Principal

Student Attendance

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day. Attending and participating in school will help your child develop:

important skills and knowledge to help them learn.
social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and teamwork.

Children who attend school every day and complete year 12 have:

better health
better job opportunities
higher income across their lives.

There is no safe number of days for missing school. Each day a student misses puts them behind.

What to do if your child can’t go to school

Let the school know as soon as possible and explain why your child can’t come to school. This can be by phone call, email or by Compass.

If you do not let the school know, we must contact you on the same day to make sure your child is safe. We may call your emergency contacts to ensure that a student is safe.

If your child needs to take an extended period of time away from school, please contact the college. There might be flexible options to keep your child from falling behind.

Tips to help improve your child’s attendance:

Talk to your child about school and how important it is. You can ask them how they feel about school, what they liked and if there are any problems.
Reward good behaviour and not bad behaviour. For example, if your child refuses to go to school, do not let them have access to their phones or the internet.
Set a good example. Show them how you keep to your own commitments.
Encourage your child to take on hobbies that your child enjoys such as sports and clubs. This will help them develop positive relationships outside of the classroom.
Have a set time to do homework and go to bed.
Leave all technology out of their bedroom.
Pack their school bag the night before with everything they need.
Have a set time for breakfast.
Plan to meet up with a friend so they can travel to school together.
Get advice.

Speak to your school if you have concerns about your child’s attendance.

Year 10 Formal

I had the pleasure of attending the Year 10 Formal on Friday the 25th of August. It was a wonderful event with the students having a great time dancing the night away. The atmosphere was extremely positive with every student well behaved and being the best versions of themselves. A big thank you to the Year 10 team for their hard work in managing this event. Look for photos of the event in this newsletter!

Year 9 Gold Coast

The Year 9 Gold Coast camp got off to a shaky start on Monday the 28th of August with all flights cancelled. This meant students had to return from the airport and wait to hear what would happen with this event. A fast response from the Year 9 team quickly arranged some alternate flights for an early start the next morning and the camp was back on track. All students and staff arrived on the Tuesday around lunchtime and the camp was underway. The reports throughout the week have been very positive with all students having a great time with excellent QLD weather shining upon them. They arrived back on Friday afternoon, and we look forward to hearing all about the trip in the last couple of weeks of Term 3.

Sick Bay Collection Process

A reminder to all parents and students about the process for students that are feeling unwell at school. Students are not to access their phones at school and call home as the first part of the process. This goes against the mandated statewide rule of students having phones within the college. Students are to report to sick bay and the general office will contact home. This allows the college to provide the necessary support to the student, contact home and arrange the appropriate response based on the symptoms presenting and ensures the students whereabouts are known to the college allowing us to meet our duty of care.

Parents – If your child calls you informing you that they are sick, please ask them to report to the general office immediately so we can assist them in resolving their distress.

If there are any questions around the information above, please contact me via the details listed in this newsletter.

Best regards,

Corey Jewell

College Principal