Principal Team's Message

As Term 3 draws to a close, there is much to celebrate. We have enjoyed the school production of High School Musical, excursions to Melbourne as part of the Naarm Engagement Program, students nominated for leadership awards, the process of election for the 2025 College Captains, and numerous sporting events. The talent and commitment of our students and staff to the wider life of the College is always so wonderful to see. 

Photography 

On Tuesday 3 September the College sent out a request to all parents and guardians to update consent in relation to photographing, filming and recording students at Sunbury College. The request is in line with the updated Department of Education photography policy, which is now published via the policies section of the Sunbury College web page. Parents and guardians who are yet to update their consent can do so via the Compass event in the portal, noting that three questions need to be completed as part of the consent update.   

Q1. I consent to the use of images of my child beyond the school community/publicly, i.e. the school’s website and social media accounts

Q2. I consent to the use of images of my child within the physical school environment. 

Q3. I consent to the use of images of my child within the school community

Locks on lockers

A reminder that upon enrolment, each student is issued with a combination lock to use on their allocated locker as part of the school’s commitment to provide a safe and secure storage site for student belongings. This includes their BYO device and their mobile phone in line with the College mobile phone policy and state wide ban on mobile phones in Victorian schools. 

In the coming weeks, locker checks will continue to be undertaken and parents and guardians informed where locks are not being utilised. We ask that parents and guardians reinforce the locks on lockers expectation if they receive a notification for their child. 

Student Organisation

“With organisation comes empowerment”

A controllable factor that contributes to the basis of learning is organisation. 

The following is a list of questions that students should respond with the answer YES. In the event of a NO response, the student is at risk of limiting their success and engagement:

• Do you have a pencil case with pens and pencils?
• Do you have an allocated writing book for each of your subjects?
• Do you own all of the uniform items that you need to wear to school?
• Do you own and have a calculator that you can take to every Maths class?
• Do you have a school bag that you use to bring important things to and from school? 
• Do you have a BYO device (laptop)?
• Do you take your device home every night and charge it for the next day?
• Do you have a lock on your locker?
• Is your locker clean and tidy?
• Do you have food to eat during the school day?

We encourage parents and guardians to ask these questions of their child/children on a regular basis; asking for a photo of the contents of their locker may provide opportunities to talk about organisation and preparation. Families should see their child’s device come home daily, to charge and get ready for the next day. 

If students require financial support to facilitate organisation, their guardian or parent can make contact with their child’s Year Level Coordinator to see what supports are available from the school. 

Student Punctuality

We'd like to remind students that an essential part of being organised and prepared for learning means arriving to class on time. 

Music is played before periods 1, 3, and 5 as a reminder to students that classes will soon commence. By the time the second bell rings, students should be in classrooms ready to record their learning goals for the lesson. 

Over the last few weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of students at lockers or meeting with friends after the second bell. This not only means that they are missing the beginning of their lesson, but their late arrival interrupts the learning of their peers. 

Punctuality is an important life skill that young people need to learn in preparation for entering the workforce. Staff will continue to engage in conversations with students who are late to lessons, and appreciate the support of parents and carers in reinforcing College expectations. 

We wish all students and their families a pleasant spring holiday break, and our best wishes to all those students preparing for the upcoming VCAA examinations.