From the Principal's Desk

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you will renew the face of the earth.

Our congratulations to all of the students who received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday.

Every day counts

In accordance with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6 – 17 years unless an exemption has been granted.

Parents/guardians must enrol a child of compulsory school age at a registered school and ensure the child attends school at all times when the school is open for instruction.

Research shows that regular attendance at school allows children to learn, socialise and thrive in a safe environment.

“ Every day counts and there is no ‘safe’ threshold for absences” – Hancock et al., 2013

There are many factors that influence student achievement, including teacher quality and student engagement. Attendance is also an important contributor to a student’s academic achievement – all school days matter. Every absence results in a decline in achievement. Authorised absences and smaller absences were associated with only small declines in achievement, all absences count, and the impact of absence increases with the number of absences (Hancock et al., 2013). 

’Authorised’ absences have parent-approved explanations that schools find acceptable. For example, illness, medical/health care appointments, religious or cultural activities, suspension from school, family holidays or bereavement (ACARA, 2015b). ‘Unauthorised’ absences occur when a school either does not receive an explanation or where the explanation given is not unaccepted by the school/school principal; for example in the case of truancy (ACARA, 2015b). Unauthorised absences are typically associated with larger declines in student achievement (Gershenson, Jacknowitz, & Brannegan, 2017; Gottfried, 2009; Hancock et al., 2013; Zubrick, 2014).

Set positive attendance habits early

Given the importance of early learning experiences on academic and social achievement, it is clear that school attendance should be prioritised. For families and students, the benefits of expecting positive attendance habits early are two-fold; it assists students to understand the importance and value of schooling from the outset, and ensures families appreciate the importance of children going to school. 

It is vital that students attend and engage with the learning opportunities offered in classrooms. By setting attendance standards early, ensuring students feel a sense of belonging to their school, taking a ‘whole-of community’ approach, collecting detailed attendance information and planning individualised and culturally authentic approaches to addressing attendance, teachers, school leaders and school communities will be better equipped to support students to engage with their education.

All students are expected to be at school every day unless the school has been notified of an authorised absence.

Please contact the school if you need any support in ensuring that your child attends school every day.

All the best,

Jane Dunstone

PRINCIPAL