Secondary School News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to Term 4!

We hope you have had a rested break with your child(ren). We are looking forward to welcoming students back on Monday 30 September.

We have some new students starting this term in the Secondary School in Years 8 and 10. We welcome these students and their families to the Clayfield College community and wish them the very best for the journey ahead. 

Staffing

We welcome back, Ms Sofie Spencer, who returns from Long Service Leave, and Ms Stefanie Palmer who returns from Maternity Leave. 

Ms Palmer will return in a part time capacity as we support her transition back to the College. Mr Noah Castellaro, who covered Ms Palmer’s classes in her absence, will co- teach with Ms Palmer for Term 4. Additionally, Mr Castellaro will also cover Mrs Sam Lennon’s classes as she takes long service leave in Term 4. Ms Mariella Gibson will take on the role of Acting Gibson House Leader while Mrs Lennon is on leave in Term 4.

We also welcome Mrs Rebecca GeeVarghese and Mrs Katrina Ash, who both join us for contract positions in Term 4.

Year 12 Arrangements (Weeks 1 to 6)

In the lead up to the ATAR External Exams, our Year 12 students have been working hard, with many of them engaging in Trial ATAR Exams over the second week of the holidays. I applaud those students who availed themselves of this additional opportunity to practise their content knowledge and skills and receive valuable feedback. 

Monday 30 September to Tuesday 8 October will be regular timetabled lessons for Year 12 students. On Friday 4 October (Week 1) Lesson 4, Mrs Mohan and Mr Steeples will meet with the cohort to discuss External Exam protocols. All students must attend this session as important information regarding the External Exams will be disseminated. At the beginning of lunch on Friday 4 October, Year 12 students will travel down to the Gold Coast Aqua-Park to celebrate Seniors' Day. 

Wednesday 9 October to Friday 18 October are study weeks (SWAT Vac). During this time, students will have the opportunity to engage in opt-in tutorials with their teachers. The schedule for the tutorials can be accessed using the link below. 

The External Exams commence on Monday 21 October. You can view the External Exam timetable using the link below. 

We wish our Year 12 students the very best as they enter the upcoming assessment period.

Uniform Requirements

Clayfield College expects students to take pride in their presentation each day and meet the requirements of the Uniform Policy. Please read over the below expectations and ensure your child is prepared for the first day back at school. 

• Students will return in Summer uniform.
• Shoes should be polished with laces tied.
• Hair is to be kept tidy, with girls wearing green scrunchies or ribbons if their hair is longer than the collar (hair clips are not allowed). Boys are also to tie their hair up with an elastic if longer than the collar. 
• Students wearing the new uniform are to wear ties each day with buttons done up.
• No jewellery is to be worn at school, except for one ear piercing in the lower lobe – small silver or gold sleepers, studs or pearls. Pearl earrings are available to be purchased at the Uniform Shop. 
• For students wearing the new uniform, the shirt must be tucked in at all times. 

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. If students have received an extra ear piercing over the break, please ensure they do not wear anything in the piercing while at school. 

Infringements and detentions will be applied if students are not meeting these expectations.

Mobile Phones

Students in Years 7 to 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. The exception to this is students in Years 10 to 12 who require their phone for HPE lessons. It is then their responsibility to collect their phone from their locker before the lesson and return it back to the locker after the HPE lesson. 

If students are found with their phone, they will be confiscated and can be collected from the Head of Secondary’s office at the end of the day. If they are found to have them for a second time, students will not be permitted to bring their phone on to campus until further notice.

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, helping students with their daily routines and holding 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.

Application for Leave Form

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

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 Pastoral Administrator at jperkins@clayfield.qld.edu.au.  Please note that circumstances of illness and misadventure do not require the completion of this form. 

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.

Academic Procedures and Policies Document

The Years 7 to 12 Academic Procedures and Policies Document gives an overview of all procedures and protocols that need to be adhered to by staff, students and parents with regards to: 

1.  Academic integrity
2.  Assessment
3.  Drafting, scaffolding, conferencing and feedback
4.  Subject changes, and
5.  AARA

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

Progressive Reports

On completion of summative assessment across all subject areas, students receive a Progressive Report which provides valuable information on their learning. The progressive report is personalised for each student and provides student-specific and genre-specific feedback including:

• Student learning behaviors in the lead up to the assessment
• Feedback (strengths) 
• Feedforward (focus goals)

We urge you to view the progressive reports with your child(ren), celebrate their strengths and achievements and discuss feedforward strategies/suggestions. 

Progressive Reports are available on Student Café and Parent Lounge. Use the link below for directions on how to access the Progressive Reports on Parent Lounge.

Illuminate Showcase

To celebrate the culmination of the 2024 Illuminate Program, we warmly invite parents and carers of students in Years 4 to 9 who participate in the Illuminate Program to a breakfast showcase event. This event will provide an opportunity to hear what students have experienced during the Illuminate Science, HEEL and Creative Arts Programs and view their final products. The event will begin with a light breakfast, followed by a tour of student work. 

Please RSVP by Monday 30 September:

Co-Curricular Photos

As previously communicated in the Clayfield Collective and on the College App, Clayfield College Co-Curricular/Group Photos will be held in Week 2 on Thursday 10 October. 

Please see attached schedule and note the following:

• Parents/Students are requested to please check the schedule for photo time.
•  Students are to be dressed in their required uniform and move promptly to the Assembly Hall for arrival by the noted photo time.  
• Students appearing in photos which require a specific uniform (e.g. Sports) to be worn, must have the correct uniform to appear within their photo on the day. 
• Students appearing in photos wearing the Summer formal uniform or Sports uniform must have the correct uniform to appear within their photo on the day. 

Please note: students who do not show for their photo and/or do not have the correct uniform will be marked as absent.

Please see the attached schedule and uniform requirements. 

Key Dates for Term 4

We thank you for your continued support as we partner with you to make this a wonderful term of learning for your child(ren). 

Warm regards,

Mrs Lakshmi Mohan

Deputy Principal - Head of Teaching and Learning

Mr Justin Desmarchelier

Head of Secondary