Secondary School News

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Welcome to Term 2!

We hope you have had the opportunity to relax and refresh over the Easter break and are re-invigorated and ready to embrace the many opportunities that this term will bring. 

We are delighted that we have four new students starting this term in the Secondary School, and we welcome these students and their families to the Clayfield College community and wish them the very best for the journey ahead. 

Term 2 begins on Monday 15 April, and we would like to highlight some key expectations, procedures, policies, events and dates. 

For families new to Clayfield, if there is anything requiring further explanation, you are encouraged to contact Mrs Alice David at Student Services on 3262 0262 who will then direct you to your child's Head of Year.

Staffing

We are delighted to welcome to the Secondary School, Mr Paul Jennison. Paul joins us in the STEM Department as a Biology, Science and Mathematics teacher. Paul has over 20 years’ experience as an educator and has taught Senior Biology, Years 7-10 Science and Middle Years Mathematics. He has taught in New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia. Paul has experience teaching in a number of Independent and Catholic schools in Brisbane including Cannon Hill Anglican College, Faith Lutheran College, San Sisto College, John Paul College and Hymba Yumba Independent School. Paul is a QCAA Confirmer and External Exam Marker for Biology. We welcome Paul to the Clayfield College community.

Uniform Guidelines 

Parents are asked to assist the College in ensuring their children are correctly dressed each day. Shoes should be polished and hair kept tidy, with girls wearing green scrunchies or ribbons if their hair is longer than their collar. Boys are to wear their hair up with a black hair tie if longer than the collar. No large clips are permitted to tie up hair and there is no jewellery to be worn at school, except for one ear piercing in the lower lobe. These can be small silver or gold sleepers, studs or pearls. Only pearls purchased from the College Shop are permitted, with a maximum width of 6mm. 

We understand students may have had false eyelashes, fake tans and acrylic nails through the holiday period, but these are not part of the Clayfield College uniform and students must remove these before returning to school. Please refer to the Uniform Policy for further information.

The Uniform Shop will re-open on Monday 15 April from 8am to 2pm for your convenience. You can collect any Online orders done over the holidays from 10am on this day also.

Phone: 3262 0251

Email: clayfieldcollege@uniformcompany.com.au

Usual Opening Hours (Term time):

Tuesday 8:00am - 2:00pm

Wednesday 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Thursday 8:00am - 2:00pm

Winter Uniform

For the start of Term 2, students are required to wear their Summer uniform. Families will be given two weeks’ notice before the Winter uniform becomes compulsory, and the date will be guided by the change in temperature.

Pastoral Care Class

Pastoral Care (PC) time begins promptly at 8:30am every morning. This is an important time of the day when PC teachers mark the roll, provide ongoing support through group and individual conversations, promote connections through group activities, encourage organisation by reading the Daily Notices, help students with their daily routines, and hold students accountable for the correct wearing of the College uniform. Thank you for making sure your child(ren) arrives at school on time. If students need to leave school throughout the day or will be late to school, please notify the College by using the College App. This is also important if they are attending any district sporting events.

Mobile Phones and Watches 

Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 need to hand their phones into Reception when they arrive at school and can collect them after school. Phones must be turned off. Years 7 to 9 boarding students will leave their phones in the Boarding House during the school day. Students in Years 10 to 12 are required to have their phones turned off, in their lockers and they are not to be used throughout the school day. If students are found with their phones, they will be confiscated, and they can collect them from the Head of Secondary’s office at the end of the day. They will also receive an infringement. If they are found to have their phones for a second time, students will not be permitted to bring their phone onto campus until further notice. 

Smart watches are allowed but are not to be used for messaging during the school day. If students are found to be misusing their smart watch, it will be confiscated, and the student may not be allowed to bring it on campus.

Parent Lounge

Parent Lounge provides up-to-date information on College life. Such information includes your child’s timetable and teachers, policy documents, excursion details and school calendar. Parents are also able to update their contact details and child’s medical details, view Progressive and Semester Reports and schedule Parent/Teacher interviews. Please see below a guide that will assist you in navigating key features of Parent Lounge.

