Pastoral Care News - Attendance

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

I hope this finds you well and rested after the holidays despite the current climate with COVID and the implications it may have had on your holiday plans!!!  

Last term certainly was a big term with lots happening in the Pastoral area to support our students.

The big ticket item for me was the success of the first McAuley Fest!!  What a wonderful student led initiative that showcased the talent that exists in our school!!  Well done to our Student Leadership Team and a big thank you to all the families that attended on the night.

While helping out with positive events like McAuley Fest is one part of my role, another part is monitoring the discipline incidents and attendance of our students.

In this newsletter, I’d like to talk more about attendance.

The Catholic Schools Office Student Attendance Policy has set a goal that each student has an attendance rate of 95% and above each year. 

The Policy states: 

“Regular attendance at school for every student is essential if students are to achieve their potential, and increase their career and life options. Schools in partnerships with parents are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students. 

While parents are legally responsible for the regular attendance of their children, school staff, as part of their duty of care, record and monitor part and whole day absences. 

Schools, in providing a caring teaching and learning environment, which addresses the learning and support needs of students, including those with additional learning and support needs or complex health conditions, foster students' sense of wellbeing and belonging to the school community.”

Attendance letters will be sent out early Term Three for students whose attendance is a concern.  Please understand the importance of our College and families working together to improve attendance for each individual student.

If you have any concerns about your child and their attendance, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the College on 0266 431434.

Alternatively, you can email on robert.imeson@lism.catholic.edu.au.

Before I finish, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our Indigenous families and students a happy NAIDOC Week.  I hope this week has been a great celebration of culture and reconciliation for you all and I am proud to be in a community that places such importance on the recognition of our Indigenous people.

Take care,

Rob Imeson
Leader of Pastoral Care