Attendance & Engagement

Every Day Counts at Saltwater P-9 College

At Saltwater P-9 College, we know that regular attendance plays a vital role in helping students feel connected, confident and successful in their learning. Every school day provides opportunities for students to build friendships, develop routines and engage in valuable learning experiences that support both academic growth and wellbeing.

We would like to thank our families for the continued support you provide in helping students arrive at school each day ready to learn. Strong partnerships between home and school make a significant difference in supporting positive attendance habits for all students.

Whole School Attendance Update

Below is our attendance snapshot from the past two weeks across the college:

Congratulations to our Grade 1 students who achieved the highest attendance rate across the college with an impressive 92%!

We would also like to acknowledge the consistent efforts across many year levels maintaining attendance at or above 91%, which reflects the strong commitment from our students and families toward learning and engagement.

As a school, we continue encouraging all students to attend every day possible and arrive on time so they can fully participate in classroom learning, social opportunities and school experiences.

Celebrating Education Week

This week, our Saltwater community proudly celebrated Education Week by welcoming families into classrooms across our Prep to Year 6 learning spaces.

It was wonderful to see parents, carers and grandparents engaging alongside students and experiencing authentic classroom learning in action. The week provided valuable opportunities to strengthen partnerships between home and school while celebrating the amazing teaching and learning occurring every day across the college.

Thank you to all staff for their preparation and commitment throughout the week, and thank you to our families for joining us and supporting our students’ learning journeys.

Active Travel Day Success

Recently, Saltwater P-9 College celebrated Active Travel Day with students and families encouraged to walk, ride or scoot to school. The event was a fantastic success and highlighted the importance of healthy lifestyles, road safety and sustainable travel within our community.

Students enjoyed a range of activities throughout the morning, including free bike checks, prizes and support from our student leaders and newly appointed Active Travel Leaders. We would also like to acknowledge the incredible work of our Year 9 Café students, who helped support the event through food and refreshments for our community.

Thank you to all students, families, staff and our partnership with Wyndham City Council for helping make the day such a positive and engaging experience for our community.

We were featured in the local Star Weekly on page 11.

Arriving On Time Matters

A reminder to families that learning begins promptly at:

• 8:30am for Primary students
• 8:45am for Secondary students

The first hour of learning is one of the most important parts of the school day, with students engaging in key literacy, numeracy and classroom learning routines. Arriving on time helps students feel settled, connected and ready to learn alongside their peers.

Simple strategies such as preparing school bags and lunches the night before, allowing extra time for traffic and establishing consistent morning routines can make a big difference in supporting punctuality and reducing stress for students and families.

Supporting Student Learning During Family Holidays

Family Holiday Process Now in Place at Saltwater P-9 College

At Saltwater P-9 College, we understand that families occasionally take holidays during the school term due to personal or cultural reasons. While we encourage holidays to be planned during term breaks to avoid disruption to student learning, we have introduced a new process to ensure that, when term-time holidays do occur, student learning remains supported and documented in alignment with Department of Education guidelines.

This new process is part of our recently endorsed Family Holiday Notification Policy, approved by our School Council. It ensures that both families and staff are working together to maintain continuity in learning and accurate attendance records.

What Families Need to Do...

If you are planning a holiday during the school term, please notify the school in writing at least two weeks in advance. Notifications can be sent via:

• Email: saltwater.p9@education.vic.gov.au

• Xuno: Message the school via the parent portal

• Phone: Contact our Attendance Officer, Alison Lee, on (03) 8366 7700

Please include your child’s name, year level, and the dates of the intended absence. If your travel plans change, we ask that you inform us as soon as possible.

How the School Will Support Your Child?

Once a holiday notification is received, your child’s classroom teacher will prepare an Absence Learning Plan. This plan outlines:

• The curriculum areas and units that will be covered during the absence

• Suggestions for learning activities that can be done at home or while travelling

A meeting will then be arranged with the family to go through the plan in detail, just as we would with other learning or support plans.

Recording Absences

In line with our new policy, holiday-related absences will now be recorded as either:

• Family Holiday (Approved) – when the school is notified and the process is followed

• Family Holiday (Unapproved) – when no notification is received

This helps ensure transparency and consistency across our school community.

We appreciate your support in following this new process, which helps us keep student learning on track, even when they’re away from the classroom.

If you have any questions about the policy or the process, please contact the school office.

For further information on the policy please see the policy itself:

Working Together for Strong Attendance

Thank you again to all families for your ongoing support in promoting strong attendance and engagement at Saltwater P-9 College.

If your child is absent, please ensure absences are communicated through Xuno or by contacting the school office as early as possible. Families planning holidays during term time are also reminded to notify the school at least two weeks prior to departure to support planning and communication around student learning.

Together, we can continue supporting every student to feel connected, engaged and successful every day at school.

Thank you,

Brent Syme

Assistant Principal