Email

Staff can be contacted via email during the school week. Email addresses are the first initial of the teacher’s name and their surname with clayfield.qld.edu.au. If you are contacting the teachers via email, please be aware they will be only checking emails throughout the day as their teaching schedule permits and therefore will not be able to reply immediately. Whilst staff are more than happy to communicate with you through email, please be aware that there is a 48-hour response time. Further, the Parent Code of Conduct outlines appropriate communication guidelines between parents and staff members, and we encourage you to review this document. If the matter is urgent, please call Student Services on 3262 0262, where a message will be passed on and the teacher will contact you when they are available.

Academic Queries

For any academic queries or concerns in Years 7 to 12 you are encouraged to contact your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance. Following this, if you require further assistance, please contact the relevant Head of Department. Our teaching staff and Heads of Department are committed to working with you and your child to provide the best academic support and outcomes for every student.

Years 7-12 Academic Policy and Procedures Document

We draw your attention to the Years 7 - 12 Academic Policy and Procedures Document. This document gives an overview of all procedures and protocols that need to be adhered to by staff, students and parents with regards to:

• academic integrity
• assessment
• drafting, scaffolding, conferencing and feedback
• subject changes, and
• AARA.

You can access the document through the link below. It is also available in Parent Lounge and Student Café under Links: Assessment and Reporting.

Please be reminded that all students are required to adhere to the procedures and protocols outlined in this document with regards to submission of assignments and completion of exams.

Clayfield College Home Learning Policy

Please find below the Clayfield College Home Learning Policy.

Application for Leave Form

All applications for leave that exceed three school days must be applied for via the form below. 

It is important that families understand the potential effects extended leave has on academic, social and co-curricular development. Leave forms must be completed four weeks prior to the first date of leave and emailed to the Head of Secondary at jdesmarchelier@clayfield.qld.edu.au. Please note that circumstances of illness and misadventure do not require the completion of this form.

Criteria to Qualify for Academic Awards

Please see below the criteria to qualify for an academic award in Years 7 - 12. In particular, we draw your attention to the last paragraph which specifies the attendance requirements around qualifying for an award.

Years 7 - 12 Parent Teacher Interviews

Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences for Years 7 - 12 will be held on Monday 22 April and Wednesday 24 April from 3:30pm to 8:00pm. We are offering either a meeting in person or using the Zoom platform. Teachers will be seated in the Nancy Ashburn Learning Resource Centre (LRC) on both evenings. Consultations will be 10 minutes per teacher and can be booked via Parent Lounge from 5:00pm Tuesday 16 April until 8:00pm Friday 19 April. Details on how to book interview times will be sent out to families by 4:00pm on Monday 15 April. We encourage your child to be present and to participate in each meeting.

Years 7 - 12 Progressive Reports

Each term, students in Years 7 - 12 will receive a progressive report for assessment completed in each subject that term. The progressive report will provide information on your child’s engagement in learning, preparedness for learning, and agency in learning. It will also provide targeted and task specific feedback and feed-forward comments. We strongly encourage you to read these progressive reports in partnership with your child. You can find instructions on how to access progressive reports using the Parent Lounge Guide (please refer to section above on Parent Lounge).

Tutorials

Our dedicated teaching staff offer tutorials to provide small group and individual support to students. Please see below the 2024 Term 2 Tutorial Schedule.

Anzac Day

Prep to Year 12 students will be commemorating ANZAC Day with a student/staff Assembly on Tuesday 23 April. Clayfield College Secondary students are encouraged to attend the service at Kalinga Park on 25 April, which has seen the Clayfield community and surrounding suburbs partake for over 100 years. It would be lovely to see as many Clayfield College students attend and join in as we proudly march as a school. 

Kalinga Park

7:00am Service

Thursday 25 April 

Please meet Mr Justin Demarchelier near the gates of Kalinga Park at 6:50am. Students are required to wear full summer formal uniform (including hat) to represent Clayfield College with pride. They are also welcome to any medals from family members. We will be meeting outside the gates of Kalinga Park to prepare for the short march and ceremony. The gates can be found at the end of Park Ave where it meets with Digger's Drive, Clayfield. 

Key Dates for Term 2

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child's Head of Year, Head of Department, the Head of Secondary School or the Deputy Principal - Head of Teaching and Learning.

Warm regards,

Mrs Lakshmi Mohan

Deputy Principal Head of Teaching and Learning

Mr Justin Desmarchelier

Head of Secondary