Principal

CSC to receive $11.75 million to finish school rebuild

It was with great excitement that we received a surprise visit from Maree Edwards, State MP for Bendigo West, on Friday morning. Ms Edwards visited us to deliver the welcome news that we will be receiving $11.75 million in next month’s State Budget, which will allow us to finish rebuilding our school. The completion of this rebuild will involve the construction of a new Artisans’ Precinct, Canteen and Administration Building at the Lawson Parade entrance to the school, and then the extension of our Performers’ Precinct to include more general purpose classrooms, a media studies lab and additional toilets and staff room space. Once these new buildings are completed, all of our old buildings will be demolished and our students will be educated in entirely new facilities.

Although I will receive more details about timelines over the coming weeks, I am expecting design work with our architects to begin very soon and then continue throughout the remainder of this year, with construction to commence in 2019.

Lobbying for the new facilities our students need and deserve has been a long process, and there have been many people who have been advocating strongly for our school during this time. In particular I am grateful to Maree Edwards, Mary McPherson (former principal), School Council (especially our President, Beth Mellick) and the Mt Alexander Shire Council.

ANZAC Day

Next Wednesday CSC students are invited to represent our school in the Castlemaine ANZAC Day parade. If students would like to participate, they are to meet me outside the Town Hall at 8:45am in full school uniform. For many years now it has been a tradition that our School Captains deliver an ANZAC Day address at this 9am service. The quality of these speeches has always been extremely high, and I know that Des and Nioka will do us proud again this year.

Pride, Respect, Responsibility:

CSC Values through our Uniform Policy

During the mentor day meetings held at the beginning of the year, parents/carers and students are asked to agree to the conditions of CSC’s Uniform Policy and sign an acceptance form. With the merger of the two campuses onto the Blakeley Road campus last year, School Council approved a two year transition period for senior students to adapt to wearing the uniform. In 2018 Year 12 students are the only students not required to wear a uniform, but they must adhere to a dress code developed in conjunction with the Student Representative Council (SRC).

Thank you to the majority of CSC families who are supporting the uniform policy. Unfortunately there are still some students who are regularly attending school out of uniform and we are asking for support from families to improve this practice. Of particular concern are the number of students wearing non-CSC pants (instead wearing jeans, tracksuit pants and even skins) and sneakers.

In wearing our uniform, students actively demonstrate the CSC values of pride, respect and responsibility: pride in our school, respect for school policies and responsibility in adhering to them. In not wearing the uniform, in the worst case (such as a lack of leather shoes in a technology class), this results in risk to student safety.

CSC assists families to ensure students are in uniform in the following ways:

Consultation with students has occurred to introduce additional items of uniform which students are comfortable with (e.g. the CSC jacket a few years ago and warmer winter pants ).
Mentor teachers are reminding students to wear uniform and are providing an “Out of Uniform” pass to students who have an unavoidable obstacle in wearing uniform items that day. eg uniform not dry, left at mum/dad/carer’s house etc.
Mentor teachers will request students out of uniform to obtain loan uniform items from Reception.
State School Relief funding is available to eligible families to cover the cost of uniform items. Family Finance Manager Karen Burton is happy to help with eligibility and applications and can be contacted on 5479 1111.
Uniform items can be purchased from the Uniform Shop from 3pm to 5pm on Tuesday , Wednesday, Friday and Thursday 3pm - 7pm.

Thank you for your support with this. If you have any questions, please call 5479 1111.

Paul Frye