IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Notification of the 2023 Parent Payment Arrangements and Special Payment Event

Dear SCSC Parents & Carers,

Surf Coast Secondary College is looking forward to another great year of teaching and learning and would like to advise you of our voluntary financial contributions for 2023.

Schools provide students with free instruction to fulfil the standard Victorian curriculum and we want to assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Nevertheless, the ongoing support of our families ensures that our school can continue to offer the best possible education and support for our students. 

Underpinning Surf Coast Secondary College’s vision for excellence, is a commitment that all students have access to opportunities to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstance. This enables an approach to educational achievement, engagement, and wellbeing, which draws on best practice, evidence, and is responsive to local circumstances and needs. 

Our College works in close partnership with our parent/carer community, and the broader school community, to provide the best educational opportunities and outcomes for students, both inside and outside the classroom. Through this partnership, parents/guardians understand that the contribution they make to their children's education, in all its various forms, has an important role in enriching the College’s learning and teaching programs and improving educational outcomes. 

Our College continues to design and develop the learning and teaching programs drawing on the best educational knowledge and practices and we continue to strive to offer broad and enriched opportunities for students that are above and beyond what is required in the standard curriculum. Learning and teaching programs may vary to reflect priorities, decisions, and needs, and this, in turn, informs parent payments as set by School Councils. 

We are excited to announce that we have partnered with local businesses to create a special raffle for those who attend the College on Thursday 24th November 2022 and pay their 2023 curriculum contributions in advance. 

Any payments for 2023 curriculum contributions made at the Administration Office between 8am – 6pm on Thursday 24 November 2022, will receive one free entry in our Community Raffle. 

Please note this event coincides with our annual Artwave Exhibition which commences at 5pm on the 24th of November 2022. 

Prizes include: 

Prize 1

Robertsons Farm Gate Tea Set (featuring tea pot, 2 x cups and saucers and loose-leaf strainer) and $50 Frankie Says Relax Voucher 

Prize 2

$50 Pholklore voucher and miscellaneous Rip Curl items (beach towels, socks, wallets)

Prize 3

Arizona Living Market Tote and miscellaneous Rip Curl items (beach towels, socks, wallets) 

Prizes 4- 15

12 x bags/backpacks containing miscellaneous Quiksilver, DC and Roxy beach wear 

Curriculum contribution payments can continue to be made throughout the remainder of 2022 and in 2023. 

*Please note that any payments received outside of this special event on the 24th of November will not receive an entry into the raffle. 

We would like to thank the many local businesses who partnered with us to run this raffle including:

• Boardriders (Quiksilver, DC, Roxy)
• Robertsons Farmgate
• Pholklore
• Frankie Says Relax
• Arizona Living

 Raffle will be drawn on Monday 28 November 2022. 

For more information on our Parent Payment Arrangements, please view the attached documents or visit our website at www.surfcoastsecondarycollege.vic.edu.au 

2023 Subject Confirmations

Students will receive a copy of their confirmed subjects this Friday (18.11.2022).

2023 Booklists

Please be advised that the 2023 Booklists are expected to be released to families the week beginning 21 November 2022.

Notice of Upcoming Works: Fischer Street & Centreside Drive intersection

Changes to Victorian school term dates 2026

There have been changes to Victorian school term dates for 2026. This will provide an opportunity for Victorian communities to participate more broadly in the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take place across regional Victoria from Tuesday 17 March to Sunday 29 March 2026, with Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland, and Shepparton hosting a range of activities and events for 20 different sports and 9 para-sports. 

The 2026 Victorian school term dates are:

• Term 1: Tuesday 27 January to Friday 13 March 2026 
• Term 2: Monday 30 March to Friday 19 June 2026
• Term 3: Monday 6 July to Friday 18 September 2026
• Term 4: Monday 5 October to Friday 18 December 2026.

For the list of school term dates until the end of 2030, refer to School term dates and holidays in Victoria.

Applications for SCSC Sports Academy 2023

Applications for the 2023 SCSC Sports Academy Program are NOW OPEN.

The SCSC Sports Academy is a specialist program to assist students who are committed to their sport to reach their potential and develop important life skills through sport such as resilience, mental wellbeing, perseverance, and a long-term active lifestyle.  

For Sports Academy participation, students need to apply, and a limited number of places are offered in each year group. Behaviour and attendance standards are set in place to maintain your place in the Academy program through the year.

