From The Principal's Desk
Dear St Clare's Community,
As Mother's Day approaches, we take time to celebrate the special women in our lives who have loved and nurtured us unconditionally. We recognise the incredible impact they have had on our lives. They have provided us with support, guidance, and endless amounts of love. On their special day, let's take the time to show our appreciation and gratitude for all that they do. Happy Mother's Day! For all our mums and those we hold dear, I hope you have a lovely Mother's Day this coming Sunday.
We have received our order of new sandpit toys for use in the downstairs playground. All of these trucks, diggers, buckets, scoops and rakes have been purchased with a very generous donation from the St. Gerard Committee. This donation has allowed us to buy many toys that will be able to be enjoyed by a larger number of children.
The building project seems to be moving along very well. This week has seen the blockwork start and we are beginning to see walls going up, making it easier to see how the new student toilets and flexible learning space might look when completed.
Attendance data to date - 79.4% of students have attended 90% (or more). Our goal is 90% of students attending 90% of the time. 19% of student absences are unexplained. Our goal is 0 unexplained absences. If you child is away - please notify the office.
Attendance Matters (why it’s important)
✔ A bright future for your child starts with good school attendance every day, all day.
✔ Good attendance doesn’t guarantee positive outcomes for students, however, positive outcomes are unlikely to occur without good attendance.
Every day counts
✔ A day here or there may not seem like much, but your child missing one day a fortnight will miss four weeks in a year, and nearly 1½ years of school by Year 12.
✔ If your child misses 3 weeks of school a year, that’s a year of school by the end of Year 12.
Every minute matters
✔ Being just ten minutes late every day adds up to nearly half a year of lost schooling from Prep to Year 12.
✔ Good time keeping means making sure that your child is at school and ready to learn before the school bell rings.
Good habits start early
✔ It is important that children develop regular attendance habits (over 95%) at an early age. The pattern of attendance in Year 1 is highly predictive of what patterns of attendance will be in subsequent years. Let’s work together
✔ Our attendance goal is 90% or more of students attending 90% or more of the time and 0% unexplained absences.
The main reasons for absence and what we can do
✔ Sickness – Naturally there are times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.
✔ Holidays – It is vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term if it can be avoided.
✔ ‘Day off’ – Think twice before letting your child have a ‘day off’ as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.
Karran Burzacott
Principal