Dear Rosny College Community, 

A warm welcome to all new and returning members of our learning community. Whether you are a student, parent, career, or staff member, we are excited to begin another year of learning and growth together.

Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare for an enriching year, focused on providing engaging educational experiences that challenge and inspire our learners. Central to this work is our shared commitment to fostering an environment where every student feels valued, supported, and able to thrive.

We continue to focus on the core values that define our college culture:

Connection, Courage, Growth, Respect and Responsibility

These values guide our interactions, teaching practices, and our priorities. It’s what we come to expect for each member of our community and look forward to continuing to work with all members of our community to bring these values to life and to strengthen our positive college culture.

We begin our year with a strong focus on Connection, ensuring students feel a strong sense of belonging and that we partner with families in supporting their young adults. By now you will have already received an email from our Wellbeing Leads, and we are looking forward to seeing you all at Meet the teacher on Tuesday 25^th February at 5:30pm. Further information has been sent via email.

At Rosny we use various channels of communication to keep our community informed, including, emails and our social media platforms (Instagram and Facebook). One important means of communication for both students and families is our Home Group (HG) structures. HG provides an essential space for updates, support, and connection, and attendance at these sessions are critical. I encourage families to connect with their young person’s HG teacher at Meet the Teacher Evening this week.

Attendance – Every minute Matters

We want to ensure that we are supporting our learners in their attendance at school. Many of you may have already seen some messaging regarding this on our internal Information screens. “Attendance Matters” and here at RC “Every Minute Matters”. Attendance at College is calculated by every class they attend. For each class missed, unless otherwise notified, a notification by text is sent to learner and family contact.

It will not surprise you that research has found, higher levels of attendance correlate with higher level of achievement. Attending gives you the opportunity to achieve more. We have revised our attendance processes so that we can engage with and support our learners and families when there is a potential attendance concern. We ask that if there is a concern, that you also take the initiative to discuss this with your learner’s Home Group teacher.

The Education Act specifies the reason a young person can be authorised not to attend school. They are:

• sickness/incapacity.
• medical, legal or related appointments.
• natural disaster or extreme weather preventing your child from safely attending their enrolled school.
• terminal illness of an immediate family member.
• bereavement of a person your child had a close, significant or family relationship with.
• having witnessed or been subjected to family violence.
• being a participant or official at a recognised State, National or International event.
• participation in a recognised learning experience.
• an application for home education being received by the Education Registrar and provisional registration being granted.

What will happen if my young person is absent for a reason that isn’t listed?

• The absence will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.
• Notifications are sent when classes are missed.
• Principals receive notifications about the number of unauthorised absences.
• The College may send you a letter notifying you of the number of unauthorised absences.
• Subject teachers, Home Group Teachers and POD leaders will seek to work with you to increase your child’s attendance to maximise their learning.

As young responsible adults we expect all learners to be punctual to their classes. There are no bells at the College. We understand that this can be challenging for some learners, but we will seek to support them with punctuality in instances where there is an ongoing concern, we hope to have our families support on this matter too.

Timetable and Enrichment

Our college day runs from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm, except on Wednesdays, when it concludes at 2:45 pm. Students who have a study line are encouraged to use this time wisely, engaging in tutorials, study, or enrichment activities.

This year, we are expanding our enrichment program with new opportunities to support learning, well-being, and community connections. Our Enrichment Expo was held last week, where students were able to explore these offerings and sign up for activities of interest.

We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead and encourage everyone to embrace the opportunities ahead with enthusiasm.

Andrew Woodham

Principal – Rosny College