A Christmas Message
Mr Gary Conwell, Principal
This Christmas, we remember Jesus’ birth as God’s gift to humankind.
"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11
It is a sign that peace is possible for us personally and in our relationships, despite what is happening to us and around us.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." – John 14:27
It is also a reminder to follow Jesus' example of love, kindness and compassion and put others ahead of ourselves – a challenging philosophy in modern times. In Jesus’ love, there is no other, there is no foreigner, there is no fear of the unknown, only our reflection of his love.
"In love there is no room for fear, but perfect love drives out fear because fear implies punishment, and no one who is afraid has come to perfection in love. We love because he first loved us." – 1 John 4:18
On behalf of the St Stephen's Catholic College family, I extend my warmest Christmas wishes to all our parents, carers and partners – your support and help in educating our children is vital.
I also thank the staff leaving us, who have served our students and College community well. We say farewell and God bless to the teaching staff: Ms Shana Backshall, Mrs Amanda Coleman, Ms Rachel Brown, Mr Andrew Clark, Mr Keith Howe, Mr Trevor Milevskiy, and Ms Nina Raggett; and, to our non-teaching staff: Ms Brooke Bing Chew, Mrs Vicki Henderson, and Ms Helena Hermanus.
School attendance and academic achievement
School attendance is one of the most important factors in the progression of students’ learning, and schools apply various strategies to encourage students to maintain high attendance rates. As a reminder for next year, I share these not to underplay the struggles some students experience in their schooling but to highlight the importance of minimising absenteeism where possible, particularly for those days or periods students are absent for less than important reasons.
Research shows that poor school attendance is associated with:
- lower academic achievement, including literacy and numeracy
- early school leaving
- leaving school with fewer qualifications
- reduced opportunities for students to learn and access educational resources, further limiting achievement
- further absenteeism in higher year levels
- increased alcohol, tobacco, and substance use in adolescents.
Given these findings, it is clear that absenteeism often deepens negative outcomes experienced by students through to their senior phase of learning and beyond. In particular, students who are regularly absent are less likely to finish Year 12. Students who do not graduate from Year 12 experience significantly higher unemployment rates and higher welfare dependency than those who do. Statistics taken from the Australian Government Department of Education show this relationship.
Attendance and NAPLAN scores
I would encourage parents to monitor their child’s NAPLAN scores and absence rates to establish any possible correlation between them. Remember, absenteeism in junior school increases into senior school, therefore, the indicators of poor school outcomes are present in junior school. A recent report, consistent with the above data, shows a clear correlation between higher absentee rates and lower NAPLAN scale scores, particularly for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. A report presented at The Australian Council of Educational Research shows a sharp deterioration of NAPLAN scale scores with even a 10% absentee rate. This equates to 10 days absence in a semester. Given this, I would encourage every parent and carer to mindfully monitor your child’s NAPLAN and Semester One and Two reports for this data – they are accurate guides to possible future negative outcomes for your son or daughter.
High Expectations – the key to higher school attendance and performance
Research shows that if parents and schools hold high expectations for students, students will live up to expectations. This is true for academic standards, class behaviour, and school participation. An interesting set of vignettes offered by the Queensland Department of Education provides a guide for encouraging your son or daughter to attend school as often as possible:
Gary Conwell