Pastoral Care

The Year of Justice

Attendance PROCEDURE – Changes at Loreto Normanhurst

Student attendance is one indicator that we can use to monitor student engagement and belonging at school. Heather Libbey PHD, LP, has written much on the impact of students belonging to their school and the positive impacts this has on them. She defines school belonging as:

…When students feel close to, a part of, and happy at school; feel that teachers care about students and treat them fairly; get along with teachers and other students, and feel safe at school.

Belonging has been shown to have a significant impact on a range of factors associated with student wellbeing. These areas include life satisfaction, general wellbeing, clinical depression, cognitive performance, academic outcomes, and physical health. Belonging is an important aspect of psychological functioning and schools offer unique opportunities for mediating belonging for school-aged children to enhance their sense of wellbeing.

Loreto Normanhurst has recently made updates to our attendance procedures and in particular, the methods in which you may inform the school of your daughter’s absence. Mrs Lynn Long, Director of Pastoral Care has written to parents and carers outlining these changes. A copy of her letter and the NSW Government Compulsory Attendance  Information for Parents  can be accessed via this link. 

Please take some time to read our process for attendance, absences and punctuality. It is important that we be notified within seven days of your daughter’s absence  in order to fulfil our compliance obligations and monitor her attendance patterns at school.

When absent from School

There are three ways to contact the school:

1. Send an email to Student Services at attendance@loretonh.nsw.edu.au . In your email include the following:

• Student first name and surname
• Year and House
• Reason for absence

              You do not need to do anything else. You have notified the school of your daughter’s absence.

2. Reply to the Attendance SMS which you will receive around 9.30am after the official role is marked in Period 1. You will not receive an SMS if you have sent an email to the school. In your reply SMS include the following:

• Student first name and surname
• Year and House
• Reason for absence

You do not need to do anything else. You have notified the school of your daughter’s absence.

3. Phone Student Services on 02 9473 7354 before 8:30am. You will not receive an SMS if you have notified the school by phone.
   You must then provide a written note when your daughter returns to school. You can use the perforated slips in the back of your daughter’s Student Handbook. The absence note is a legal requirement and must be received within seven days to Student Services.

 Please note that the email and SMS reply will now constitute an explanation of absence. No further note is required.

Partial Day Absence

Where possible please try and avoid partial day absences from school. If your daughter is leaving school to attend an appointment, it is important for our duty of care that she has a note explaining why she is leaving school. Please include the following in this written explanation:

• Student first name and surname
• Year and House
• Date, time and reason for partial absence
• Signed by parent/carer

Your daughter needs to present this note to Student Services when signing out. She is to use her Student ID card when leaving the campus.

Late to School

Punctuality to school is important and a pattern of ‘Lates’ with insufficient reason is not acceptable. These will be followed up with your daughter’s Tutor and Head of House. If your daughter arrives to school after 8.20am, she will be required to sign in late using her Student ID Card at Student Services. You will receive an SMS notifying you of her arrival time. You will be required to respond to the SMS with the following:

• Student first name and surname
• Year and House
• Date and reason for late arrival

Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions about the updates to the school’s attendance procedures. Send your enquiry to pastoral@loretonh.nsw.edu.au

We value our partnership with you in ensuring that your daughter receives the best care at school. The documentation of her attendance is one way in which we work together to achieve this.

Parent Forum
Teenagers & Alcohol : how much influence do parents really have?

PRESENTED BY Paul dillon

All parents and carers are encouraged to attend this free event focusing on the latest data and risks associated with young people in this area. The forum will also provide positive messages and strategies to empower parents and carers.

When: Monday 21 May 2018

Time: 7:00PM – 8:00PM

Where: Loreto Normanhurst – Curran Theatre

Please register your attendance via the Trybooking link

Year 8 Camp

Last week Year 8 participated in their 3-day camp experience in Collaroy. The aim of the camp is to enable students to continue to build their peer friendships and develop their sense of identity within the year group. Students participated in a range of outdoor activities to build team cohesion and to reflect on the ways they build friendships. Many of this week’s photo gallery images capture the essence of camp and I trust you enjoy viewing these photos.

Loreto Day

This year’s Loreto Day will be held on Friday 1 June 2018. Please take time to read the information about the day in  the Loreto Day article  of the school newsletter and keep an eye out for updates each week.

Upcoming Events  – Term 2

Mr Justin Madigan

Dean of Pastoral Care