Attendance

We know that every day of attendance at school adds to your child's chances of success and achievement from kindergarten to high school. You play a key role in making sure your child attends school every day, and you do this because you understand that attendance leads to success, not just at school, but later in life. Every day at school counts towards your child’s learning.

We realise some absences are unavoidable due to health issues or other circumstances. However, we also know that when students miss too much school, no matter the reason, it can cause them to fall behind academically. The more absences your child has, the harder it is for them to catch up on missed work and stay connected to their school community. Absences add up quickly. If your child is absent just one day every two weeks over a school year, this will add up to 20 days of lost learning. This is almost half a school term.

Along with many other schools across Australia, we have noticed a large increase in our absenteeism since COVID. We understand that is is partly due to parents being vigilant with keeping sick children at home, and we do appreciate this; however, some absences can be avoided.

The following table indicates the levels of attendance.

Did you know you can check your child's attendance on Compass?

Go to your child's profile, then choose Attendance from the tab. Towards the bottom of that page can then see your child's collated absences and percentage rate.

Part of my job is to respond to all emerging absenteeism (<90% attendance) with support to improve attendance. This may involve an initial phone call, followed by letters and the creation of a Student Attendance Plan.

We want your child to succeed at school and know that you do as well. Please let us know if you require support in ensuring your child attends school on time each day. Feel free to contact me to discuss this or any other concerns.

School Fees for Term 2

As previouisly mentioned, we have transitioned on May 1, to our new finance system, TechOne. Belinda spent Wednesday completing some training in the system, however please allow her some time to get familiar with it.

As part of this transformation, existing direct debits and the use of Qkr for most payments, will cease. All families have been allocated new BPAY numbers, which is the preferred method for paying your school fees. You are able to set up periodical payments via your own bank. You may also use Compass Pay.

Catholic Education will take over the provision of school fee term statements. These will be sent out in the coming days and will show your BPAY details in the top right corner. Please keep an eye out for these.

If required, Belinda can provide you with your BPAY details before the statements are received.

Filming

We are excited to share some wonderful news about the recent visit to St Mary's School by Patrick Ellis, the Catholic Education Office - Leader of Teaching and Learning. Patrick, along with a film crew, spent time capturing the remarkable developments in teaching and learning that have been taking place at our school.

The visit aimed to showcase the high-impact teaching practices in our classrooms, highlighting our progress through the Catalyst journey. This project has been a collaborative effort involving teachers, students, and the entire school community. It aims to enhance educational experiences and provide our students with the best learning opportunities.

During the filming process, Patrick Ellis had the chance to observe our dedicated teachers in action, implementing innovative teaching strategies and creating engaging learning environments. 

We are thrilled to have been able to showcase the outstanding teaching and learning practices flourishing at St Mary's. This recognition highlights our entire school community's hard work, dedication, and commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience for our students.

The Catholic Education Office will use the footage captured during this visit to showcase and promote the Catalyst journey. We are honoured to have been chosen to represent the great strides being made in Catholic Education. We will share this short video with you as soon as it is released.