Principal's Report
David Reynolds - Principal
Success begins with high levels of school attendance.
In the state of Victoria, school attendance is compulsory for children and young people from the age of 6 until 17 years. Attendance at school helps young people to develop important skills knowledge and values to further their learning and participation in the community. Attending school every day also helps your child develop crucial social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and the ability to work in teams. Children and young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives. While some student absences are unavoidable and understandable due to illness and the like, many are not.
Parents play a vital part in supporting their child have regular school attendance a.
Your legal responsibilities
The laws apply to all parents of compulsory school-aged children attending Victorian Government, independent and Catholic Schools. Your are legally required to ensure that your child attends school every day.
If your child misses school you must promptly contact the school on the day of the absence to give an explanation unless permission has already been granted.
The school will then record the reason and decide whether the absence meets your legal obligations and can be approved.
You are encouraged to avoid planning holidays or making routine medical appointments during school time and where possible, you should inform the school in advance of upcoming absences. The school will explain whether the reason for the planned absence will be approved. If a family holiday occurs during the school term, the school will develop an Absence Learning Plan to ensure that your child's learning doesn't fall behind.
If your child reaches five days of unapproved absences in the preceding 12 months then the College will work with you to implement a plan to support your child to attend school every day and remain at school during school hours.
If the support and intervention do not improve your child's attendance, the College may decide to make a referral to the School Attendance Officer.
The School Attendance Officer will investigate your child's attendance and may issue one or all of the following, depending upon the circumstances:
For more information about your legal requirements and attendance at school, including information about School Attendance Notices.
For more information about your legal requirements and attendance at school, including information about School Attendance Notices, Official Warnings and Infringement Notices see: Victorian Attendance Legislation: FAQs for parents.
Well done to the many students who have been attending school regularly with 100% attendance, or who are improving their attendance percentage this year.
Respecting Diversity
Students are spending this week along with the community of Melton celebrating IDAHOBIT Day. IDAHOBIT stands for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia. Melton Secondary College student leaders will attend local council celebrations this week and have organised activities around the college. The student Queer-Straight Alliance Club are raising awareness by handing out leaflets and selling fairy bread and rainbow sweets. They have also arranged a Trivia Quiz for Year 7-10 students to complete in STARR Connect. Details about Melton City Council celebrations can be found here.
Respecting our College Uniform
We want Melton Secondary College students to take pride in their appearance and to look neat and respectable when they attend school. The College Uniform was put in place six years ago by the School Council following community consultation including substantial input from students. Every student deserves to be supported by the College and parents to wear the uniform proudly which is why there are clear uniform expectations and consequences for not following the rules. The College also supports parents to purchase uniform when they are experiencing financial hardship or if they are Health Card holders. With the winter weather some students may need extra help to support them to be in full uniform with a winder jacket or jumper. Parents are asked to contact the College as soon as possible if assistance is required.
The College Uniform brochure can be found here.
