Matters of importance for the beginning of the school year

SMART Goals 2018

Goal setting is a significant part of the educational process. As teachers, we want to know what your aspirations are for your son. We are also keen to know what your sons’ goals are for their own educational, social and spiritual growth. In preparation for Parent/ Tutor Interviews your students in Yr 7-12 will be working with their Tutors and Head of House to set goals which are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. More information regarding these and the way they will be tracked and followed up will be available on your sons’ House Canvas page and of course, at the Parent Tutor Interviews.

Parent/ Teacher/ Tutor Interviews

Parent/ Teacher (Junior School) and Parent/Tutor (High School) Interviews will be held in Week 2 2018 on Tuesday 13 February. Interviews can be booked via the community portal from 6 February 2018. These interviews are vital to ensure positive, productive relationships between home and school are established at the beginning of the school year. High School students should attend with their parents and the main focus for the interviews will be the finalising of SMART Goals for Semester One 2018.

Camps and Retreats Week

Students in Yrs 7-10 will be attending House Camps from 21-23 February. Yr 11 will be on Retreat from 19-21 February. Yr 12 will be on Retreat from 21-23 February.

College uniform and acceptable appearance requirements

Information relating to the uniform can be found at https://sec.act.edu.au/enrolments/college-uniform/

Uniform shop hours are available from https://sec.act.edu.au/facilities/uniform-shop/

Unless exempt by the College, all students are required to wear the school uniform authorised for daily wear or for the appropriate sport or activity. Please note the following from the College Uniform Policy:

Unless exempt by the College authorities, a student is required to wear the school uniform authorised for daily wear or for the appropriate sport or activity. As members of a school, proud of its heritage and the student body, all students are expected to take pride in the uniform and to also wear it properly…

Students (for whom shaving is necessary) are to remain “clean shaven.” …Hairstyles which are extreme, long, outlandish, or attract undue attention, in the opinion of the College, are not allowed. Styles are expected to be reasonably conservative and guided by common sense. If a haircut, hairstyle or hair colouring does not meet school expectations then the student will be asked to adjust it accordingly…No visible body adornment or art such as body piercings, jewellery, keepers or tattoos are permitted. Earrings and studs of any kind are not acceptable. Covering a piercing or earring with a keeper or Band-Aid is unacceptable.

We appreciate your support in ensuring that your son(s) come to school in 2018 in the correct uniform with the correct haircut. It is important to for all students to start the year positively, demonstrating that they are a part of the College community through the way they wear their uniform.

Changes to student information

It is very important that the College is provided with up to date information in relation to students, particularly parent/carer contact information, emergency contacts and postal addresses. If your information has changed please ensure the College is informed by updating the My Details section of the College’s community portal or by emailing Kiri Milnes at enrolments@stedmunds.act.edu.au.

Other important points

• I wish to draw attention to the strong stance that St Edmund’s continues to take in preventing and dealing with issues of bullying and harassment. It also reflects the worth and dignity of each person in our community and reinforces available pathways and networks to deal with bullying and harassment. These guidelines are public documents and available on the College website. It is always worth reinforcing with your son of the need to speak up if he is enduring harassment or bullying of any kind.
• Staff at St Edmund’s College are well aware of their duty to ensure that any harassment or bullying of students that is brought to their attention or personally witnessed, is addressed as soon as possible and they will share information immediately with other appropriate senior staff, to enable the best possible response to be developed.
• Any student who is driving or being driven to school by another student must complete a passenger permission form and return it to me here at the College. These forms are available from both myself and your son’s Head of House. Students in Years 11 or 12 who drive vehicles to school need to be registered with the College and these forms are also available from myself or your son’s Head of House.
• This week – every student in Yrs. 7-12 was issued with his own copy (placed on his CANVAS account) of the 2018 Pastoral Care Student Handbook. Please find some time to discuss the content of this publication with your son and seek assistance from the College if any of the content requires clarification. A copy has also been placed on the College Parental Portal and can be accessed via the College website.
• The Canberra Avenue median strip being used as pick up and drop off area by parents, for students: This issue remains a major safety issue for the College. The College needs to stress for the safety of your son, that the median strip is not to be used for the above purpose and in fact it is illegal to do so. Please help us to keep all of our students safe. As TAMS and ACT Policing has in place a number of driving and parking restrictions around the College precinct, please take care to check road and traffic signs.  Some restrictions are subject to change without notice.
• All members of the SEC community are reminded that many parts of our campus both internally and externally are subject to CCTV recording.
• School begins for all students at 8.50am with compulsory attendance at tutor group for all Yr. 7-12 students.
• The school grounds of SEC are described as follows for the information of all –
• • The Canberra Campus of St Edmund’s College is bounded by Canberra Avenue, McMillan Avenue, Wills Street, Throsby Crescent, Frome Street and Barrallier Street.

• Unless lawfully excused, or in the course of an authorised activity or excursion, a student is required to remain within the bounds of the Canberra campus between the hours of 8.45 am to 3.25 pm, Monday to Friday during term.