Every Day Matters

Regular school attendance supports children’s learning, their social connections, confidence and overall wellbeing. Being present each day helps children build strong relationships with their teachers and peers, participate fully in learning, and develop positive habits that help support their future education and life beyond school.

In Australia, school attendance is compulsory for children aged 6–17 years, and this includes participation in all aspects of school life such as camps, excursions, incursions and sporting events. As partners in your child’s education, parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure your child attends school every day.

To help us care for your child and ensure their safety, we ask families to:

Notify the office by 9:00am if your child will be absent. This may be via email frontoffice@hrkensington.catholic.edu.au and cc’d to your child’s teacher, or by phone 93769455.
Provide a reason for your child’s absence/partial absence
Keep your contact and emergency details up to date

Attendance is recorded twice daily so that we can carefully monitor student wellbeing and engagement. If a child is absent and we have not received a notification, the office will send a text message. If unanswered they will attempt to contact parents/carers or emergency contacts by phone. If still unable to make contact, we may need to notify police to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your child.

As a guide, regular attendance is considered to be at least 80% of the school year. When a student is absent for 10 or more days within a 15-week period, attendance may be considered concerning. Frequent absences can impact learning and may require us to work with you to support improved attendance. Additionally, it is critical that your child arrives punctually each day. Five minutes each morning adds up very quickly.

We request that you make appointments outside of school hours, wherever possible, and that holidays are scheduled outside of school terms. Every day really counts.

Our goal is always to work in partnership with families so that every child feels safe, supported and able to participate fully in the rich learning and community life of our school.

Your continued support in helping your child attend school regularly and make the most of every learning opportunity enables your child flourish. If your child is experiencing challenges attending school I encourage you to seek the support of your class teacher, Michaela, our Wellbeing Leader or any other member of the Leadership Team.

Parent Teacher Conversations

A reminder that Parent Teacher Conversations will take place on Wednesday 1 April. On this day, school will conclude at 12:00pm. MACSEYE will be available for families who require care and bookings can be made through the usual process. Ensure you select the long day care option when booking.

To schedule an appointment with your child’s teacher, families should log on to School Interviews Online and enter the event code: 4bfb6. A limited number of times are still available. If you have any questions, we ask that you contact your child’s class teacher.

School Advisory Council

As previously advised, we are recruiting members for our School Advisory Council. We welcome expressions of interest. Please email me outlining the skills and experiences you think you could bring to our Council by Thursday 2 April. From there, we will consider nominations to ensure we have diversity in our membership. Meetings are held on 6-8 Wednesdays across the year from 6:00-7:30pm.

Where am I?

I was intending on travelling to Greece and Turkey, via Dubai for the final weeks of term but with the Do Not Travel in place in Dubai I enacted my Plan B. There’s no place like home, and I will now be on the Gold Coast until Term 2. Maria is Acting Principal in my absence and Sarah is Acting Deputy.

I thank you for your support and partnership throughout this term and I wish all families a happy and relaxing holiday, and a blessed Easter.

Christine

Speech and Drama