Student Welfare

Child Safety

In line with Ministerial Order 870 St Bede’s College created a ‘Child Safe School Committee’ in late 2016. To empower and give greater voice to students at the college, a ‘Child Safe School Student Sub-Committee’ was then created in 2018. These committees’ primary focus is to ensure that each student attending the College is safe in all dimensions of their schooling, home life and personal development. Both committees have met regularly since their inceptions and have worked hard to ensure the school’s policies and procedures satisfy relevant Child Safe standards. The introduction of these standards form part of the Victorian Governments response to the recommendations of the Betrayal of Trust report, which found that more must be done to prevent and respond to child abuse in our community.

St Bede’s College was audited in this area in late 2018 and was found to be compliant. Ongoing members of the ‘Child Safe School Committee’ include Scott Cadby (Wellbeing Counsellor and Chair of the committee), Jenny White (Wellbeing Counsellor/Coordinator), Sophie Gonzales (Wellbeing Counsellor), Mark Jones (Deputy Principal) and Sam Radford (Middle School Coordinator). House and Year level coordinators will spend one year on the committee in a rotating fashion with James Honan (Year 7 Coordinator) and Melisa Lyons (Benilde Coordinator) being valued members of the committee in 2019. Members of the ‘Child Safe School Student Sub-Committee’ for 2019 are still being finalised but will be announced shortly.

Scott Cadby

BA (Psych) MPsychotherapyCouns

School Counsellor

Bicycle Safety

At St Bede's College we encourage students who live nearby to walk or ride to school.

Active transport is a great way to exercise.

However, it is important that students and families understand the potential hazards and obey all road rules.

Bicycle safety tips

Keep safe on your bicycle. Obey the road laws and be alert to the traffic around you. Ride in the same direction as other traffic and keep your bicycle one metre from the kerb.

Before changing lanes and turning, always scan behind and signal your intentions to other road users.

Try to make eye contact with other road users to help them know that you are there.

Look out for other road users particularly when they are approaching you from behind or pulling out in front of you.

Look out for drivers and passengers getting in and out of parked cars and be aware of the risk of car doors opening.

Don’t ride on the inside of larger vehicles such as buses and trucks – the drivers can’t see you and these vehicles may be turning which will require more space than a normal passenger car.

Wear a correctly fitted, Australian standards approved, bicycle helmet.

Before and after school the roads in Mentone are very congested. Extra care is needed.

For more tips on Bicycle safety please visit the following link:

https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/cyclist-safety/bike-rider-safety

Sam Radford

Middle Years Coordinator