Handbook

St Agnes takes many photographs of students throughout the year. These photographs may be used in school and diocesan publications, newsletters, media releases, and school and Catholic Education Office websites. If for any reason parents do not want a photo of their child included, they should let the school know.

Please contact the Principal’s secretary if you have any concerns.

Our school newsletter is produced every 3 weeks to assist parents/guardians to stay in touch with what is happening within the school. A newsletter notification is emailed  to parents/guardians who have internet access. Printed copies of the newsletter are available at the student office for parents/guardians who do not have internet access.

If you wish to subscribe to the school newsletter, sign up on our Newsletters page to receive the latest news via email.

The school newsletter is also archived on this website on the Newsletters page.

The school Facebook page is updated frequently, make sure to 'follow' the page to stay up to date.

The school requests that parents notify us if your contact details change. This may be due to moving house, change of phone numbers or change of circumstances.

• The student diary is an essential item of a student's personal equipment as a member of the school community, and should be treated with respect.
• The student diary is an important and effective means of communication between parents and teachers, regarding the student.
• Students are required to have their diary in their possession in every class to record homework, project and assignment work, additional study and revision, lesson by lesson.
• If this diary is lost or its condition is unacceptable, students will be required to purchase a new one at their own cost.
• Parents are required to sign their son/daughter's Student Diary once a week.

Permission Notes are placed on the website once they have been distributed to students. Spare copies are available from the Student Administration Office.

Students may only be contacted during school hours in a family emergency. Arrangements for getting home, forgotten lunches, assignments, sports gear etc. are not considered an emergency. Please attend to these matters before school. The office staff will not be able to pass these types of messages on. Too many interruptions are disruptive to other students and staff, and must be kept to an absolute minimum.

Formal Parent/Teacher evenings are held throughout the school year. Parents may make appointments at other times by ringing the School Office on 8882 0700.

Interim Reports are issued at the end of Term 1. Formal reports are issued at the end of Semester 1 and at the end of the school year.

Staff Rights and Responsibilities

Parent Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Students can meet their responsibilities through the following:

• To treat others justly and value them as individuals
• Being tolerant
• Speaking and acting in an appropriate and respectful manner
• Listening to others with respect
• Respecting each other’s good name
• Making restoration for injustices committed against others

To contribute to a safe and secure school that is free from discrimination, and intimidation and violence of any kind.

• Treating visitors to the school, teachers and students courteously
• Striving to develop a welcoming and hospitable climate
• Being friendly
• Being responsible for reporting incidents
• Not bringing any harmful material to school

To work together to maintain an environment which is safe and clean

• Caring for their own property
• Caring for others’ property
• Caring for school property
• Keeping the school clean

To have a responsible attitude towards learning and to respect the rights of all students to learn

• Coming to school every day
• Being prepared for lessons
• Bringing all books and equipment to class
• Being on time for classes and other activities
• Being attentive in class
• Following instructions
• Being cooperative
• Completing all set tasks and homework
• Taking all opportunities for personal academic growth
• Encouraging others to learn

To participate in all aspects of the religious and spiritual life of the school

• Valuing the traditions of St Agnes and St Francis of Assisi – a deep love of Jesus, service to others and an appreciation of simplicity of life
• Being prayerful
• Actively contributing to class, year and school liturgies
• Being involved in social justice activities

To undertake and participate in all educational experiences with commitment and enthusiasm

• Attending and participating in all compulsory school activities
• Taking the opportunity to be involved in other activities offered by the school

To promote and enhance a positive image of the school by living up to the expectations of the school and being responsible for their own behaviour

• Always behaving in such a way that the school is positively regarded by the wider community
• Wearing the correct uniform
• Being well-groomed
• Wearing their uniform with pride
• Following school procedures
• Being sensitive to the needs of others when travelling to and from school, when on excursions, and when representing the school
• Accepting graciously the consequences of not living up to expectations

Students may be placed on School Restorative Service by a senior member of staff if they fail to meet their responsibilities. School Restorative Service is held on Wednesdays from 2.30 to 3.30pm.

Students are responsible if they deliberately damage school property or break school equipment. Students will be asked to pay replacement costs and parents will be notified.

If students lose or misplace their property, students should check with the Student Administration Office to see if it has been handed in. Lost property will be kept only for two weeks. Students are not to bring valuables to school. It is their responsibility to look after their property. Unclaimed lost property will be given to St Vincent de Paul at the end of each term.

Envelopes are provided to students at the Student Administration Office for payments for all excursions, school fees and other activities.

We accept cash, cheque, credit card, EFTPOS, and Bpay.

