Each school day begins with Form class at 8:53am. The siren will sound at 8:50am to signal everyone to move to class. Please note the following:
Arriving late to school
It is the students responsibility to ensure they arrive at school before the bell at 8.50am. Students who arrive after Form or during the school day are to complete the ‘Sign in Book’ at Student Services and collect a late note before proceeding to class.
- proceed to Student Services to sign-in and receive a pass to enable entry into class
- a reason for the lateness should be provided by phone, a note or an email to geraldton.shs.studentservices@education.wa.edu.au
Leaving during the school day
- Student must bring a note from a parent/caregiver if they need to leave the school grounds during school hours, explaining the reason for the absence
- the note should be provided to the form teacher at the beginning of the day
- the form teacher will provide a green pass to the student enabling them to leave class at the specified time
- before leaving school grounds,
- the student must proceed to Student Services, sign-out and be issued with an official Department of Education Leave Pass
If a parent/caregiver needs to remove the student from school unexpectedly, the parent/care giver is to phone Student Services on 9965 8415 at the earliest convenience to arrange a collection time.
Not coming to school today? See COVID Information
It is a legal requirement of the Department of Education that all absences are explained within 3 days of the absence and a medical certificate provided for 3 days or more. Not doing this may affect eligibility for events at the School and some Centrelink payments.
Parents/caregivers can let the school know of student absences, explaining the valid reason by:
- sending an SMS to 0407 081 344
- emailing geraldton.shs.studentservices@education.wa.edu.au
- phoning the School Attendance Officer directly on 08 9965 8415
- providing a written explanation to the student’s Form Teacher
Parents/Guardians with prior knowledge of an absence (such as a pre-arranged medical procedure) are encouraged to advise the school in advance.
If a student is absent for an unknown reason, parents will be notified by text message. The school must have current mobile phone contacts for this to occur. This system also enables parents/guardians to reply by text.
The College looks forward to working together with parents/guardians to monitor student attendance.
My child is really not feeling well
When your child becomes unwell at school they should not phone parents or caregivers directly. Instead the following procedure must be adhered to:
1 | Get a note from their teacher
2 | Move to Student Services to receive assistance
3 | The school will notify parents or caregivers & the management of their condition will be discussed
4 | Upon collection the student will be signed out and given a leave pass
Transporting sick students is the responsibility of the parent or caregiver.
Please also note the School Health Nurse is not able to give out pain relief medication (such as Panadol) or administer other medication. This type of medication cannot be provided by the school, however, students are able to bring their own supply.
Medical Centre
The School Health Nurse is available on a limited basis for minor health issues. The nurse will conduct health counselling appointments and attend emergency health issues during class times, when available. Students who become ill during the day should adhere to the above procedure.
Priority health areas identified for this school are:
1 | Create an environment of student self-empowerment and independence to reduce harm from risk taking behaviour through health promotion and health educational strategies
2 | Growing and developing positive and respectful relationships for life
3 | Promotion of healthy lifestyle strategies to prevent lifestyle disease
- Students are encouraged to make appointments to see the nurse to discuss health concerns
- In the event of an accident or illness at school, parents will be contacted and required to provide transport, care and treatment
- The health centre is not designed to provide care for students who are unwell at school
- Parents are responsible for ambulance costs if an ambulance is deemed necessary
- The health centre does not dispense analgesics (eg paracetamol). Students are encouraged to provide their own medication for health needs
- Students with medical issues should complete the school Student Health Care Plan form. These issues may include conditions such as allergies, asthma, diabetes or migraines
How does missing a few days affect the future?
- Maximum student attendance means that students do better at school. Every day of attendance contributes positively towards learning. Academic potential is directly linked to how much school you attend.
- Everyone in the community needs to be included and recognise the importance of education.
- Achieving improved attendance can be done by being absent for valid illness only.
- Absence for birthdays, holidays in term time, appointments that could be done out of hours, for a day of rest after a busy weekend are not valid reasons for missing school.
- In all studies, average academic achievements on NAPLAN tests declined and were directly linked with the number of days missed from school.
“Student Attendance and Educational Outcomes; Every Day Counts” was
prepared for the Department of Education by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, UWA in May 2013. The report was based on the attendance patterns of some 415 000 students in Government school students in WA.
