Chev Need to Knows

23 February 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

There is now a great energy around the College and a feeling that Term 1 is well underway.

The week began full of vibrant colour and energy with our Swimming Carnival. I commend students for their participation, energy and general positive, ‘can-do’ attitude. Congratulations to the winners of course, but also to those who embodied the Chev spirit of making the most of every opportunity and, in this case quite literally, jumping in.

Most especially, “Thank you” to Year 12 students who lead the way with this ‘get in and have a go’ attitude. Out of the 104 Year 12 students who attended the carnival (out of a cohort of 114), 96 entered the participation events, and strongly contested them. Brilliant!

On the flip side, it is concerning that 213 students from across Years 7-12 were absent. The most students we have had away from school on any one day since the start of this year has been 85. Interestingly, there were only 65 students absent on our first Flipped Monday held on 12 February. It appears that too many students chose to be absent for the swimming carnival. To the 57 Year 11 students and 49 Year 10 students who were away and have student leadership ambitions when in Year 12, you will need to do better.

The actions of a minority do not take away from the positivity and energy displayed by the majority of students who fulfilled the College’s expectations. The Swimming Carnival was a great day of fun, engagement and friendly House competition. It was a reminder of the wonderful community spirit at Chev, and, of course, there were some excellent performances in the pool.

For a community to thrive, we need all students attending days such as the swimming carnival. This goal, to thrive as a community, is the reason that the conditions of enrolment you have signed include the following statement:

“All students must participate in and/or attend the following activities…

c) College sports including swimming and athletics carnivals.”

I look forward to seeing the students who were absent from the Swimming Carnival being here for both Sacred Heart Day and the Athletics Carnival, both held in Term 2. Looking ahead to next week, we now look forward to our next Flipped Monday on 26 February, and supporting our students in their self-regulated learning as they settle into what will soon be a familiar routine.

Finally, some exciting news to share: last week, a television crew from WIN News visited the College to find out more about how we are redesigning learning. They interviewed staff and students and viewed our Contemporary Learning Spaces where a senior Ancient History class proved to be an excellent example of how we are putting our vision into action. The segment will be aired at 5.30pm on Tuesday on WIN News, if you would like to watch it.

Many Blessings to you all for the weekend ahead and we look forward to a wonderful week to follow.

Greg Miller

Principal

Year 7 Retreats

Our Year 7 Retreat Days will take place at the College over the coming weeks. Students will be participating in their Religious Education classes as shown below.

Monday 26 February

7.3 - Phillip Lane

7.4 - Alison Samuels

Monday 4 March

7.5 - Mariah Edwards

7.6 - Gemma Farrugia

7.7 - Ellen Kearney

The Retreats will run from 8.50am to 3.25pm, and students should wear neat casual clothing when attending their Retreat. As a snack will be provided to students, please ensure you log into the Parent Lounge or Orbit app to update your child's dietary requirements - instructions are below.

Please note that these are compulsory days, and form an integral component of student life at Chevalier College.

Alexander (Sandy) Abbey

Assistant Principal – Faith Formation and Mission

PPEP Talk - Year 9-12 Girls

Chevalier College has elected to participate in the PPEP Talk® (Periods, Pain and Endometriosis Program) visit which will be held for girls in Years 9 to 12 on Monday 4 March from 1.40pm – 3.00pm. Please see this link for information for parents and students.

Why is this talk important?

A recent study has shown that 1 in 4 Australian girls, or people assigned female at birth, aged 16 - 18 years suffers from period pain severe enough that they miss school, which is a big problem for students, families and education services.

With an estimated 700,000 women, girls and gender diverse people assigned female at birth in Australia living with endometriosis, and diagnosis often delayed for several years, improved education in this area is long overdue. Without early support, these people may pay a high price in missed opportunities.

If you would prefer your child NOT to participate in this program, please contact Kelly Clunn, Assistant Principal – Wellbeing, by Wednesday 28 March. clunnk@chevalier.nsw.edu.au

For students who are unable to attend due to other commitments, please refer to the Information for Students and Caregivers Brochure where you can access links to free online information sessions.

Kelly Clunn and Natalie LaGarde

Assistant Principals - Wellbeing

Parent Portal / Mobile App Drop-In Support Sessions

Thank you to those parents who have logged in and are now using the Parent Lounge and/or the Orbit App! We are pleased to see so many of you using the new platforms.

For parents who still require IT assistance to access either platform, we thank you for your patience. Our team are working through the requests as quickly as possible. We will also be holding two drop-in sessions at the College where our IT team will be on hand to assist you in gaining access.

Wednesday 6 March from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in C12
Tuesday 12 March from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in C12

If you would like to attend, please click here to help us with our planning.

Please note that it is essential that parents are able to access one of our new platforms. We are no longer issuing paper permission notes and this is the only way for you to provide permission for your child to attend excursions and access the excursion details.

Quick links:

Please watch this space for further details about how important information will be communicated to you in the future. We hope these new platforms make it much easier for parents to keep in touch with the College!

Student Attendance - how to advise us

If your child is marked absent from school and this absence is unexplained, you will receive a notification in the Parent Orbit App and the Parent Lounge, and an SMS.

Below are the methods you can use to explain the absence:

Parent Orbit App – click on Absences on the home page
Parent Lounge – click on Absences in the left-hand menu
SMS – respond to the text

Our preferred methods are via the Parent App or Lounge. You can also use the App or Lounge to advise us of an absence in advance (for absences of 5 days or less).

Please do not use the previously advertised mobile phone number or contact us by telephone as these are no longer acceptable methods to advise us of your child’s absence.

Student drop off/pick up

Sacre Coeur Centre car park - boom gates

Please do not tailgate behind another vehicle at the boom gates, or use this driveway to drop off and turn around. The boom gates are down at this time for the safety of our students and our staff.

Please use Pick-up Points A or B to drop off or collect your children. For early morning music ensemble drop off or after school study or extracurricular pick up, it is recommended that you use the John Fahey Centre car park. The John Fahey Centre carpark should not be used for general school drop off after 8.00am.

School Photo Orders

If you would like to order school photos, it’s not too late to access the bulk order rate. Click here for details.

Welcome Evening For New Parents and Carers

New families - today is your final chance to book tickets!

On Thursday 29 February, we are holding a Welcome Evening for parents and carers who are new to the College, and all Year 7 parents and carers.

These new families are warmly invited to come along and meet other families and learn a little more about life at Chev. Enjoy drinks and canapés and hear from our Principal and student leaders.

Book your free tickets here by midnight tonight!

We look forward to welcoming you to the College and the Chevalier family.