Wellbeing 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we approach the sixth week of Term 1, I am delighted to report that the year has continued to progress seamlessly for both students and staff.  The start of the year has been particularly busy, and the atmosphere on Campus has been extremely positive.  It is wonderful to see students arriving each day with bright smiles, engaging enthusiastically with their peers and teachers.

School Attendance

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school, on time, each and every day.  Missing school can have a major impact on a student’s future – a student missing one day a fortnight will miss four full weeks by the end of the year and by Year 10 will have missed more than a year of school.  There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student arrives late or doesn't attend, puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

Coming to school every day is vital, but if for any reason your daughter must miss school, there are things that can be done to ensure they don’t fall behind:

• Work can be found on Compass for your daughter to complete
• If this work has been completed, ask your daughter to contact her subject teachers to find out what other work she needs to do to keep up
• Contact your daughter’s Mentor Group Teacher; or
• Contact your daughter’s Wellbeing Leader or the College Counsellor

If necessary, together we can develop an absence learning plan.  Parents play a vital role in the development of this plan and in ensuring that their daughter adheres to it.  If your daughter must miss school, speak with us as early as possible.  Please note that there are laws in place which mean that parents can be fined for not sending children to school without an acceptable reason.  Remember, every day counts.

For some tips on ‘How to get your child to school’, please access this article on Compass under School Documentation → School Attendance → How do I Get My Teenager to School.  Further information and resources can also be found on Academy SchoolTV on the College website under the ‘School Survival Series: https://academy.vic.schooltv.me/

Anaphylaxis

Given that we have quite a few students here at the College who have anaphylaxis, we urge parents/guardians to take great care with the food products you provide your daughters.  Please be aware that certain foods, particularly nuts, can cause severe and potentially harmful reactions to others.  As far as possible, we seek to reduce the risk of anaphylactic reactions occurring and any support you can provide in this regard is most appreciated.

Importantly, I remind parents/guardians that students who have been diagnosed with anaphylaxis must have an Epipen with them at all times and a spare Epipen provided to Student Reception.  Please be aware that if any student with anaphylaxis does not have an Epipen with them and a spare one in at Student Reception, they will not be permitted to attend any planned excursion of which they might be a part.

In the interests of your daughter’s safety, we ask that this is addressed as soon as possible. This also includes ensuring that all Action Plans are up-to-date.  Please contact Ms Jessica Synaphet if you need to discuss this further. 

Child Safety

Child safety continues to be a key focus for the College in 2025 and I would like to refer parents/guardians to the Child Safety Policy on the College website.

Within the ‘Guiding Principles’ of the policy it states that, “Catholic schools have a moral, legal and mission-driven responsibility to create nurturing school environments where children and young people are respected, their voices are heard and they are safe and feel safe (CECV Commitment to Child Safety).

Within the framework of this policy is an adherence to the Victorian Child Safe Standards as follows:

CHILD SAFE STANDARDS

Standard 1:       Schools must establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children, young people and students are respected and valued.

Standard 2:       Schools must ensure that child safety and wellbeing is embedded in school leadership, governance and culture.

Standard 3:       Schools must ensure that children, young people and students are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

Standard 4:       Schools must ensure that families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Standard 5:       Schools must ensure that equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

Standard 6:       Schools must ensure that people working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

Standard 7:       Schools must ensure that processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.

Standard 8:       Schools must ensure that staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

Standard 9:       Schools must ensure that physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children, young people and students to be harmed.

Standard 10:     Schools must ensure that implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.

Standard 11:     Schools must have policies and procedures that document how schools are safe for children, young people and students.

While we believe that the College, in its practices and protocols, meets all of the above Standards, an overall essential component of Child Safety is a student’s capacity to respond to incidents which may threaten their own safety.  To that end, in the coming weeks, I will be finishing off presentations to all year levels, focusing on recognising unsafe situations and avenues available for responding and reporting these situations as well as reporting abuse. 

I would also ask parents/guardians to encourage their daughters to report any incidents when travelling to and from the College, where a member of the public makes them feel unsafe.  Reporting such incidents is important in ensuring that the relevant authorities are informed and appropriate action is taken to ensure the safety of not only our students, but also other members of the public. 

As always, please never hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns.

Kind regards,

Mr Sam Di Camillo

Deputy Principal - Wellbeing & Operations