Out of the Box

Assistant Principals' Updates

Erica Sporri and Shareen Bottrell - Acting Assistant Principals

Positive Climate for Learning

After two years of remote learning one main focus this year is to increase student engagement and attendance at our school. The purpose of BHHS’s Positive Climate for Learning Initiative is to improve engagement in classroom learning and school community and to increase student connectedness to school through improved student and staff relationships. This can be achieved through creating respectful and positive interactions between student and staff, equipping our teachers with knowledge and strategies for managing student engagement and behaviour in the school and consistent expectations with a clear process to managing student behaviour. 

 

The BHHS Positive Climate for Learning Initiative draws upon principles from School-wide positive behaviour support (SWPBIS), which is an evidence-based model of behaviour management.  

 

SWPBIS shifts the major focus from reacting to inappropriate student behaviour through the use of punishments to restructuring discipline systems to provide universal, targeted, and intensive support that encourage positive social, emotional, and behavioural growth in all students.  

 

Universal support promotes an encouraging school climate whereby all students are actively taught behavioural expectations and acknowledged for appropriate behaviour. Support is provided at the targeted level for those who need additional support, and intensive support is implemented at the individual level for students with chronic or severe behavioural needs. At all levels of support, local data is utilised to determine needs and outcomes of implementation.

 

When SWPBS is implemented well, teachers and students have more time to focus on relationships and classroom instruction. Students and staff benefit from:

  • increased respectful and positive behaviour
  • increased time focused on instruction
  • improved social-emotional wellbeing
  • positive and respectful relationships among students and staff
  • increased adoption of evidence-based instructional practices
  • a predictable learning environment with improved perceptions of safety and increased attendance.

School-wide positive behaviour support framework | education.vic.gov.au

 

Staff have been working closely with Glen Pearsall and David Vinegrad in increasing their knowledge and strategies in increasing student engagement in the classroom.

 

By Erica Sporri

Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement  

At Box Hill High School, we believe the use of technology is an important educational tool to enhance learning. Students receive support to develop positive attitudes toward ICT that foster lifelong learning, personal growth, collaboration, and productivity. We believe that it is important for our students to develop the skills necessary to become responsible, reliable, and respectful users of ICT.

 

All students at BHHS and parents/carers are required to read, understand, and sign the BHHS Acceptable Use Agreement at the commencement of each school year. The BHHS Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement Policy can be accessed on Compass Insights.

 

There will be consequences for any students found to be in breach of this Acceptable Use Agreement, and parents will be informed in the case of serious breaches occurring at school eg. security, or online bullying (including racist, homophobic or sexist posts).

 

 

The aim of the Acceptable Use of Technology Agreement is:

  • To ensure safe and responsible use
  • To safeguard student safety in an online environment
  • To improve student learning outcomes by increasing access to worldwide information
  • To develop skills to discriminate and apply appropriate internet and computer usage
  • To encourage and promote ethical digital citizenship and cyber safety. 

The students must only use the school internet in an acceptable manner.  

Some key points to consider are:

Students are not to intentionally use an extension browser to access a VNP to bypass our school firewall. BHHS has put a firewall in place to ensure students' digital safety and to remove distractions to enhance learning. It has blocked gaming and chat platforms that are not suitable.

 

Students should demonstrate the school value 'Respect' by communicating with others in a supportive manner; never writing or participating in online bullying (for example, forwarding messages and supporting others in harmful, inappropriate, or hurtful online behaviours).

 

Students should be aware of other rights to privacy and must obtain appropriate (written) consent from individuals who appear in images or sound and video recordings before forwarding them to other people or posting/uploading them to online spaces.

 

Mobile Phones are prohibited during school hours and must be kept in a secure locker. Please refer to the BHHS Mobile Phone Policy for more detail. 

 

We encourage students to talk to a trusted adult if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe online or if they see others participating in unsafe, inappropriate, or hurtful online behaviour.

 

Here are some resources that you may be useful to discuss cyber safety with your child:

By Shareen Bottrell

“Every Day Counts” – The importance of regular school attendance

SCHOOL IS BETTER WHEN YOUR TEENAGER IS THERE

 

IN VICTORIA SCHOOL IS COMPULSORY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 6 – 17 YEARS

 

School attendance is compulsory and each day of school impacts on the learning and engagement of students.  From an early age, if children are taught that they need to 'show up' for school and make a commitment, this positive mentality aids academic and career success and brings benefits in adulthood.

 

SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your teenager’s education.

Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.

 

Why it’s important

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day.

 

Students develop good habits by going to school every day – habits that are necessary to succeed after school, whether in the workplace or in further study.

 

Missing school can have a big impact on students academically and socially. It can affect their test results, including VCE & VCAL, and, just as importantly, it can affect their relationships with other students, and lead to social isolation.

 

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

 

Each missed day is associated with falling behind in subject topics and assessment tasks, and lead to fewer subject choices and may impact on achievement in years 11 and 12 and post-school pathways.

 

Getting in early

It’s never too late to improve attendance.  Even in the middle years, when school can seem the most challenging for students and when attendance rates can be at their lowest, going to school more often can make a big difference.  Every day counts.

 

Schools are there to help – if you’re having attendance issues with your child, speak to your school about ways to address those issues.

 

The main reasons for student absence are:

 

Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.

 

Family holidays - It's vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term. If you are planning to go on holiday during term time, make sure that you talk to your school in advance, and work with them to develop an absence learning plan.

 

“Day off” – Think twice before letting your teenager have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.

 

Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission or skip out of school during the day. There can be many reasons for truancy; the best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together.

 

While all absences can affect academic performance, DET’s statistics show that unexcused absences are a much stronger indicator of lower reading and maths achievement.

 

School refusal - School-refusing children experience significant emotional distress, not only when going to school, but also at the thought of going to school; they may be absent from school for weeks or even months at a time. School refusal differs from truancy as children generally stay home with the knowledge of the parents despite their best efforts to encourage their child to go to school. 

 

Openly communicating with your teenager’s school about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues being escalated to a School Attendance Officer. A School Attendance Officer is a Department of Education and Training Regional Director who has authority to follow up attendance issues. Chronic or ongoing attendance issues that are escalated can lead to an Infringement Notice being issued to parent/s.

 

If you are having attendance issues with your teenager, please let the year level coordinator, wellbeing coordinator, principal or other relevant staff member know so you can work together to get your teen to school every day.

 

TOP ATTENDANCE TIPS FOR PARENTS

  • Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support.
  • Remember that ‘every day counts’.
  • There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness.
  • Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day.
  • Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea.
  • Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term.
  • Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

Ways of categorising absence (DET)