Deputy Principal
Term 1 - Week 2
The College is certainly alive with all the students now back and for the most part settled into their routines. Over the last few nights, I have met a lot of parents/carers at the Parent Information Evenings, and it has been nice to hear from parents/carers about their son’s start to the school year.
I took the opportunity to remind parents/carers of a few things that I would ask everyone to adhere to in order to ensure the smooth running of the College:
Punctuality
It is important that all students are here at the College by 8:35 AM at the latest. Classes start on time and to ensure that your son maximises his learning opportunities, he must be there at the start of the lesson. Having students walk in late disrupts the teacher from doing their core job of educating your sons and is also disruptive to other students learning.
Attendance
It is important that your son is at school every day. If your son is sick, it is the expectation that you will go into Parent Lounge on TASS and record his absence. Earlier this week you were sent an email explaining this process. If you are experiencing any issues, please email: itsupport@spc.nsw.edu.au .
Anti-bullying
The College has clear guidelines on anti-bullying. It is the College’s expectation that every student has the right to be happy and learn to the best of their ability. Not every issue involving students not getting on can be classified as bullying. If your son is having issues with other students at the College, then he needs to be encouraged to speak to his homeroom teacher, Year Coordinator or the College Counsellors in the first instance. There is always support available.
Social Media and Use of Technology
As I have expressed before, please ensure you have access to your son’s social media accounts so you can be aware of what he posts online. Issues with social media occur at home and not at the school, for the most part.
Your sons should not have their phones/computers in their rooms overnight. Everyone needs down time. Some of them may tell you they need it. What they need is uninterrupted sleep to ensure they can function to the best of their ability each day.
Hands Off Rule
We have a very clear policy of ‘Hands off’ here at the College. If your son is experiencing issues that he finds hard to deal with then we would encourage him to speak to someone. Breaking the ‘Hands Off’ Rule will not be tolerated, and retaliation is not an excuse. We need to ensure that our students can communicate in a way that does not see them break the ‘Hands Off’ Policy.
Transport
Soon I will publish a survey asking you to tell us how your son gets to the College. The issues that I deal with on a daily basis include parents/carers telling me that there are not enough buses. I need you to ensure that you communicate to your son that he must tap on/off with his Opal card when he uses public transport as this is the only way we can book more buses if we need them. I also ask for your patience with ‘Kiss and Drop’ and to respect each other as you wait in line. Please never overtake other cars in front of you as this is dangerous and puts our students at risk.
Adrian Byrne
Deputy Principal