In 2023, the SCSC Sports Academy will be run as a progressive pathway for Year 7-12 students, with the Year 7-9 program including sports such as AFL, Netball, Basketball, Soccer, Mountain Biking, Surfing and Running.

Attached is the 2023 info booklet and a 'meet the team' pack for you to learn more about us for you to learn more about the program

Steps for application are:

1) Completing the application questions at the link HERE by Friday 2nd of Dec

2) Send through a referee letter from a teacher or coach to support the application to the Sports Academy email scscsportsacademy@gmail.com

3) Surf Academy applications will also need to complete a try-out during December with date TBC

All successful applicants will be notified by the end of the school year this year.

We are hosting an info session for new Sports Academy participants on Wednesday 16th of November at 8pm on the Zoom link below:

Sports Academy Info Session 16th Nov

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Hemley scscsportsacademy@gmail.com.

CAMPS, SPORTS & EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF)

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership.  All are a part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF in 2023. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

• $125 for primary school students
• $225 for secondary school students

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE CSEF

New applicants should contact the school Administration Office to obtain a CSEF application form.

IMPORTANT: If you applied for CSEF at your child's school in 2022, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. 

You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

• new student enrolments: your child has started or changed schools this year.
• changed family circumstances, such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.

State School School's Relief Uniform Package - Year 7 2023 Only

Year 7 students for 2023 that are recipients of the Camps, Sports, and Excursion Fund (CSEF) automatically qualify for the uniform package and/or vouchers.

Order forms will be sent to the email address held on file in October 2022. It is important to note that PE items are not included in the package.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the College’s Administration Office via email at surf.coast.sc@education.vic.gov.au

Mobile Phone Policy Reminder 

Lately, we have needed to remind students more often about the DET Mobile Phone Policy and have experienced a ‘spike’ in confiscations that result when students are found to be accessing their mobile phone during the school day.

Surf Coast Secondary College understands that students may bring a personal mobile phone to school, particularly if they are travelling independently to and from school. In accordance with the Department’s Mobile Phones Policy issued by the Minister for Education, personal mobile phones must not be used at Surf Coast Secondary College during school hours, including lunchtime and recess, unless an exception has been granted.  Exceptions are usually only granted for medical or safety reasons.

Mobile phones owned by students at Surf Coast Secondary College are considered valuable items and are brought to school at the owner’s (student’s or parent/carer’s) risk. Students are encouraged not to bring a mobile phone to school unless there is a compelling reason to do so.  Please note that Surf Coast Secondary College does not have accident insurance for accidental property damage or theft.

Students and their parents/carers are encouraged to obtain appropriate insurance for valuable items. 

At Surf Coast Secondary College:

• Students who choose to bring mobile phones to school must have them switched off and securely stored during school hours – this includes during recess and lunchtime. Phone should remain in the students’ locker during the school day at all times.
• When emergencies occur, parents or carers should reach their child by calling the school’s office on 03 5261 6633.

Repeated instances of a student being found accessing their mobile phone in school time will result in parents being asked to attend a meeting to make a plan for how the phone will be managed at school moving forward.  We appreciate you working in partnership with us to ensure that the College, and its students, are compliant with this legislative requirement.

Student Accident Insurance, Ambulance Cover Arrangements and Private Property

The Department and Surf Coast Secondary College do not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents/carers of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs.

Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department and Surf Coast Secondary College do not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage. This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises.

As the Department and Surf Coast Secondary College do not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property, students and staff should be discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school.

Family Account Payments

There are a number of ways for families to make a payment to the College for their child’s excursion, camp or event. Please see below:

Preferred: Direct Deposit

To make a payment by direct deposit please use the following bank details:

Account Name:         Surf Coast Secondary College Council Official

BSB:                              033-608

Account Number:     246907

Please be sure to put your child’s name in the reference and notify us of the payment by emailing us at accounts@scsc.vic.edu.au

EFTPOS:

Over the phone on (03) 5261 6633 by calling our Administration Office.

If you have a credit on your account and would like to use this, please email accounts@scsc.vic.edu.au

E-Scooters 

In cooperation and support with our local police, please take time to have a look at the attached flyer. This flyer will be handed out by police to students if they have been intercepted as a formal warning before adopting a zero tolerance approach in regards to E-scooters.

If you have any further queries, please contact your local police station for further information.