Attendance & Engagement
A Closer Look at Attendance at Saltwater College
Part 3: Students with 20–29.5 Days of Absence
This is the third part in our newsletter series, where we are taking a closer look at how Saltwater College responds to different levels of student attendance. This week, we focus on students who have been absent for 20–29.5 days across the school year.
Why This Matters
Absence at this level is considered significant. While families may not always realise the cumulative impact, missing the equivalent of a full month of learning can:
- Create major gaps in foundational knowledge and skill development.
- Impact confidence, routine, and students’ sense of belonging.
- Make it harder to keep up with new learning and classroom expectations.
- Weaken peer connections and engagement with the school community.
Regular attendance is one of the most powerful factors in a child’s success at school. Once absence levels reach this point, it becomes more difficult for students to simply “catch up.”
Our Response at Saltwater College
For students with significant absences, we increase our support and follow-up to help families re-establish strong attendance patterns. This may include:
- Attendance meetings – A formal meeting with the Assistant Principal, classroom teacher, and family to explore reasons behind the absences and develop an action plan.
- Return-to-school planning – Creating clear and supportive steps to help the student re-engage successfully with school routines.
- Wellbeing support – Linking families to internal or external supports to address barriers impacting attendance.
Monitoring and communication – Ongoing follow-up to ensure strategies are effective and attendance improves.
Our goal is to work alongside families in a respectful and solution-focused way to support every child’s return to consistent learning.
Working Together to Support Attendance
We know that challenges can be complex and layered. If your family is finding it hard to get your child to school consistently, early communication is key. Supports available include:
- Speaking directly with your child’s teacher.
- Meeting with your Assistant Principal.
- Accessing our Wellbeing Team for social, emotional, or practical support.
- Connecting with Orange Door or other community agencies for external family supports.
Together, we can help students rebuild routine, connection, and confidence at school.
Lunchtime Clubs at Saltwater College
A Closer Look at Our Lunchtime Clubs
At Saltwater College, we’re proud to offer a range of lunchtime clubs designed to support student interests, wellbeing, and engagement across the week. These clubs provide students with the opportunity to connect with their peers, explore new skills, and enjoy positive social experiences in a supportive environment.
Our current lineup includes:
Monday: Boardgame, Puzzle & Chess Club
Tuesday: Coding Club
Wednesday: Wellbeing & Crochet Club
Thursday: Construction Club
Friday: Dance & Yoga Club
All clubs run from the Admin Library Space at the beginning of lunch, with the Dance Club held in teacher classrooms (see timetable for details). We also have Art Clubs running throughout the week from the student art rooms.
Each of these clubs is supported and guided by our enthusiastic Year Six student leaders, who play a key role in setting up activities, welcoming younger students, and helping to create a fun and inclusive atmosphere. Their leadership and teamwork have been a fantastic example of our IB Learner Profile attributes in action.
These activities are open to students across year levels and are designed to be flexible — students may join in on different days and try new activities each week. Whether it’s building a strategy through chess, creating a calming art piece, coding a mini game, or winding down through yoga, there’s something for everyone at Saltwater.
We’re proud of the enthusiasm our students have shown for these lunchtime opportunities, and we encourage families to chat with their children about which clubs they’ve explored or might like to try next.
Supporting Student Learning During Family Holidays
New Process Now in Place at Saltwater P-9 College
At Saltwater P-9 College, we understand that families occasionally take holidays during the school term due to personal or cultural reasons. While we encourage holidays to be planned during term breaks to avoid disruption to student learning, we have introduced a new process to ensure that, when term-time holidays do occur, student learning remains supported and documented in alignment with Department of Education guidelines.
This new process is part of our recently endorsed Family Holiday Notification Policy, approved by our School Council. It ensures that both families and staff are working together to maintain continuity in learning and accurate attendance records.
What Families Need to Do...
If you are planning a holiday during the school term, please notify the school in writing at least two weeks in advance. Notifications can be sent via:
Email: saltwater.p9.co@education.vic.gov.au
Xuno: Message the school via the parent portal
Phone: Contact our Attendance Officer, Alison Lee, on (03) 8366 7700
Please include your child’s name, year level, and the dates of the intended absence. If your travel plans change, we ask that you inform us as soon as possible.
How Will the School Support Your Child?
Once a holiday notification is received, your child’s classroom teacher will prepare an Absence Learning Plan. This plan outlines:
The curriculum areas and units that will be covered during the absence
Suggestions for learning activities that can be done at home or while travelling
A meeting will then be arranged with the family to go through the plan in detail, just as we would with other learning or support plans.
Recording Absences
In line with our new policy, holiday-related absences will now be recorded as either:
Family Holiday (Approved) – when the school is notified and the process is followed
Family Holiday (Unapproved) – when no notification is received
This helps ensure transparency and consistency across our school community.
We appreciate your support in following this new process, which helps us keep student learning on track, even when they’re away from the classroom.
If you have any questions about the policy or the process, please contact the school office.
For further information on the policy please see the policy itself:
Thank you,
Brent Syme
Assistant Principal