked late in the roll. Instead, teachers will create a Late chronicle which will be used to monitor student punctuality. Parents will be able to see the chronicles in Compass, and can discuss with their child the importance of being on time to class, but they will no longer show as unexplained. This will surely be a welcome change for the many parents who rightly objected to adding an attendance note using the ‘parent choice’ explanation when clearly they did not choose their child to be late!
Parents should continue to enter approvals for late arrivals where they are aware of the situation. Should a written note from a parent be provided with the student when they arrive, it should be brought to the General Office at recess or lunchtime and it will be entered in Compass.
Early Departure from School
If a student has an appointment and needs to leave early, parents should enter an approval in Compass and select the appropriate reason from the list of options stipulated by DET. The approval appears on the class roll to alert the classroom teacher, and the student will be excused from class when they ask to leave at the designated time. Students should then attend the General Office to be signed out. If a parent provides a written note on the day, this should be taken to the General Office before school or at recess, and it will be entered into Compass. Students will not be permitted to leave class without an approval entered in Compass.
If you need to collect your child unexpectedly, please contact the General Office.
Year 12 study periods
Year 12 students coming to school for their study period in period 1 or remaining onsite for their period 4 study period must sign in at the General Office.
Uniform Shop
The uniform shop is usually open on Monday and Thursday from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm.
They are also open on the first Saturday of each school term from 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm.
As the start of the year is a busy time there may be additional opening hours. Please check Compass.
Enquiries to: uniform@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au
Direct Phone: 9881 7168
Library Hours
Monday to Friday:
8:15am to 4:00pm
Lost Property
Please label all your school items.
Lost Property is kept at the General Office. Please search there for your lost uniform items, pencil cases, books etc. If you have lost any valuables, ie: phone, watch, etc... they are usually handed in to the main office.
Student Pick up and Drop Off
We are fortunate to have the local council owned car park right next to the school (next to the ECA) which staff use to capacity each day. It has recently had the lines repainted and is now a one-way loop - "No entry" signs will be installed over the coming weeks. Invariably, we have reports of near-misses of people walking through thecarpark, so it is timely to remind families that the carpark is not a drop-off/pick-up zone.
The best drop off and pick up points for the college are:
- The designated drop off and pick up zone on Harold Street in front of the Home Economics rooms
- Georgian Gardens (street opposite school crossing on Harold Street)
- Amesbury Avenue (fenceline along the bottom oval)
- Templeton Street (South of the roundabout)
- Saxon Street (off Harold Street)
Please be aware that stopping your car in the carpark, however briefly, to let passengers in or out is double-parking and can attract a large fine. For everyone’s sake, please do not drop off or pick up your students in the carpark.
College Vision
Wantirna College is committed to educating our students to be inquiring learners with high levels of literacy and numeracy, prepared to be global, ethical citizens in the 21st Century, capable of showing resilience and flexibility of thinking, willing to show initiative and take on challenges throughout their lives.
College Policies
The College has a vast array of documented policies that guide our practice. Please follow this link for College Policies:
https://www.wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au/parents/school-policies
Wantirna College
Principal:
Carrie Wallis
Assistant Principals:
Andrew Lewis, Natalie Manser,
James Doble and David Black
Business Manager:
Peter Cameron
Sub School:
Senior School
Tim Pearson
Darren Hoogkamer
Katerina Fonda
Middle Years
Nathan Rogers
Janelle Cavarra
College Captains:
Nathan Bromfield
William Davis
Jessica Huljak
Mackenzie Ross
College Council President:
David Cartwright
Parents of Performing Arts Chairperson:
Nicholetta Rigano