Principal's message

Term 1 - Welcome to all

I would extend a very warm welcome to all students, specifically to all Year 7 students and new students joining CSC from other schools. CSC has become the school of choice in the local community and we will continue to strive for excellence across the College. Our College values of Pride, Respect and Responsibility are lived by every school day, and are part of the common language used by all staff. CSC is a relationship based school where all students are known in their Precinct, allowing students to receive individualised support according to their needs. We have high expectations for all staff and students in all aspects of school, which includes work ethic, behaviour, relationships, uniform and adhering to policies that help to maintain our calm classrooms, such as the mobile phone policy. I will be reminding all staff to be rigorous with the notion of setting high expectations, which will be implemented in a kind and friendly manner to ensure positive relationships continue to be developed. 

Our Focus for 2022

Every year government schools have different areas of focus and in 2022 CSC will be concentrating on the areas mentioned below:

Developing and maintaining positive relationships is a core component of CSC and this is largely driven through the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM). We began our BSEM journey 5 years ago with all staff undergoing the 4 days of intensive training, which focuses on demonstrating unconditional positive regard to all students and colleagues. This year new CSC staff will undergo training, whilst refresher sessions will be completed by all other staff.

Over the past two Covid disrupted years we have developed our School Wide Instructional Model (SWIM), which is aimed at improving the quality and consistency of teaching across the College. A key piece of work this year will be refining curriculum to suit our SWIM and developing visual displays that will be placed in all classrooms. These displays will outline the different parts of our instructional model, allowing students to follow the logical flow of each lesson.

An additional priority area is enhancing engagement and attendance at CSC. Mentor teachers will work closely with students and families to ensure a high level of attendance at school. We will be encouraging positive and well-balanced lifestyles that support student learning. Ideally, students should have attendance above 95%, which is no more than 2 days absent per term. 

We will also establish student and parent focus groups to continue our work on improving inclusivity at CSC. Keeping student wellbeing at the forefront, we will strive to provide an exemplary inclusive environment that is safe and supportive to all students. 

Mentor Interview Day - Monday 31 January

Hopefully by now all parents/carers have booked their appointment/s, if not please contact the College on 5479 1111 to arrange a suitable time. Meeting your child’s Mentor Teacher is a very positive way to begin the year and ensure students are prepared for their year of learning. According to DET Covid regulations, all visitors to the College must show proof of vaccination status on arrival. During Mentor Interview Day you may be required to show your status on several occasions, as you move between buildings. All visitors must also complete a QR code check-in. QR codes will be located on entry points to the Reception, the Library and all Precincts. You only have to complete one check-in. 

Parents/ carers who are unvaccinated should contact admin Kellie Showell kellie.showell@education.vic.gov.au , who will make contact with the relevant mentor teacher to arrange an online appointment. Ideally, students will attend in person and parents/carers will join online. Alternatively, students can attend their interview without their parent/carer. We would not recommend this option for Year 7 students.

Mid-Year Mentor Interview Day

A new edition to the CSC calendar in 2022 is the Mid-Year Mentor Interview Day, which will be held on Wednesday 13 July. The rationale for this day is to strengthen our mentor program, providing an additional opportunity for discussion between the mentor teacher, student and their family. This day occurs during the first week of Term 3, allowing this interview to focus on the Semester One report. Teachers will be able to provide a deeper explanation of the report and then Semester Two goals can be set.

COVID INFORMATION

General Covid Protocols

Throughout every school day the following protocols will be applied:

• Students wearing face masks whilst indoors (not required outdoors).
• 1.5m physical distancing to be adhered to where practical. 
• Hand sanitiser will be available in all rooms.

Students who provided medical certification for a mask exemption will be provided with a mask exemption pass during the first week of school. Additional students who are eligible for an exemption must provide a medical certificate to the College’s Reception and a mask exemption pass will be provided.

Visitors to the College

All visitors to the College must show proof of vaccination status on arrival, which includes attendance during Mentor Interview Day. All visitors must also complete a QR code check-in. QR codes will be located on entry points to the Reception, the Library and all Precincts. Families should be aware that these regulations are mandated by the DET and we must operate within these guidelines. 

Air Purifiers

The College received 71 air-purifiers and these have been set-up in all classrooms and some common area spaces. We will maintain these devices in accordance with DET requirements and change filters as needed.

Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs)

The Department of Education (DET) will be delivering RATs to the school. Once they arrive, we will communicate with families on how these will be distributed. RATs will be the responsibility of students and their families to conduct at home, with students being asked to conduct 2 tests during the school week. More information and instructions on how to complete RATs are available online in this DET site with instructional video.

Signs and symptoms at school

Any student who shows signs or symptoms of Covid19 whilst at school will be asked to make their way to the College’s Reception, and they will be then taken to the First Aid room. Their family will be contacted and asked to collect them as soon as possible. Signs and symptoms include the following; fever, chills or sweats, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose and loss or change in sense of smell or taste.

If symptoms are caused by an underlying health condition or medication we ask families to please provide an appropriate medical certificate.

Positive test result

If a student returns a positive test result the following steps must be followed:

1. Parents/carers should complete the RAT Test portal if a student tests positive to COVID-19 via a rapid antigen test. Students (or their parents) must also report a positive result to their school, either through the VicEd COVID portal or by phone or email castlemaine.sc@education.vic.gov.au.The school will record that the student will be absent while in 7-day isolation, and let the rest of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms.
    
2. Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period. Students should also not return to school after 7 days if they remain symptomatic. 
    
3. Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the school and isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period.

All students and staff who return a positive result from a rapid antigen test should also follow the latest advice at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/rapid-antigen-tests.

Notification to families of positive result

When a student or staff member has (or multiple students or staff members) have

returned a positive COVID-19 test result and have attended the school the College will notify families of this situation.  The notification will include:

• dates of attendance
• affected group/cohort/year levels
• any relevant extracurricular activities

School Buses

Bus staff, adult travellers and students are required to wear face masks in accordance with health directions.  School bus services will continue to receive additional cleaning at the completion of each journey to maintain a clean bus fleet. Students are not required to check-in via QR code when travelling on private school buses or disability transport services. 

Camps and excursions

Camps and excursions are permitted to proceed ensuring they can be conducted in a Covidsafe manner and we have staff available to provide the appropriate supervision ratios according to the DET guidelines.