Assistant Principal's Report

Every Day Counts

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.

Why it’s important

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students attending school each and every day.

Students develop good habits by going to school every day – habits that are necessary to succeed after school, whether in the workplace or in further study.

Missing school can have a big impact on students academically and socially. It can affect their test results, including VCE, and, just as importantly, it can affect their relationships with other students, and lead to social isolation.

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

Each missed day is associated with falling behind in subject topics and assessment tasks, and may lead to fewer subject choices or impact on achievement in years 11 and 12.

Getting in early

It’s never too late to improve attendance – going to school more often can lead to better outcomes. Even at Year 9, when attendance rates for all students are lowest, going to school more often can make a big difference. Every day counts.

Schools are there to help – if you’re having attendance issues with your child, speak to your school about ways to address those issues.

What we can do

The main reasons for absence are:

Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick. Setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.

“Day off” – Think twice before letting your child have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.

Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission. There can be many reasons for truancy; the best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together.

While all absences are bad for academic performance, unexcused absences are a much stronger indicator of lower reading and Maths achievement.

If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things you can do with your school to ensure they don’t fall behind:

• Speak with the Student Engagement Leader (SEL) and find out what work your child needs to do to keep up.
• Develop an absence learning plan with the Student Engagement Leader (SEL) and ensure your child completes the plan.

If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let the Student Engagement Leader, Assistant Principal, Principal or other relevant staff member know so we can work together to get your child to school every day.

Family Partnership

At Mt Beauty Secondary College we welcome and encourage parents/guardians to be partners in a students learning journey. Teachers welcome contact to check in how students are performing and working together to maximise opportunities at school.

Lunch Passes (Reminder)

We have seen an increase in students requesting lunch passes so we would like to remind families of the processes.

Students are expected to remain at school throughout the school day. Below is the process for obtaining a lunch pass, reinforcing our partnership with parents and supporting our on-campus Café.

Short-Term Lunch Passes

• Written consent (email or note; Compass permissions are not accepted) is required for students to leave the school grounds for lunch.
• Students must return promptly to school after purchasing lunch to reconnect with peers and be supervised by staff.
• Short-term lunch passes are valid for that day only.

Long-Term Lunch Passes

• Year 12 students may apply for a long-term lunch pass as a privilege, requiring a completed form.
• Parents wishing to arrange a long-term pass should meet with the Student Engagement Leader to discuss its suitability and encourage students to enjoy the benefits of staying on campus.

For any questions, please contact Mitch Harris, Assistant Principal