General Office

Office Hours: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Telephone: 9801 9700

Parents should always make contact with the General Office first when visiting the school or trying to make contact with their children. Appointments with teachers must be made via telephone or email them directly.

All visitors to the College must sign into and out of the College using the Compass Kiosc in the General Office.

Absences

In line with the Government’s commitment to compulsory attendance, the College is required to ensure all absences are recorded pursuant to DET guidelines. It is the responsibility of a student’s parent/guardian to explain why their child is absent/late. This can be done using the parent portal on Compass, by written note, by phone call to the General Office or by face-to-face conversation with a staff member. Given the convenience and security the Compass portal offers for this important part of college life, this is the preferred method.

The General Office team will continue to be available for assistance on all attendance and Compass matters, and in every instance, any student arriving late or leaving early must report to the General Office to be signed in or out.

If your child has missed a SAC or been away for more than a couple of days, then they will be required to supply a doctor's certificate.

Arriving Late to School

Students are expected to be at school at 8.40am. Locker Bell rings at 8.44am and Home Group commences 8:54am. If you are aware your child will be late to school, parental approval should be submitted in the Compass portal, or by notifying the General Office.

Students arriving late (after the first roll is marked) must report to the General Office to be signed in. Where a parent approval hasn’t been submitted on Compass prior, the absence will be shown as an unexplained absence until an approval is submitted. Should a written note from a parent be provided with the student when they arrive, it will be entered in Compass.

To promote the importance of being punctual to class, students arriving late to any other class will be recorded as late. Whilst late arrivals do not show on the Compass dashboard, they are displayed on the ‘unexplained’ tab under Attendance. The Compass system does not provide a sensible ‘reason’ for this scenario, however until a more appropriate option is made available, parents wanting to acknowledge/clear the unexplained late arrivals may do so by using the ‘Parent Choice’ reason, assuming no other reason is suitable.

Early Departure from School

If a student has an appointment and needs to leave early, parents should enter an approval in Compass and select the appropriate reason from the list of options stipulated by DET. The approval appears on the class roll to alert the classroom teacher, and the student will be excused from class at the designated time. Students should then attend the General Office to be signed out. If a parent provides a written note on the day, this should be taken to the General Office before school or at recess, and it will be entered into Compass. Students will not be permitted to leave class without an approval entered in Compass.

If you need to collect your child unexpectedly, please contact the General Office.

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop is open on MONDAYS and THURSDAYS from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, and the first Saturday of the Term from 1 - 4pm. Prices and additional trading hours can be found on the Compass portal under school documentation.

Direct Phone: 9881 7168

Library Hours

Monday to Thursday:

8:15am to 4:30

Friday:

8:15am to 3.30pm

Lost Property

Lost Uniforms are taken to the Maintenance Office, which is located near Health Centre. There is a double draw finling cabniet on the right just inside the door. If you have lost any valuables, ie: phone, watch, etc... they are usually handed in to the main office.

Car Parking

Parents are advised that the main car park on Harold Street is not a drop off or pick up point for students. The car park is very busy and very tight at peak times. It is not a safe place for students and waiting cars create congestion for people entering or leaving the car park.

The best drop off and pick up points for the school are:

The designated drop off and pick up zone on Harold Street in front of the Home Economics rooms
Georgian Gardens (street opposite school crossing on Harold Street)
Amesbury Avenue (fenceline along the bottom oval)
Templeton Street (South of the roundabout)
Saxon Street (off Harold Street)

College Vision

Wantirna College is committed to educating our students to be inquiring learners with high levels of literacy and numeracy, prepared to be global, ethical citizens in the 21st Century, capable of showing resilience and flexibility of thinking, willing to show initiative and take on challenges throughout their lives.

Wantirna College

Principal:

Kevin Murphy

Assistant Principals:

Catherine Ford, Andrew Lewis, Shane Kruger and Carrie Wallis

College Council President:

Dr Joanne Challinor-Rogers

Sub School:

Dina Mingos (Later Years)

Darren Hoogkamer (Middle Years)

College Captains:

Jacqui ROGERS

Tahlia UMI

Sami LUTUI

Liam PAPIC

Parents Association President:

Pam Wade

Parents of Performing Arts Chairperson

Stuart Broadley

Wantirna College Newsletter

Issue 18 · 08 Nov 2019

In this issue