From Alison Dietrich

Welcome back to Term 2! As we move through the term, I wanted to take a moment to speak to two things that sit at the heart of a young person’s wellbeing: being here, and belonging here. 

The Power of Showing up 

One of the most important things a student can do for their own learning and wellbeing is attend school every day. 

Research consistently shows that regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of student success; not just academically, but socially and emotionally. School is where friendships are built, where routines are established and where young people develop the confidence and skills they will carry into adult life. Every day missed is a day of connection lost. 

Our expectation is that all students achieve at least 95% attendance across the term. In practical terms, 95% attendance means missing no more than approximately 3 days this term. When absences begin to accumulate beyond this, we know from experience that students can start to feel disconnected from their learning, from their peers, and from the routines that help them feel settled and secure. 

If your child is finding it difficult to attend, or if there are circumstances affecting their ability to be at school, please reach out. Our team is here to work with families, not to judge, but to help find a way forward together. 

Friendship & Belonging 

Learning how to make new friends and keep them, involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some, these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a young person’s wellbeing. It gives them a sense of security helping them feel valued, which in turn builds their confidence. 

Positive friendships are an important part of the journey to adulthood. Adult carers can support their child or teenager by providing guidance in the many social and emotional skills required for a healthy relationship. This will help them to obtain, retain and maintain friendships. However, not all friendships are regarded as positive. Sometimes young people develop negative or toxic friendships. Therefore, it is also important for them to learn how to identify, avoid, or deal with such a friendship. 

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to support their young person’s friendship so that they experience a sense of belonging. 

I encourage every family to take some time to explore this resource together. 

Here is the link to our Edition:

https://sakyabram.catholic.schooltv.me/newsletter/friendship-belonging 

Important Reminders for Our Community: 

School Drop-off and Pick-up Times

Please ensure students arrive at school between 8.30-8.45am and arrange pick up for before 3.30pm. 

Please note that no supervision is available prior to 8.15am and students should not be arriving to school prior to this time.  We thank you for your understanding and efforts in this space.

Uniform Expectations 

The Uniform Guide is available via the College website. Students are expected to wear full academic uniform each day unless they have timetabled PE or Sport.  

If your child is out of uniform on any day, please provide a note (or email) to their TA explaining the reason and indicating the date your child will return in full uniform.  

Personal Digital Devices 

If you need to contact your child, please do so via the College Office, as students should not be using their devices whilst they are at school. 

If a student is found using a device without school permission, it will be confiscated in accordance with the Personal Digital Device policy. 

As always, if you have any concerns about your child's wellbeing, social connections or attendance, please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of our Wellbeing Team.  

Warm regards,

Alison Dietrich

Deputy Principal 

Wellbeing