From the Assistant Principal - Students
Welcome back to a new term.
Uniforms
Some students would have had a growth spurt and their uniform is a little small. Please check the length of the boys’ pants which should go down to the shoes and the length of the girls kilt which should go down to the knees.
Some students had pierced their ears and some their noses. Just to remind students and families the only piercing accepted at the College is for the girls only. One silver or gold sleeper or stud or a small jewel in each ear. No nose, lip or any other facial piercing is acceptable. No plastic piercings should be worn and no band-aids covering a piercing. Students will be asked to remove any piercings while at school- this is not negotiable.
No student should be wearing makeup or fake eyelashes.
Students are expected to have the College bag every day while at school. If there is a problem with the bag a note must be presented to the Learning advisor.
Cyber safety
Social media is part of all of our lives. There are some real positive aspects of social media but there are also some real problems with social media.
There are age limits on social media for safety reasons but also because immature young people can misuse social media. It is very easy for people to write mean and inappropriate things online because they feel safe behind a computer screen. Many comments are made to people that would never be said face to face. Online bullying can occur because the person thinks that they are anonymous.
The person who pays the bills for the phone and the internet is the person responsible for what happens on the registered device. A parent or guardian should be aware of all online activity of anyone using their device or internet. Regular checks of content and social media use are essential to prevent harm online.
The College has information available to help families deal with online behaviour and if they contact their Leader of Learning- Pastoral for the child’s year group, they can assist in helping with issues.
Blocking sites
The Government support site esafety.gov.au has some helpful tips for blocking sites and safety on line
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/taming-technology
WHAT IS BULLYING?
Bullying is made up of behaviours intended to deliberately hurt, threaten, frighten or exclude someone by physical and non-physical means over extended periods of time. An individual or group may direct these behaviours towards another individual or group.
Someone is bullying another person when:
- They repeatedly verbally abuse a person or group by calling them unpleasant names, by writing them nasty notes and/or messages (including on social media) or by using unpleasant gestures.
- They repeatedly physically harm a person or group or physically intimidate them by threatening physical harm or by destroying/taking their belongings without permission.
- They repeatedly encourage their friends or other students they know to verbally, or physically threaten a person or group; or ask them to harass, embarrass, ignore or exclude that person or group from activities.
Types of bullying
Direct physical bullying- this is when a bully uses physical actions such as hitting or pushing to provoke their victim.
Direct verbal bullying- this is where negative language such as name-calling, racism, discrimination, harassment or homophobic remarks is repeated to intentionally upset someone.
Indirect bullying- is harder to recognise and usually occurs behind someone’s back with the intent to humiliate or damage a person’s reputation.
Social Bullying- is behaviour that may deliberately exclude someone from a group of people such as lying about them and playing nasty jokes on them
Psychological bullying- is the intentional use of words or actions that cause psychological harm. Examples of this may be intimidation, manipulation or stalking behaviour.
Cyberbullying- is when a form of technology is used to verbally, socially or psychologically bully. This can happen in chat rooms, on social networking sites or through the use of mobile phones.
Audience- participating or responding to any type of bullying behaviour, you are as responsible as the bully. Standing around and doing nothing, encouraging bully behaviour, using video or giving the impression of videoing, distribution of an incident or having a video of the incident and all forms of audience.
The College policy on bullying builds directly on the mutual respect ideal that we place in front of our students in promoting Gospel values as a Catholic school and as such:
We behave, speak and treat one another in respectful ways.
We understand that everyone is different, and we respect those differences.
We look out for one another, and offer our support when others need our help.
St Andrew College does not accept any form of bullying. If you are being bullied or know of someone who is being bullied, please see a member of the staff to help stop the bullying.
Students going on leave.
If a family is having leave during a school term whether it’s a holiday or a family situation, the College must be informed before you go on leave.
If the leave is less than 5 days, a letter from the parent/ guardian is sufficient to explain the reason for the leave. If the leave is over 5 days an application for extended leave must be completed and sent to the College to gain permission from the Principal.
If you have any questions please contact the College.
What is in the Planner?
When we are with others, we need to use CARE
C= Communication: be open and honest
A= Achieve: aim for win-win conversations
R= Respect: believe and show others matter
E= Expect: give more of yourself to grow
It is important to take every opportunity that is presented to you. Positive engagement in life is a key to building your identity. It is a risk sometimes to take on a new challenge and sometimes your challenges may not be successful but the most important thing is to give it a go.
Learning about the diversity in our community helps us develop acceptance of others. Expect and respect that every person on this plant is different and that they are special and good at different things. Accepting other differences and embracing it helps us develop as a person.
Character strength: Courage and Leadership
God Bless
Mr. Nick Thrum
Assistant Principal - Students