Student Wellbeing

As we approach the last few days of autumn and winter seems upon us it is hard to believe that nearly half of this year has passed.

Winter is always far more challenging as we usually rise in the dark and often arrive home as it is getting dark and the lack of sun during the day impacts our disposition.  We need to remember that out of the cold and dark winter comes new life, new possibilities and the return to the sun and warmth that we thrive on. 

With the way time moves these days it won’t be long before we have passed the winter solstice and moving towards the longer times of sunlight.

The last couple of weeks have also been challenging through some of the concerns that have impacted our local community and for some members very significantly.

Both the school bus incident in Eynesbury and the incident at Sunshine station remind us of how quickly events happen, some of which we do not have control of.

With this in mind we have been very aware that some members of our community have been impacted by these incidents and of the need to offer extra support.

For some individuals that impact can be immediate and for others it may take some time. If this happens to your child please reach out to the school and either the homeroom/mentor teacher or Year Level Leader for support.

As we keep moving forward a few key things for us to consider …

Attendance Reminders

I was able to attend the Western Region Network Wellbeing meeting last week and the focus of this meeting was around student attendance.

It was clearly noted the impact that COVID has had on some students and their attendance but it also reminded us of the protocols we have in place for attendance and ways that we can perhaps improve these processes.

We remind all families and guardians that there is a legal expectation for families to explain student absence.

This can be done by ringing the attendance line on the school number – this works 24 hours a day so you could ring in the evening or early morning if that suits you.  You could also send a direct message to your child’s homeroom teacher if that is more convenient and this can be passed on to Student Reception.

Secondly, once roll call is taken in the morning an SMS is sent to families where students are absent with the expectation that families will confirms student absence by calling the school. If this does not take place then Student Reception will call the families of students listed as absent seeking an explanation for the absence.

All student absences need to be explained and some students will be bringing home to families an Attendance Form from SEQTA. This form will be sent if families have not called or provided a note to explain the absence. 

Over the course of the day, we also have a number of parents who come to collect their child for appointments etc. If the appointment is known in advance, we ask that the child bring a note to school in the morning so a Leaving Early pass can be issued. This is handed to the office when the student is leaving and signed by a parent at the time of collection.

If an unexpected event occurs then families will understand that locating students can sometimes take time and the process may not be as quick as if we knew in advance.

We are looking to refine and tighten some of our processes for attendance and will share these with families in the weeks ahead.

Take Away Food Reminders

Could we please remind all families and students that we do not accept take away food deliveries to the school for students. We can assist families if students have forgotten their lunch on a given day. 

This information is also shared in the Family Information Booklet on the SEQTA page for families.

Bus Follow Up

After the incident with the school bus in Eynesbury, we have been in touch with our bus provider and with all the students who access one of our services to remind them of the expectation in relation to wearing of seat belts when on the bus travelling to and from school.

We have asked all students to check that their seat belt actually works and report it to Student Reception if it does not.

The bus company have indicated that they will be regularly checking the seat belts to ensure they are in working order for the safety of our students.

Uniform Reminders

As we do enter the colder weather, we have a number of students who like to add extra items to their uniform that are not part of the uniform expectations.

These include extra tops under either their winter shirt or PE top instead of wearing their school jumper or PE rugby top or PE jacket. These students will be asked to remove these extra items.

Wearing other jackets, usually Kathmandu, and again, instead of wearing school jumper or blazer. Our school blazer should be the most outer item that a student wears to school.

We are aware of an issue with the supply of school ties and understand that some students may not have them but many students who do are choosing not to wear them, which is disappointing. Other students are also trying to hide their lack of tie by wearing their school scarf to hide this fact.

We have also noticed the re-appearance of some facial piercings and acrylic nails and we have sent a number of students home in the last few weeks as a result of these issues.

As a school, we need to be consistent in our approach to school uniform and we remind all of our families that we want to work in partnership with you to ensure that our uniform expectations are supported.

Remember to find the sun when it is available during these winter days…

Kerrie Williams

Assistant to the Principal – Student Wellbeing