Principal's Report 

Respectful Behaviours Within the School Community

Our school community has demonstrated incredible solidarity and resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Being back in our classrooms with extra health and safety measures is another big transition, but it’s the very best one for our children's education. As we navigate these changes to onsite learning, including required mask wearing for students, it’s more important than ever that adults in our school community treat each other with respect and kindness.

The Department of Education and Training has released a new policy that describes the positive behaviour expected from parents, carers and other adults in Victorian school communities. The policy sets clear standards of behaviour to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for students, staff and adults.

 There are also other resources to support safe and respectful relationships in our school community, including information about getting involved in the school, advice on how to raise a concern or complaint, and parenting support resources. You can find the new policy and these resources here.

You will also see a new poster up around our school, promoting positive behaviour.

Student Attendance and Educational Outcomes

Daily attendance is important for all children and young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don’t fall behind both socially and developmentally. Studies show that absence does affect learning growth and that there is no safe number of days. A child missing one day a fortnight will miss four weeks in a year, and more than a year of school by the time they are in Year 10. It is important that children develop regular attendance habits at an early age. In addition, a student who is half an hour late each day misses the equivalent of 16.6 days of learning each year. This is not acceptable. It is not okay to be away or late without a medical certificate! School participation maximises life opportunities for our young people by providing them with education and support networks.  School helps children to develop important skills, knowledge and values that set them up for further learning and participation in their community. If you are having difficulty getting your child to school, please contact the Wellbeing Team at the College to discuss strategies that may assist you. 

We do understand that COVID-19 is impacting several families at the moment and encourage students to stay up to date to the best of their ability by checking Compass each day for each class they have. Staff are placing Learning activities, as well as the learning intentions and success criteria for each lesson on Compass to ensure students who are away are able to remain up to date with their learning.

Tips for new parents transitioning to Secondary School

We really value the home-school partnership and parents staying connected and engaged with their child’s learning in secondary school. There can be a tendency for parents to step back from their child’s schooling, but the best outcomes can be achieved when schools and parents work together to create the optimal supportive learning environments at school and at home, aligned to shared values and aspirations. I encourage all parents to stay informed by staying in contact with their child’s main teachers, reading the College fortnightly newsletter and maximising their use of one of our main means of communication, the Compass parent portal. Through the portal you can do the following:

• Monitor your child’s attendance and enter in explanations for late arrivals or absences
• Communicate with your child’s teachers and update your family details
• Monitor homework, assessment tasks and view outstanding learning tasks
• Download and view your child’s progress on individual assessment tasks during the term and end of semester reports
• View ‘My News’, a news feed of school announcements, alerts and updates.
• View your child’s timetable and the school calendar
• Book parent-teacher meetings

You can access Compass at https://maffrasc-vic.compass.education. If you have any trouble accessing, please contact the General Office so your password details can be checked. Please don’t share your password details with your child. All students have their own password.

Regularly talk about school and the new and unfamiliar experiences with your child. Assist them to develop organisational skills to plan and prioritise; and encourage your child to take advantage of the many extra-curricular opportunities to broaden their interests and talents. Above all else, support them to have a positive attitude and be prepared to give things a go.

Year 7 Camp

This week on Wednesday our Year 7s headed off to Camp Rumbug near Foster for a three-day adventure camp. The aim of the camp is for students and teachers to get to know each other better and for team building. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a range of adventure type activities. 

We look forward to sharing some fantastic photos of our students upon their return. Thank you to all the staff attending to make this a wonderful experience for our Year 7s.

Reminder: Positive Case or Close Contact Process

This week we have begun distributing to each student a third box of rapid antigen tests. If your child was absent and has not collected a box, they collect from the Front Office before school, at recess, lunch or after school.

Twice-a-week testing is strongly recommended for both students and staff. It is recommended students make this part of their regular school routine testing twice weekly on Sunday night/Monday morning and again on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. 

Students are asked to continue to do the tests at home; they only need to report their result if it is COVID-positive. We will not be testing students at school; this is the parents' and students’ responsibility. 

As previously communicated parents/carers should email the covid19support@maffrasc.vic.edu.au address, outlining date of positive test, type of test used (PCR or RAT), when symptoms appeared (or asymptomatic if there are no symptoms) if a student tests positive to COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test)and the last day they attended onsite. If they are a bus traveller, we would appreciate this information as well. 

Parents/carers also need to report a positive result to the Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form or call centre on 1800 675 398. 

Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period. They will be able to check Compass for their respective classes to stay up to date to the best of their ability during their isolation period. Teachers will not be able to run remote lessons along with their classes onsite but will have learning activities as well as Learning intentions and Success Criteria available, as a minimum.

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. 

A negative test is not required to return to school following completion of 7 days of isolation. However, if the student is still presenting with symptoms they should remain at home until they are better. 

When there has been a positive case attend onsite, once notified I have been alerting the school community via Compass email, so everyone is aware to monitor for symptoms. The identity of any positive cases, of course, remains strictly confidential. 

Third Dose Vaccinations

As communicated to families in a letter from the Department of Education and Training sent via Compass email, COVID-19 third-dose vaccinations are now available to 16–17-year-old students who had their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine three or more months ago.

Supporting as many eligible students as we can to be vaccinated will help make our school as safe as possible. Getting vaccinated is one of the most important steps we can all take to get direct protection against COVID-19.

How to book an appointment:

There are many convenient and accessible options to access vaccinations. These include state-wide vaccination clinics, your local GP or pharmacy.

You can book your appointment in a few different ways, including: 

• online: coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine 
• by phone: 1800 675 398 (Coronavirus Hotline)
• using the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder - COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder | Australian Government Department of Health
• In person: talk to your local pharmacy, doctor, or attend one of the State Vaccination Centres. 

https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-information-children-and-teenagers

Face Masks

There have been some recent changes to face masks in secondary schools across Victoria. Please visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au for the latest face mask requirements. Whilst facemasks are no longer required in secondary schools, they remain strongly recommended.

Ms. Jennifer Roep

Principal