From the Dean of College

Resilience and wellbeing are key factors to ensure a happy and fulfilling future for our young people.

We are proud to partner with The Resilience Project to assist our students in their wellbeing journey. In order to gain an accurate understanding of our students’ strengths and challenges, we have been conducting a resilience survey developed by Resilient Youth Australia and the University of South Australia. In recent years, they have surveyed more than 500,000 Australian school students.

We have administered the Resilience Survey this year online in pastoral class time. Students typically took 30-40 minutes to complete the survey.

The data from the survey will be reported in aggregate descriptive form only, by year level and gender, and no individual student responses can be identified.

The Resilience Survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. The survey will provide valuable information to assist us to create and maintain the best culture of wellbeing and resilience that we can.

We look forward to sharing some of this valuable data with you in newsletters over the coming weeks. 

The first set of data speaks about being connected both to yourself and others. The questions in the survey look at three key areas:

1. Positive Relationships
2. Social Skills
3. Understanding Self

Below are three snapshots of this area, one for each grade (7, 11, 12). The data is very positive and speaks to the strength of our local community and the many connections our young people build up in a variety of settings.

Attendance

I would like to thank the vast majority of students and families across our community who have really responded to our efforts to improve attendance and punctuality. It was one of our strategic aims for the College and I am pleased to inform the community that our overall attendance rate for the College has risen to 93.1% giving us the highest attendance rate of any Catholic High School in the Sutherland Shire. In an effort to keep these impressive attendance rates I ask that you read the explanations below and take note of any changes.

Attendance - Explained and Unexplained

Schools in NSW regardless of system (Public, Catholic or Independent) all report to NESA and the Government body - the Department of Education. According to the NSW Education Act (1990) schools and parents need to work together to satisfactorily explain the whereabouts and attendance of every enrolled student on every school day. Students who are present at school are accounted for through the rolls being marked both in the morning and every period. When students are absent schools and parents need to work together to ensure that the absence is accounted for. Legally a school must account for all absences and this is where we need the assistance of our parent body. 

Absences can be explained by a parent through an attendance note on compass (this is the preferred method), a phone call to the College office, an email to the College or a written note provided to College Staff. Once an explanation has been provided through the aforementioned methods the absence becomes explained.

Unexplained absences are of particular concern to the College as each school day the College is responsible for the care and safety of your sons and daughters and if they are absent but there is no reason the College is obligated to investigate under the Education Act. This legal requirement is to ensure that all students across NSW have access to their education which is an Australian Human right enshrined in law. Parents have 7 days to explain the absence via compass, after which parents will need to explain the absence by contacting the school. 

Recently in an effort to clear a growing amount of unexplained absence we have sent out direct communications to every family with unexplained absences. Please do not ignore these emails but rather contact the school to explain these absences. A simple return email with a brief explanation (Joe Bloggs was unwell on the 5/4/24) is all that is required in most cases. 

Parents obligations under the Education Act (1990) are to ensure that children attend school regularly and that any absences are explained satisfactorily. Parents/Carers who fail to fulfil these obligations may be guilty of an offence for which the maximum penalty under the law is $11,000.

Lateness

The College year began with an impressive start in terms of lateness to school, but as the seasons have changed and the mornings have become colder the lateness to school has definitely increased. The school day starts EVERYDAY at 8:35am - students who arrive after this time are late and need that missing time explained.

From next term students who arrive late without an acceptable reason (medical/dentist appointment - slip required) will be added to a “Late to School” chronicle entry for each day. If students receive more than one late arrival per fortnight students will be placed on a Tuesday Detention (30 mins). 

This year we have really pushed our Pastoral Focus of Respect - Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Respect for Our Community. We as a staff wholeheartedly believe that punctuality is a mark of respect, not just to others and the community but also to one’s self - respect for one’s own educational journey. We are also trying to prepare our young people for the real world and one employer put it to his year 12 apprentice perfectly - “if you are on time you’re late!”