Assistant Principal's Report

Assistant Principal 

- Mrs. Sue Simadri

Welcome to 2020

We warmly welcome our Year 7 cohort, and the many new students, including international students, who have joined us across the school this year. We trust that your time at Westall will be rewarding and enjoyable.

School Photos

Next Tuesday, 3rd March, our students and staff will have their photos taken for use within the school. Students have been issued with their order envelopes, which they must be bring back even if they decide not to purchase photos. Instructions regarding credit card/cash payment options are available on the order forms. 

Students must attend in full school uniform on the day - school dress or school shirt and jumper. Individual photos will also be used for ID cards for every student. These cards can be used for photo ID purposes, as well as, public transport concession right up until March 2021. For VCE students, they serve as the photo ID for exams. Payment for the student ID card is included in the school fees or it can be purchased separately for $10.

Year 7 Immunisations

The City of Kingston Immunisation Team will be at the school on Friday, 20th March to administer the first dose of the Year 7 School Immunisation Program to Year 7 students. Please ensure that completed consent forms are returned as soon as possible; replacement forms are available at teh General Office.

Compass

Compass is the Learning Management System that we use at Westall. Attendance, assessment, communication, notification of excursions and events, booking for parent-teacher interviews, are some of what is available through this platform. All parents/guardians are able to access Compass with a unique username and password. It is really important that parents and carers can log in and monitor their child’s attendance and progress. If you are unable to do so for whatever reason, please contact the school. If you have not as yet logged in, especially as a new parent/guardian, we encourage you to log in as soon as possible and begin using the system, so that you become comfortable with navigating the many features of Compass.

Real-Time Reporting

Westall will continue with Ongoing or Real-Time Reporting, whereby teachers provide feedback on student's progress and achievements at various stages in the semester, allowing for the student and the family to address issues and make changes prior to the end of semester. 

As a result, our semester reports will simply consist of a set of grades for student learning behaviours and achievement on the CATs (or SACs in VCE), as well as the Victorian Curriculum standards that the student is at.

More and more, Compass is becoming our one-stop-shop. We strongly recommend that parents begin using this platform if you are not currently doing so. The college can provide support, as and when needed; please ring 9546 3233.

Progress Reports and Parent-Teacher Interviews

We are past the halfway mark of Term 1, and, teachers are completing a variety of assessments to gauge your child’s progress; CAT/SAC feedback can be viewed in Compass. Term 1 Progress Reports will be available to parents in the first week of Term 2.

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be conducted on Thursday, 30th April, from 3 – 6pm. This is a great opportunity for parents to meet their child’s teachers and to find out how he/she is really doing. Compass online bookings are preferred (instructions will be included in the next newsletter).

Textbooks and BYOD

In order to make suitable progress, it is critical that students are equipped with the right textbooks and stationary. It appears that a large number of students are still attending classes without the required items. If this is due to disorganisation on the student’s part, please assist them in developing strong habits by employing simple strategies, such as, checking their timetable and packing their bag the night before. If your child does not have textbooks due to financial reasons, please get in touch with their year level coordinator so that measures can be put in place to ensure that your child has access to material.

Similarly, students must have a BYO device to bring to their classes. Teachers are using technology to enhance teaching and learning, which means that students without a BYOD will miss out on critical opportunities. The school does have netbooks that students can borrow, however, these are not always reliable. As Westall moves to using Compass a lot more, students will be submitting work online, checking for work set by their teachers, as well as reflecting on their learning. Please note that all BYO devices are the responsibility of the student. They must be transported in a proper carry case and secured in the locker during break times.

It's not OK to be away

Daily school attendance is important for all children and young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don’t fall behind, both socially and developmentally. Children and young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12, or an equivalent qualification, have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age.

To minimize disruption to your child’s education, please make all appointments outside school hours and avoid booking family holidays during the school terms.

School Uniform

Families are reminded that all students should be in full summer uniform this term. Please see attached for the College Uniform Policy, which is also available for reference in the student diary. Thank you to all families for your continued support in ensuring that your children are in the appropriate gear for school.

Please note the following:

• The dress/skirt/shorts must sit at the knee.
• Summer dresses are to be worn with above ankle or knee-high socks, not stockings or tights or pants. PSW, the uniform store, now has tailored pants for girls, which can be worn all year round. 

Finger nails should be of reasonable length, in accordance with OHS requirements. False/extra long nails are not permitted, nor, coloured nail polish.

• Non-obvious make-up is fine, however, students wearing excessive make-up will be asked to remove it.

Students have had the holidays to get themselves organised, and as such, students who are in breach of the uniform policy, will be sent home.

Please contact the school if you require clarification on the above.

Sue Simadri

Assistant Principal