All information must be printed clearly on the envelope, i.e. name, homeroom, amount and what the payment is for, i.e. school fees/camp/particular excursion.

All payments must be made prior to homeroom, at recess or at lunch. No money is to be collected through homeroom.  Please note that the correct money needs to be placed in the envelope.

The Homework Policy has its foundation in the Teaching and Learning Policy, which acknowledges that all members of the community are engaged in lifelong learning. Integral to the understanding of this policy is the belief that all students have gifts and talents and are capable of learning. Learning occurs at different rates and in different ways, and occurs best where the student, home and school have a common goal.

Rationale

Effective homework engenders in students a growing confidence in their capacity to learn and, therefore, is not set for its own sake. It allows students to practise and consolidate work done in class and to develop the key competencies of collecting, analysing and organising information. Homework provides an avenue for students to reinforce skills and to develop effective time management skills. It also provides parents with insights into what is being taught in the classroom and the progress of their children. Parents are encouraged to be supportive of their child’s learning by taking an active interest in their progress. Homework endeavours to support the needs of all students and is a direct link to the learning program at school.

Types of Homework

Homework may consist of:

• practical exercises providing students with the opportunities to review, revise and reinforce newly acquired skills and knowledge. Examples include:
  • consolidation exercises
  • practising for mastery
  • revising for in-class assessments or examinations
  • revising information about a current topic
  • reading for pleasure
  • essay writing
  • completing formal assessment tasks and other assignments

• preparatory homework providing opportunities for students to gain background information on a unit of study so they are better prepared for future lessons. Examples include:
  • background reading
  • reading of prescribed texts
  • researching topics for a class unit of work
  • collecting items

• extension assignments, which encourage students to pursue knowledge individually, and imaginatively. Examples include:
  • writing
  • making, creating or designing
  • investigating
  • researching
  • information and retrieval skills
  • monitoring of documents, e.g. newspapers

Research indicates that regularly revising new concepts and skills learnt in class is far more beneficial than attempting to revise only at the end of units.

The amount of homework will increase as students progress through their schooling. Coordination of homework across faculties is important to alleviate the stress placed on students with the competing demands in regard to assessment tasks, examination preparation, and consolidation of new work learnt in class.

Students are encouraged to accept responsibility for their own learning and to further develop independent learning.

As a guide, the homework schedule for each year level is:

• Year 7 & 8 should, on average, be no more than 10-15 minutes per subject on the day they have those lessons
• Years 9 & 10 should, on average, be no more than 15-20 minutes per course on the day they have those lessons

Students are expected to work with their teachers to ensure that the homework that is set is completed to the best of their ability within a reasonable time frame. Teachers should follow through on homework so students’ work can be affirmed, areas of difficulty identified and support offered, where necessary.

When appropriate, teachers ensure that students write their homework in their student diary. Parents are requested to check and sign this homework weekly and are encouraged to monitor the homework for their children in all their subjects.

If a student does not complete the requested homework then appropriate action is taken to investigate the reason. This will, in the first instance, be managed by the classroom teacher. If homework is not completed on a regular basis then the classroom teacher will advise the Stage coordinator and Learning & Teaching coordinator where further investigation will be conducted. Students are expected to balance their homework time with home obligations and leisure activities.

Student Behaviour

Students are expected to follow the directions of teachers, teacher's aides, venue staff and instructors at all times, and to participate in their sport activities to the best of their ability. Students are ambassadors for St Agnes Catholic High School and thus are to be respectful, responsible and act in a sportsperson-like manner.

Representative Sport

• Students must at all times follow the directions of teachers, teacher's aides and venue staff, including opposition coaches.
  
  
• Students competing in PDSSSC games must be punctual and wear the complete St Agnes sports uniform to be eligible to play. Some sports require St Agnes jerseys, which are provided by the school.
  
  
• Students involved in premiership winning teams attend the PDSSSC Presentation Day at the end of each year, where medals are awarded to all team members. 
  
  
• Students must attend training sessions (often outside school hours). Failure to attend could result in exclusion from matches. Frequent failure to attend training would result in exclusion from their PDSSSC team and would jeopardise selection into other PDSSSC teams. 

• Students are ambassadors for St Agnes Catholic High School and thus must, at all times, participate to the best of their ability in a respectful, responsible and sportsperson-like manner.
  
  
• Students involved in PDSSSC teams make a serious commitment to sport and must follow the Players PDSSSC Code of Conduct.

