Deputy Principals

COMMUNITY MASS

This Sunday is College Community Mass, a compulsory annual event for staff, students and families to mark the start of the academic year. Please arrive about 6.15pm with a blanket or chair. Parking will be available on the oval – entrance from Centre Rd and through St Joseph’s church car park. A free sausage sizzle will be held after mass with drinks available at a cost of $2. Students are required to wear their summer uniform and sit with their parents.

OPEN DAY

A reminder that our annual Open Day is on Friday 6 March. Tours will be conducted by our students at 9am and 1pm from the Xanten Performing Arts Foyer (corner of Treasure Road and Centre Street). Please spread the word about our wonderful College. Enrolments are encouraged prior to Year 5 to secure a place so this is a great opportunity to visit our College.

YEAR 12 COLLEGE BALL

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 for their conduct at the “Night in Paris Ball”, held on Friday 31 January at the picturesque Fraser’s Restaurant in Kings Park. It was wonderful to see our students so well presented and enjoying themselves. Special thanks to staff co-ordinator Miss Pisconeri, Miss MaGee and Mr Mecham who were assisted by students on the Ball Committee.

YEAR 12 INFORMATION EVENING

Thank you to parents, guardians and students who attended the information sessions on Monday, 17 February. The Powerpoint presentation is now available on SEQTA documents. A reminder that any subject or pathway changes need to occur before 6 April.

UNIFORM AND PERSONAL PRESENTATION

It has been really pleasing to see that our students have returned to the College this year with outstanding standards of uniform and personal presentation. Those with minor uniform issues quickly sorted them out and by the commencement of Week 3 all students were dressed according to the College regulations. Staff at the College are determined over the coming weeks to ensure that these high standards are maintained. For that we need the assistance of parents and guardians.

Please help us ensure that your son or daughter is presented impeccably each day in their College uniform. Dresses are on the knee, neat conservative hair, freshly shaved faces for the older boys and minimal jewellery allows each student to present at the College each day ready for their academic studies. Should there ever be a problem with your child’s uniform and they are unable to present themselves according to the College’s uniform and personal presentation standards, please ensure that they are provided with a parent note explaining the situation that they can present to their Homeroom teacher upon arrival at the College.

MOBILE PHONES

A reminder that students should place their mobile phones and bags into their lockers upon arrival at school. Mobile phones should not be used during the school day. Any urgent calls to parents/guardians need to be made using the phone in Student Services. This policy is in place to ensure that students are not distracted by their phones and also to ensure that we create a safe environment for all members of our community.

NO PARKING

Please do not drop your child off or wait for them for pick-up in the administration car park or the staff car park next to the swimming pool at the beginning and end of the school day. There is parking on Treasure Road and the Xanten Performance Arts Centre. The safety of all our community is our priority.

STUDENTS ON COLLEGE GROUNDS BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL

Parents are reminded that no student should be dropped off at the College before staff are on duty at 8.20am. If for any reason students are on College grounds before this time, parents are reminded there will be no active supervision and students are to sit in the Year 8 area outside the office and staffroom. Students who are on College grounds after school and not in an organised co-curricular activity supervised by staff, are requested to study and do homework quietly in the Library up to but no later than 5.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays. Staff do not provide active supervision after 3:40pm.

SUNSMART

Parents are asked to ensure that your son or daughter is equipped with a College cap or hat so they can participate in Physical Education classes, outdoor activities, excursions and play at break times on the oval. Students will be asked to move under cover if they do not have their College cap/hat for their outdoor activities and lessons.

CALENDAR DATES

Please note changes to dates:

ACC Swimming Carnival - 27 March 2020
ACC Cross Country - 28 May 2020
Year 9 Retreat - 27 May 2020

Ms S Rainford

(Deputy Principal - Years 8,10,12)

SUPPORTING NEW STUDENTS

On the first day of the school year, St Norbert College welcomed 170 new students across Year 7 to Year 11 to our College. The decision made by parents to send their daughters and sons to St Norbert College reflects a great level of trust placed by parents in the St Norbert staff and wider community.

For students (and parents), the move to a new school can be filled with both excitement, nervousness and at times, a sense of worry. These feelings are natural and the College does all that it can to welcome our new students and to ensure that they feel comfortable and a part of our community as soon as possible. All new students are assigned either a buddy or a Year 11 Peer Mentor to help them in their transition to their new school and already new students and their Peer Mentors have shared a friendly and enjoyable lunch together aimed at calming nerves and developing supportive friendships that new students can draw upon in the weeks to come.

Additionally, the Heads of House, Homeroom teachers and College support staff are focused on making sure that all of the little challenges that spring up are quickly resolved and that the students feel a sense of belonging as soon as they can. Major events such as College and House assemblies, the Interhouse Swimming Carnival and the upcoming Community Mass all help add to the sense of identity and belonging for all of our new and established students.

Supporting new parents to our College is also an important consideration and the Parent Seminar for New Students held on Monday night was an excellent opportunity for the all parents with a child starting at St Norbert College this year to get to know the key staff who will be influential in the high school journey of their child and to ask clarify any points regarding the school transition program that they needed to ask.

I would like to thank all those parents who attended the Parent Seminar on Monday night. A copy of the slides from the main presentation can be accessed in the ‘Documents’ section of SEQTA Engage.

HEADPHONES

Many students arrive at the College listening to music and, before they leave the College, pop in their headphones as they start their journey home. It is important, however, to remind students and their families that travelling to and from school with headphones in can cause students to become disconnected to the world around them and as a result it may increase the danger as they enter traffic zones. The best practice for students is to ensure that they only have one headphone in and listen to their music at a lower volume thus allowing them to hear any problems that may be heading their way.

There has also, recently, been a trend for students to walk around school with their headphones in their ears. This does not necessarily mean they are listening to music as some students see their headphones and earbuds as a ‘fashion accessory’. This is not acceptable at the College as headphones are only to be used in classes for educational purposes and with the permission of the classroom teachers. Students walking around the school with their headphones or earbuds on display will be asked to remove them and repeat offenders will be issued an appropriate sanction by their Head of House.

Mr P Hawke

(Deputy Principals - Years 7,9,11)