From the Principal
First Eucharist Reflection Day
Next Wednesday our Year 4 First Eucharist candidates will spend a day preparing for this significant sacrament. Maria Mangone has been doing a wonderful job of preparing the activities for the day, and generally informing and preparing the families and candidates for their special day on Sunday June 14 at 2pm. Please keep these students in your prayers as they prepare for this important aspect of their faith journey.
Recording of student absence from school
St Christopher's Primary School has established and documented clear procedures for recording and monitoring student attendance. This includes maintaining a student attendance register that records attendance and notes any unexplained absences. These procedures must comply with legislative requirements and must follow the Recording and Monitoring School Attendance Procedures, ensuring the school’s duty of care toward students.
The School must ensure that attendance is recorded:
- twice per day in primary schools
- when students attend off-site premises for approved school learning activities that form part of their education program. This includes, but is not limited to, camps and excursions and other school approved activities. (Please note that this means students taken out of school for regular attendance at other activities should seek Principal approval first).
In addition to ensuring accurate attendance recording, the School is responsible for overseeing that:
- the reason for each student’s absence is appropriately documented
- Parents and Carers are notified about school attendance concerns in a timely manner
- attendance records are accurately maintained within student files
- current contact details for all Parents and Carers, including emergency contacts, are kept up to date
- staff members responsible for monitoring and managing student attendance are clearly designated.
When no explanation for a student's absence has been offered to the school by the Parents and Carers by 9:30am on the day of the absence, the student will be marked as "absent with no reason provided". The school will attempt to contact the parents / carers to determine the reason for absence. This will initially be via an SMS, and will also be followed up by a call to the parents / carers if required.
When students arrive Late to school, after the start time of 9:00am, they are required to be signed in by a parent or carer at the office using the ipad provided at reception. This process must also be followed when a student leaves school early, before the end of the day, being 3:30pm. If a parent notified the school of a student arriving late or leaving early via the PAM platform, they do not need to sign the student in or out via the Office ipad.
Visitors attending the school requirements
The ipad at the school office has recently been updated to ensure that all Working With Children Checks are captured and checked online to determine they are valid at the time of signing in. There have been a number of visitors / parents to the office recently who have been using the new sign in process and I would like to thank them for their patience whilst this upgrade has been taking place.
The process now is much easier if you download the "VPass in" app on your phone.
You will be invited to set up your profile which will involve recording your WWCC and at the time, a live check will take place to ensure your details are correct. Once you have set up your profile, you will be able to scan a QR code (which will be near the Ipad in the office) for a faster sign in and sign out experience.
If you require assistance navigating this new process, please see Vidya or Kate in the office.
https://vpass.io/support/download-vpass-in-app-for-easy-phone-sign-ins
https://apps.apple.com/au/app/vpass-in/id6761170844
Music in a Suitcase Incursion
Last Friday our students were lucky enough to experience an incredible incursion from Musica Viva Australia and the wonderful Music in a Suitcase band!
Through music, movement and storytelling, the children travelled around the world exploring different cultures, languages, instruments and traditions from places including Turkey, Egypt, Greece, France and beyond.
Students learnt about inclusivity through music while discovering Auslan, Aboriginal terminology, harmony, rhythm and melodies from across the globe. The interactive performance had everyone involved — singing, moving, harmonising and celebrating the power of music together.
Our students have been preparing for this experience throughout the term during their music lessons using the Musica Viva program, making today’s performance even more meaningful and engaging. What an amazing opportunity to connect culture, creativity and learning through music!
A big thank you to Fiona Markham for your assistance in preparing our students for this and in conjunction with Nisha Feik from Musica Viva for organising the incursion. Please take some time to browse the photos of this special event.
Child Safe Standard Number 6
"People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.’’
As Catholic educators, we have a moral, mission-driven and legal responsibility to uphold and actively promote the wellbeing and safety of every student entrusted in our care. Our commitment to the protection of students involves ensuring families and community members actively participate in promoting and upholding child safety and wellbeing. Our Catholic communities uphold robust systems, processes, and policies that support staff and volunteers to act with professionalism, integrity, and care, ensuring child safety and wellbeing are embedded in all aspects of school life.
- Children and young people have the right to be cared for by adults who are suitable, trustworthy, and committed to their safety and wellbeing
- Child Safe Standard 6 recognises that creating a child-safe environment depends not only on policies and procedures, but on the people who work with children every day. Ensuring that staff and volunteers are carefully selected, well supported, and guided by shared values helps build safe, respectful, and nurturing school communities
- Grounded in our Catholic mission, this standard reflects our responsibility to honour the dignity of every child by acting with integrity, care, and accountability. When adults model child-safe behaviours and values, they create environments where children feel protected, respected, and able to flourish.
Parent Association Event - Book Now!
We are excited to be having this fun event for our parents and adult family members and friends of St Christophers. Details for the Sip Back, Paint and Relax evening on Friday July 31at 7pm-9pm in the Parish Hall can be found here. Why not bring your spouse or a friend and help raise funds for our school as well as have a memorable and fun night out.
Thanks to our Parents Association for their active participation in promoting and developing the social fabric of our school community.
Important Date Reminders
Please note that next Monday June 8th is the King's Birthday public holiday and Tuesday June 9th is a student free day so our staff can attend to the professional reflections and workshops to inform our school improvement review that results in our next four year School Improvement Plan. All Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools are required to undertake this review every four years. The MACSSIS survey data you provided us late last year helps inform this process. The formal review will be conducted in late August.
We also have our Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) review in the same week in August. This is a separate compliance review that allows for the VRQA to regulate education and training providers in Victoria. The focus is on child safety standards and education requirements for the maintenance of being a registered school and demonstrating we are implementing required policies, standards and procedures expected of an educational institution.