PDSSSC Code of Conduct

• Always represent the school with pride and play in a sportsperson-like manner.
• Always be dressed correctly according to the sport.
• Always have the correct safety equipment when playing the sport.
• If a player is sent off by an umpire/referee in any game he/she will receive a 2 game suspension from that competition. If the suspension cannot be served in that competition, it will apply to the player's next representative season.
• If an appeal is to be lodged, the Sport Coordinator must direct it to the Disputes Committee within 24 hours.
• Players must use appropriate language and behaviour when speaking to the referee, umpire, officials, opponents, or each other on and off the field. Offensive language and/or behaviour will not be tolerated and will lead to dismissal.
• Players must always participate to the best of their ability.

Sport Permission Note

One permission form is completed each year for all sport activities within the year and includes travelling to and from all venues. This covers all integrated sporting activities, competition in representative Parramatta Diocese Secondary School Sports Council (PDSSSC), the Swimming Carnival, Cross-Country Carnival, Athletics Carnival and all other extracurricular activities. Students receive notice when sport events (such as the swimming carnival), are organised. This notice specifies the details and procedures for that event. These are also uploaded to this website. The cost of integrated sport activities, representative sport and carnivals is included in the resources fee of the school fees account.

If students are absent for an assessment task, parents are to phone the Student Administration Office (8882 0700) on the morning the assessment task is due or to be undertaken. A doctor’s certificate will be required on the students return to school or posted to the school within three days if the absence is expected to be longer than three days.

St Agnes High School is involved in many activities outside normal classroom activities. Students are encouraged and expected to support these activities because they are of value to their overall growth and development. Events include choir, band, debating, various clubs, sports and interest activities.

Students may be placed on a Friday Study Skills session by any staff member if they fail to complete work in class or an assessment. These are held on Friday from 2.30 to 3.30pm.

Students may be placed on School Restorative Service by a senior member of staff if they fail to meet their responsibilities. School Restorative Service is held on Wednesdays from 2.30 to 3.30pm.

A student’s sense of belonging and identity is aided by wearing a school uniform. Pride in the school is often demonstrated by the manner in which a student wears his/her school uniform. All St Agnes uniform articles other than shoes and tights must be purchased from the school uniform shop.

School Bag

The St Agnes school bag is a compulsory part of the school uniform.

Students have a responsibility to adhere to our policy in regards to school bags. If a student fails to follow our policy they will be required to use a plain plastic bag daily (supplied) until the school bag has been cleaned of all graffiti or an replacement bag has been purchased.

Sports Uniform

• School cap 
• School tracksuit
• School sport shirt with crest
• School shorts
• White ankle length school socks
• Clean lace up joggers

Wearing Of School Uniform

Correct school uniform is to be worn travelling to and from the school, while at the school and at any formal occasion designated by the Principal. The school uniform should be clean and neat at all times.

Grooming

• Students are expected to keep their hair clean, neat and tidy at all times. Students are to keep their hair off the face and out of their eyes. Long hair below the shoulders should be tied back. All hair accessories are to be black. There are to be no extremes of fashion in hairstyle, cut, colour or accessories. The Assistant Principal will make the final decision on what is extreme.
• No make up or nail polish is permitted.
• Boys must be clean shaven.

Jewellery

In the interest of safety and security, no inappropriate jewellery should be worn. Body studs, chains or bracelets are not permitted. Inappropriate jewellery will be confiscated and secured in the school office until collected by the student’s parents, or returned at the end of term.

The following only may be worn:

• a simple wrist watch
• a plain gold or silver ring (with no elevations, stones or sharp points)
• a plain gold or silver chain with a Christian cross or Christian medal (to be worn underneath the shirt)
• one pair of plain gold or silver sleepers or small studs without stones, one in the lobe of each ear (Boys are permitted an appropriate earring in one earlobe only)

If a student is wearing any accessory to the uniform that is not permitted a parent/guardian will be required to come to the administration office to collect their student’s property.

Other

• Students may wear their sports uniform including tracksuit to and from school on their designated Sports and double PDHPE days.
• In Terms 1 and 4 the tracksuit is optional.
• All items of uniform must be clearly marked with student’s name.

Parents may be contacted to bring in the correct uniform if students are inappropriately dressed.

Students may be placed on a Uniform Incentive session if they do not follow the Uniform guideline rules which are included in their diary.

These sessions are held on Wednesday afternoons from 2:30 to 3:30pm.

The school provides a range of information and communication technologies, network infrastructure and internet services for education, communication and research purposes for all members of the school community. Families should be aware that some material available on the internet may contain items that are illegal, defamatory, inaccurate, or offensive.

Acceptable Use

Users are expected to use these resources in a responsible, ethical and legal manner, demonstrating respect for others and an appreciation of the right of all students to learn. The use of the network must be for educational purposes only and be consistent with the educational objectives of the school.

