Welfare

Article 2: why EVERY DAY COUNTS

When students stay away from school, their learning and friendships are affected. There are many practical issues associated with absenteeism.

Students who are absent from school:

miss the introduction of new work
fail to complete work
miss revision time
miss homework explanation
fall behind with their learning
develop disjointed home-reading routines
develop inconsistent homework returns/routines
may lack confidence and feel embarrassed because they cannot do work the class has been studying
feel left out from class discussion when they have missed a special class activity and cannot do the associated work
miss specialist lessons because these lessons only occur once a week and so, for example, art work is not completed or is rushed in order to finish in the limited time available
miss notices and newsletters to take home
miss celebrations, for example student of the week, class awards, excursions, visitors, assemblies and special activities
can find it difficult to break into established friendship groups and develop good friendships with their peers
can develop a poor attitude towards school believing ‘I won’t miss much if I’m not at school’
fail to realise that the teachers and students miss them.

Sometimes students stay at home for reasons that are not acceptable. For example:

the child’s birthday
too tired to come to school because of a late night
staying home with a sibling or parent who is sick
staying away for the whole day when an appointment is booked for a short time in the morning or afternoon
weather conditions, for example too hot, too wet.

Please remember that if you are experiencing difficulty in having your child attend school, discuss the matter with your child’s teacher.

Health Reminder

It is important that we all continue to monitor our own and the health of our children daily during this time. If you or your child develops any symptoms such as a fever, cough, sore throat or

shortness of breath:

Stay at home and do not attend school
Seek medical advice
Call the school to let us know of any important outcomes
If you or your child has a health condition or complex health needs, please discuss this with your medical specialist.
Information about coronavirus (COVID-19) is available on the DHHS website.

Our school is continuing to promote and implement on a daily basis both Covid-safe behaviours and practices across our school community.

Financial Assistance - CSEF

Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.

School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are a part of a healthy curriculum.

CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or

sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

HOW TO APPLY

New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from the website below.

If you applied for CSEF at your child's school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:

new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year.
changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

$125 for primary school students
$225 for secondary school students

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about CSEF visit:https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

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