Dear Parents & Carers,

Students are now well into the second week and routines are starting to fall into place. I have enjoyed the opportunity to visit many classrooms, and it has been wonderful to observe students engaged in their learning and settling into school. I’d like to particularly commend our students for the way they have responded to a number of changes for the start of term, including their use of the mobile phone pouches and Compass.

It was lovely to meet a range of parents over the last week at pick-up, drop-off, the Meet & Greet afternoon and Year 7 Tech Information Night event. I am continuing to host tea and coffee on Friday mornings outside C-block – please pop over and introduce yourself if you have a moment!

Compass Update

Thank you for your patience while we resolve an issue with parent access to Compass. The system is up and running well for staff and students unfortunately we have discovered an error with the data merge for parent accounts and we’re working daily with their technicians to resolve this problem and launch parent access via the Compass app as soon as possible. We will update you once this is available.

Student Attendance

Attending school is an important part of a child’s growth in independence and learning and we hope to partner with parents to ensure that every child finds attending the College easy and enjoyable. Attendance at school is also a regulated and audited area of legal compliance and the following areas are important to note.

Please be reminded that under the Education Act, children are required to attend school each day it is open (including for College events) and that parents and carers are required to give a reason for their child’s absence or lateness (e.g. sick, an unavoidable medical appointment, or an exceptional or urgent family circumstance) within seven days. We ask that explanations of absence via email are sent to wwcc@wwcc.nsw.edu.au. Once the Compass app launches, absence reasons will be able to be notified via the app.

There are a small number of scenarios where the Principal may exempt a student from school attendance (e.g., to participate in elite sport events, elite art programs, employment in the entertainment industry, a significant student health matter or exceptional domestic circumstances). To apply for exemption from attendance please complete the form available on the College Website or from the College office and return in person to the office or by email to wwcc@wwcc.nsw.edu.au.

Please note that all other reasons for absence will be recorded as absent unjustified and will be recorded on students’ College reports.

We are committed to supporting families to help students with any attendance issues. Please do not hesitate to contact their Class Teacher, a Wellbeing Leader, Wellbeing Coordinator or the relevant Head of School if you are struggling with school attendance for your child.

NAPLAN

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be sitting for their NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy) assessments in March this year.

Further information for parents and carers about NAPLAN can be found online here.

NAPLAN testing is undertaken with inclusive supports to ensure all students may participate. Students with a disability may be granted adjustments to support their access to the tests and facilitate maximum participation. Adjustments should reflect the kind of support and assistance normally required for assessment in the classroom.

A small number of students may be able to be granted formal exemption from the NAPLAN tests. Exemption is possible for students who have recently arrived in Australia and have a non-English speaking background, or students with a disability that severely limits their ability to participate.

Parents and carers may also apply to withdraw their child from the testing program on the basis of religious belief or philosophical objections.

The College would like to encourage all students to participate in the program as it provides helpful feedback to students, parents, and the College on their learning and informs our support for students.

Parents and carers who wish to discuss their child’s eligibility for disability adjustments are asked to contact Mrs Harrison (Learning Support Leader) no later than Friday 21 February 2025.Parents and carers who wish to apply for consideration for an exemption, are asked to contact Ms Clarke (Head of Academic Administration) no later than Friday 21 February 2025.

Parents and carers who wish to apply to withdraw their child from NAPLAN test, are asked to contact Dr Jackson (Principal) no later than Friday 21 February 2025.

Carpark – traffic flow

Pick up of students in the afternoon is a very busy time for our carpark, which can contribute to risks to students onsite, but also to cars stuck queuing on the road outside the College.

To help alleviate the congestion of the carpark and Kooringal Rd in the afternoon, the College requests the following:

Families with only children in the Primary school arrive from 2:55 pm to start the pick-up process.
Families with children in both the Primary and Secondary school arrive from 3:10 pm to start the pick-up process.
If waiting in one of the three pick up spots for over 3 minutes, that parents either a) park in the College carpark to locate their child, or b) drive a loop around the carpark and re-join the queue so as not to block the flow of traffic.

Please always remember that the College has very young children onsite and therefore to always drive slowly and carefully. We encourage any child under the age of 10 to hold hands with a parent while walking in the carpark area.

Lockdown Drills and Snake Drills

At the start of the year, we are doing a number of safety drills with students to ensure all students know what to do in a possible emergency situation.

On Thursday 27 February the College will undertake a lockdown drill and then following feedback we will review the systems and processes in place. All students will be taught the procedures for emergency evacuation and lockdown in preparation for this first major emergency drill. An evacuation drill will be scheduled for later in the year. A reminder that any visitor on site during the time of an emergency drill is required to participate in the drill.

It is the season when snakes are about and at the College we’ve been reviewing our safety plans for possible snake sightings. In the coming week staff will be running ‘snake drills’ with students to talk them through how to respond if a snake is seen at the College and talking about snake safety.

In consideration that snake sightings may occur during the noisy and busy recess and lunch time, a decision has been made to provide all staff with an emergency whistle and students will be trained to stop when the whistle is blown, to stand still (‘like a tree’), look to the teacher and await instruction. Whistles will only be used when necessary for the urgent safety of students (or as a signal during normal sport activities).

First Day Back!

Term 1 Week 2, 2025