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Users are expected to be aware of copyright, intellectual property and plagiarism issues, and acknowledge any material from a website that has been reproduced or used in any way. It is not permissible to reproduce material protected by copyright without permission of the copyright owner.

Use of the network will be permitted only after the student and parent (or guardian) have signed the user agreement in the school diary and made it available when requested. Failure to observe any of these provisions may result in suspension of access rights for a period of time. Consequently:

• Students should not share usernames and passwords and should log out at the completion of each session
• Use of computers is restricted to those times when a supervising teacher is present
• School resources must not be used to download, display, print, save or transmit material that is inappropriate or offensive to others
• No attempt should be made to download software or other files (e.g. mp3 music files)
• Internet chat is not permissible unless authorised for a class activity.

Precautions and supervision are undertaken to prevent these as far as possible. Serious accidents are recorded at the school. In such cases, parents will be notified or the emergency contact number will be rung. If time does not permit, the school will seek medical or hospital treatment immediately.

Students are required to attend school each day of the school year.

Leave and Extended Leave

If a student is not well enough to attend classes, parents are requested to notify the Student Administration Secretary on the first day of an absence by calling 8882 0707. A text message will be sent to the parents mobile if no phone call has been received by 9.00am. An absent note explaining the absence is to be handed to the students Learning Advisor on the first day of return to school. A medical certificate must be attached if the absence is for three or more days, or if it is the day of an assessment task. Please include the student's name, homeroom, Learning Advisor's name and reason for the absence on the note.

If students are absent for an assessment task, parents are to phone the Student Administration Office (8882 0707) on the morning the assessment task is due or to be undertaken. A doctor’s certificate will be required on the students return to school or posted to the school within three days if the absence is expected to be longer than three days.

All requests for a leave of absence must be submitted to the Principal at least four weeks prior to the beginning of the absence.

Leaving Early

If students need to leave school before the end of the school day, they are to bring a note from their parents giving the reason, to their Learning Advisor. This will be signed by their Learning Advisor and Stage Coordinator in the morning. Students can go to the office 5 minutes before they will be picked up to wait for parents, if they have rung ahead to advise the school secretary of the time they will arrive. Medical and dental appointments should be made outside school hours whenever possible.

Lateness to School

If students arrive late to school, they must report to the Student Administration Office where they will be issued with a late pass. The student's name and the time of arrival will be noted. Students are to show the late pass to their teacher of the lesson they are late for and then give the note to their Learning Advisor. Students must bring a note from their parents if they are late.

Chewing Gum is banned. If students are found chewing gum they will be expected to contribute to/assist in cleaning.

Students will be charged $30 and will be required to attend a 1 hour detention. These detention sessions are held on Wednesday afternoons from 2.30 to 3.30pm.

See the Policies page on our school website for the full policy and procedure for complaints.

St Agnes Catholic High School has a limited supply of lockers for student use. These facilities enable students to secure their belongings whilst on the school premises.

The locker banks are placed in the Canteen area.

Students are responsible for all articles in lockers, therefore, the school WILL NOT assume responsibility for any lost or stolen articles/valuables.

Lockers are assigned to students as a privilege and a convenience. Misuse or mistreatment of lockers may result in revocation of locker privileges.

Availability of lockers

Lockers become available at the commencement of first term each year and are to be evacuated by December of the same year.

Allocation of lockers

The allocations of lockers will be allocated on a first come - first serve basis, with priority given to Year 7 students.

• Upon requesting a locker, a hire fee accompanied with a completed application form, is to be deposited at the Student Office.
• Upon receipt of the application form and fee, a receipt will be issued and the application form will be presented to the locker designee for processing.
• A locker is allocated to the student and a relevant key issued. Students are responsible for their keys and should not give their key to other students.

Lost/Replacement of keys

• Lost keys are to be reported to the Locker Coordinator immediately.
• Upon notification of a lost key, the locker will be emptied and locked until a replacement key is issued.
• Replacement keys can be ordered by paying a $30 fee. No replacement key will be ordered without receipt of this fee.
• The student will be contacted when the replacement key is available for collection.

Cleaning and clearing of lockers

• In December each year (November for Year 10), all lockers are to be cleared and left in a clean condition.
• The student must return their keys to the Locker Coordinator.
• If lockers are not cleared by the designated time items will be removed and stored to be collected by their owner.
• Items that are not collected will be disposed of at the discretion of the Assistant Principal at the end of the school year.

