College Principal's Report

John Baston

College Principal

Staff Changes

We have welcomed (and farewelled) a number of staff members to the school recently

Ins:

• Natalie Fode – Assistant Principal                 ( Banksia Campus)
• Amy Joseph - VET/Pathways Specialist (College wide)
• Jodie Beddoe    Youth Worker (Acacia Campus)
• Christine Merkli – Acacia Junior School Front of House
• Robert Brew – HPE (Acacia Campus)
• Fiona Fernandes – Mental Health Practitioner  ( Banksia Campus)
• Jonathan Raseta - EAL (Banksia Campus)

Outs:

• Brendon Femino – Parental Leave
• Katina Dukellis – to Narre Warren P-12
• Kate Holt – to Dandenong High School
• Stephan Megroz – retirement
• Julia Fong - retirement

COVID safe behaviours in school

Most aspects of school life have returned to normal with excursions, incursions, camps and sports all happening again although it continues to be very important that we continue to sanitise our hands as often as possible and socially distance when we can.

Density limits do not apply in classrooms and other spaces for the purposes of student use, including corridors and other shared areas. Density limits no longer apply in areas only accessed by staff (i.e. staff rooms, lunchrooms). However, staff are encouraged to continue to physical distance where possible. Density limits still apply in areas generally accessed by the public, such as school reception. For these public areas, signage is displayed to indicate the maximum number of persons that may be present in the space at a single time. 

Parent Teacher Meetings

Our first Parent Teacher Interview Evening was held on Tuesday 23rd March.  As always there was very good attendance by our parents and students. Please remember that if at any time you wish to talk with your child’s teachers you can do so by emailing them through Compass.

The Importance of Attendance

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day. Attending and participating in school will help your child develop. Each day a student misses puts them behind. Missing one day a fortnight your child will have missed four full weeks by the end of the year. By Year 10 they’ll have missed more than a year of school. There is no safe number of days for missing school.

If your child can’t come to school please let the school know as soon as possible and explain why you child can’t come to school. To report a student absence please either call your Campus office, call the student absence line (Acacia 9549 8510 or Banksia 9549 8511) or enter the attendance note through your compass education app. If you need assistance accessing your parent compass please contact the school.

Replacement of lost/damaged and 

stolen student items

We have had a recent request for clarification regarding the responsibility of the school to cover the cost of student property that is lost, stolen or damaged at school. Department of Education and Training policy states students and parents/carers are responsible for a student’s personal item/property, including if it is lost, stolen or damaged at school. Claims for the reimbursement of the cost of a personal item/property brought to school will not be paid by the school and are not covered by school insurance.

Uniform in cold weather

As the colder weather approaches students are reminded that correct school uniform must still be worn. Puffer jackets or other non-uniform jackets should not be worn. Our current items of t-shirt, shirt, jumper and jacket (or blazer) provide sufficient layering for students to keep warm. Scarf and gloves (black, purple or white) may also be worn. 

2020 Annual Report to the Community

The Keysborough College 2020 Annual Report to the Community is now available for the community to view on the 'About Us' tab of our web page . The purpose of this report is to inform parents and the wider school community of the school's performance outcomes and its efforts to progress improved student achievement, and to meet legislative and regulatory requirements under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and the National Education Agreement 2008. 

Contact details

Would you please ensure that your contact details are updated if they have changed since last year. Recent events have emphasised the importance of the school being able to contact you by phone, email and by post if necessary. Please contact the General Office at your students’ Campus if your details need updating.