ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS' REPORT

PUNCTUALITY TO SCHOOL

It has been the College’s policy for many years that students who arrive late to Period 1 (which begins at 8:50am), will receive an automatic lunchtime detention unless a note/phone call with an acceptable excuse is provided by a parent. An acceptable excuse is a doctor’s appointment, illness, etc. We ask all parents to support our expectations by ensuring students arrive at school by 8:30am, allowing enough time to get organised and be in class before the start of Period 1 at 8:50am.

If students have to leave school during the day or are arriving late (e.g. due to a medical appointment), they must have a note from their parents explaining the situation. Students must show this note to the Attendance Officer at the General Office when signing in or out of the school. In addition, this information can be entered on Compass. We thank parents for their support on this matter.

If students in Years 7 to 9 do need to leave the College early during the school day (e.g. due to illness or appointment) they must be collected by a parent/carer. We are unable to dismiss students without adequate supervision. Any student who is feeling unwell at school must report to the Health Centre - we will then contact families if required. We ask that parents/carers do not call students directly during the school day.  

YEARS 10 & 11 EXAMS

The Semester 1 exam period is approaching with Year 11 exams commencing Friday 7 June and Year 10 exams commencing Wednesday 12 June. Students should be preparing for exams at home, spending time working through revision resources and revisiting topics covered this semester. We wish all students undertaking exams a productive period of study.  

CORRECTION DAY

As outlined in the previous newsletter, the College’s annual Correction Day will take place on Tuesday 18 June. Staff will be finalising assessments and semester reports. As such, classes will not be conducted on this day, so students should not attend school. The only exception is VCE students who are completing the GAT (see below for details).

VCAA GAT

The VCAA General Achievement Test (GAT) will be undertaken by all students completing a Unit 3 & 4 subject in 2024 on Tuesday 18 June. No classes will be conducted on this day. Students are expected to be at school by 8:15AM. Students must know their VCAA student number, which can be obtained from their Student Managers. Pens, pencils, an eraser and scientific calculator are required. An English and/or bilingual dictionary can also be taken into the exam room. No electronic dictionaries, thesaurus or white-out liquid-tape may be taken into the GAT.

REPORTS

End-of-semester reports will be available on Compass at the end of Term 2. These reports will include a transcript of all information provided via Learning Tasks throughout Semester 1.  Please note that this information is posted on Compass by teachers as each assessment is completed, so you do not need to wait until the end of the semester to access your child’s academic results. To complement Learning Tasks, Progress Reports (reflecting on students’ work ethic, behaviour and organisation) will also be published at the end of Term 2.

When reflecting on their results, students should focus upon the attributes and behaviours teachers recommend for further improvement - perseverance, hard-work, asking for help, taking pride in their learning and setting high expectations. Educational research has proven that intelligence is changeable (not predetermined or fixed), and that academic growth can be achieved by all - working hard, being resilient and acting on the advice provided by teachers are the keys to achieving this growth.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

As outlined in both the State Government Policy and our local College Policy, students must leave their mobile phone in their locker during the school day. We have unfortunately had to confiscate an increasing number of phones in recent weeks because some students continue to carry their phones with them in class and in the yard. 

Our phone policy is designed to help students improve their concentration in class, build stronger relationships with their peers and ultimately improve their mental health. Please remind your child that if they choose to bring their phone to school it must remain in their locker (secured with a school-provided combination lock). We thank all families for their support on this issue.

RIDING TO SCHOOL

It is great to see so many students riding to school, however, it is important that this is done safely. Please ensure that your child is wearing a properly secured helmet. We also ask that students obey road rules at all times. We have had a number of reports of dangerous riding including some near misses. Students must dismount their bicycles when crossing at pedestrian crossings and must never ride on school grounds. Your support in discussing this with your child is greatly appreciated. As a school, we will continue to regularly remind students of their obligation to ride safely.

EAST CAMPUS - NEW GATES INSTALLED AT SOUTH DRIVE

Please be advised that the industrial estate has now placed a gate at the end of South Drive preventing access to the Campus from North Drive. These works have been undertaken by the owners of the industrial estate and the College has no ability to open the gates. We encourage families to reconsider accessing South Drive using vehicles during peak times in the morning and afternoon.