General

• Access to lockers will be permitted before school, during recess and lunchtime, and after school. THERE WILL BE NO ACCESS TO LOCKERS DURING CLASS TIME.
• Lockers must be kept clean and neat at all times.
• Personalising a locker with inappropriate markings, decals, or stickers is not permitted. 
• Lockers should be kept locked at all times.
• If your locker has been tampered with or damaged, such incidents should be reported promptly to the Year Coordinator.
• The Assistant Principal reserves the right to inspect any locker at any time to ensure that their use complies with school rules and policies.

Mobile phones may be brought to school but they must be turned off at all times during school hours (including before school, recess and lunch time). Mobile phones will be confiscated in the following cases:

• If students have them out during school hours
• If students use them during school hours
• If an incoming call is received during school hours

Confiscated phones will be held in the administration office until collected by the student’s parents.

At St Agnes Catholic High School we believe that a road safety policy provides a framework of common understanding for students, staff, parents/carers, and the community who interact with the school to provide a safe environment.Our Catholic School is founded on the person of Jesus Christ and is committed to educate in Gospel values - especially in hope, love, justice, and care for others in the community.The main intention of this policy is to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our students who use the services and facilities of this school. We do this by assessing the risks in the road environment around our school, developing practical school management procedures and ensuring that curriculum pertaining to all road safety issues is taught to our students.

Environmental Statement

St Agnes is located on Evans Road in Rooty Hill. It is situated in a residential area with a high traffic flow. The majority of students catch a bus to and from school, or are dropped off by private transport. Street parking is limited in the area; this may result in traffic congestion. The school’s bus stop is located at the front of the school. St Agnes has no separated bus bay or drive through for the local bus company to use. The buses pull into the curb.

Aims/Goals

At St Agnes Catholic High School we aim:

• to provide a quality road safety education program that develops responsible road use, attitudes and behaviours
• to provide management procedures that aim to maximise student safety and the wellbeing, health, and safety of all
• to encourage the education of road safety issues in the wider school community, e.g. parents/carers, staff and visitors.

Curriculum Statement

At St Agnes Catholic High School our staff have developed and implemented an effective, sequential road safety education program within:

• the Years 7-10 PDHPE programs
• the information section within the school’s newsletter

Our programs make use of current NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) resources and address the following road safety issues for our students:

• passenger safety
• pedestrian safety
• safety on wheels (such as bicycles, scooters, roller-blades and skateboards)
• driver education.

When appropriate, we will make use of other suitable resources and incorporate them as part of an ongoing program. The use of additional resources should enhance the teaching and learning of road safety education to our students.

School Management Procedures

At St Agnes Catholic High School the staff will maximise the safety of students by:

• ensuring no less than 2 staff members (including a member of the school leadership team) is on duty at the front of the school
• ensuring no less than 3 staff members are on bus duty during the afternoon
• students who catch the bus are assembled in the designated areas before moving to their bus
• students behave appropriately and respectfully when leaving the school and when catching public transport
• investigating and acting on any inappropriate behaviour reported to the school by the staff, students and parents of the St Agnes community, members of the public and operators of any bus company associated with the school providing active supervision when students are catching public transport for excursions, camps or retreats

Members of the St Agnes Catholic High School community are regularly informed of the importance of:

• modelling safe road user behaviour 
• parking vehicles safely outside the school and observing all parking signs
• ensuring that students are protected whilst traveling to and from school
• reinforcing the safety messages taught at school
• identifying and reporting safety issues in and around the school
• contributing to solving road safety issues that are of concern to the school and community

Discretionary Basis

The Principal has the right of discretion to make provision for departure from the policy or the application of the policy in the event of unforeseen and exceptional circumstances.

This policy was prepared by the WHS Committee and Executive of St Agnes Catholic High School.

If a student is ill he/she should not attend school.

If students become ill during the day, they are to seek permission from their class teacher to see the first aid person at the Student Administration Office.The first aid person will contact parents to collect their child if required students are not allowed to make this contact.

Sickbay is only used for students in transit to home. If the student needs to leave school he/she is required to be taken home and signed out by a parent or guardian.

If students have to make an emergency call, they are to see the Student Administration Secretary who will arrange this for them. Mobile phones cannot be used at school.

Mobile phones will be confiscated in the following cases:

• If students have them out during school hours
• If students use them during school hours
• If an incoming call is received during school hours.

In line with child protection laws, the school has a Visitors Policy. All visitors to the school must report to the administration office prior to entering the school grounds. All visitors will be issued a Visitor’s Badge which must be worn at all times. When leaving the school visitors must also sign out.

This procedure means that school staff are aware at all times of who is on the school grounds.