College Notices
Parent and carer School Saving Bonus code distribution
The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus – a one-off $400 support for government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.
From Tuesday 26 November 2024, you will receive an email from the Department of Education with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code.
The School Saving Bonus will help families cover the cost of uniforms, textbooks, excursions, activities and more.
If you have multiple children enrolled in Victorian government schools for 2025, you will receive one School Saving Bonus code email per child. These emails might arrive on different days. Please make sure to check your spam/junk email folder.
Parents and carers can use the School Saving Bonus code in store at school-nominated suppliers. Parents and carers can also choose to access the School Saving Bonus online system, where they can allocate part or all the $400 bonus to use at school nominated-online suppliers or for school activities. To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, visit School Saving Bonus | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au). A step-by-step user guide will be available on the webpage on 26 November.
If you have not received your School Saving Bonus code via email by Friday 29 November, please contact the Department of Education by emailing: school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au
Student absence communication
To notify the College of a student absence, please log into Compass and record the absence under the Attendance tab. Alternatively, please call the College and press 1 (Middle Years administration) to notify an absence for a student in Years 7-9 or press 2 (Senior School administration) to notify an absence for a student in Years 10-12.
The College has a legal obligation to monitor and record student absences and attendance. Failure to provide approval for an absence may impact VISA conditions, VCE conditions and Centrelink payments.
Early leavers
Early leavers require parent/carer approval or acknowledgement. Approvals for early leavers from school can be completed either online (through the Compass Parent Portal) or by handing in a written letter of approval to your sub school office at the beginning of the day.
Students must sign out at their sub school prior to leaving the school grounds.
Late arrivals
Electronic rolls are kept in all classes. Students who arrive late to school are required to sign-in at their sub school and then immediately go to class.
All late arrivals require parent/carer approval or acknowledgement. Approvals for late arrival to school can be completed either online (through the Compass Parent Portal) or by handing in a written letter of approval to your sub school office. SMS notifications may be sent to parents when a student arrives late to school.
Safety and respect for our neighbours
Please be mindful of the safety of our students and the wider community when collecting your child from school. It is illegal to park within 10 metres of a corner.
Similarly we ask that you be courteous to our neighbours and not park across their driveways while waiting for your child.
Privacy reminder for our school community
Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students.
The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365 safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Microsoft 365, please contact the school. For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.
This information is also available in ten community languages:
* Amharic
* Arabic
* Dari
* Gujarati
* Mandarin
* Somali
* Sudanese
* Turkish
* Urdu
* Vietnamese
Visitors and WWCC
Koonung Secondary College values the many volunteers that assist in our classrooms, with sports events, camps/excursions, school concerts, other events and programs. To ensure Koonung Secondary College is a child safe environment, visitors will be required to undertake suitability checks, which in most cases include a Working With Children Check (WWCC). Volunteers are to produce their valid card to a member of the administration team for verification in the following circumstances:
• Volunteers who are not parent/family members of any student at the school are required to have a WWCC if they are engaged in child-related work regardless of whether they are being supervised
• Parent/family volunteers who are assisting with any classroom or school activities involving direct contact with children in circumstances where the volunteer’s child is not participating, or does not ordinarily participate in, the activity
• Parent/family volunteers who assist with excursions and activities, including productions, camps and similar events, regardless of whether their own child is participating or not
• Parent/community School Council members sitting on School Council with student School Council members, regardless of whether their own child is a student member or not.
Further information is available in our visitors and volunteers' policies, which can be found in school documentation on Compass.
Student accident insurance arrangements
Families are reminded that neither Koonung Secondary College nor the Department of Education provide personal accident insurance for students. Parents and carers are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. Student accident insurance policies are available from some commercial insurers. These cover a range of medical expenses not covered by Medicare or private health insurance.
It is recommended that families seek assistance in this matter with their insurance broker or find a suitable personal accident insurer.
Occupational Health & Safety at Koonung
The Department of Education has a comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety Management System which has been in place at Koonung for some years. This helps to provide a safe school environment for staff, students, parents and contractors.
Please take note of the following:
Traffic within the College grounds
Student drop-off and pick-up is not permitted within the College grounds unless the student is injured or disabled. All traffic entering the school grounds must observe the speed limit of 10kmh (ie walking pace).
Road crossing safety concern
Road users have expressed concerns that our students are not crossing at the dedicated school crossing on the corner of Belmore Road and Elgar Road and instead, crossing from an angle further along Belmore Road. The safety of both our students and the general public is of utmost importance. Please take the time to remind your children about road safety and the importance of using assigned level crossings.
In addition students are not waiting for the crossing supervisor's whistle or the 'green man'. This is most concerning given the extensive traffic on Elgar Road. Please help us to instil correct road crossing practices in an effort to prevent any safety issues.
Smoking and vaping
It is an offence to smoke or vape anywhere within the College grounds and within 4 metres of all school ground entrances. This applies 24/7 regardless of whether or not students are at school.
Crossing Supervisor positions now available
Support Mont Albert and Surrey Hills Rotary and purchase Christmas Mince Pies from BreadStreet
Stace Kerr
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