Term 1 Letter to Parents from Heads of Middle and Senior Schools

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We look forward to welcoming your children back to school for the beginning of the 2024 academic year. This correspondence provides information regarding the commencement of the school year, some new initiatives we are implementing, and some reminders of our expectations of your children as they return to school.

The Berry Street Education Model
As you may be aware, school staff have engaged in professional learning in the Berry Street Education Model over the past two years. We begin this year by working with the students to better prepare them for their learning. This preparation involves ensuring they are calm and organised as they enter the classroom, have all the required equipment for their lessons, and are fully engaged in the learning that is taking place. Next week, we will take the students through our new classroom entry routines designed to assist them in entering calmly, and ready for learning. In their pastoral care groups daily, their tutors will ensure that the students know their routines, have all the required equipment for their lessons, and manage their workload, homework, and relationships.

The new structures we will be implementing for the classroom entry routines are as follows:

• Have all my materials for each lesson with me.
• Quietly line up outside my classroom.
• Listen to the teacher's instructions.
• Enter the classroom quietly and move to my allocated seat.
• Start my allocated work.

All classroom teachers in the Senior and Middle Schools will implement these expectations and assist your children to ensure a consistent approach across the Secondary School. As we are only a few days from the start of the school year, it is essential to remind you and your children of the expectations around uniform jewellery, mobile phones, and haircuts. Attached to this
correspondence is a link that lays out the expectations in detail for these four areas.

Uniform:

• Uniforms are to be kept clean, well-pressed and in good condition.
• Students must change into their sports uniforms at the beginning of their sports lessons and back into their formal uniforms after the lesson.
• Sports uniforms are only to be worn for PE lessons. If a student has before or after-school sports training, they must bring their sports uniform to school to change into.
• Year 6 students can wear their sports uniform all day when they have sports.
• Girls'skirts must touch the top of the knee when standing.
• Students should wear the school hat in Terms 1 and 4.
• School shoes – black leather lace-up, polished and in good condition.
• On Friday, all students are to wear the House uniform.

Hairstyles:

• Hair must be clean, brushed, neat, tidy, and kept off the face.
• Hair must be natural colour. No brightly coloured, streaked hair or multi-coloured hair.
• If hair touches the collar, all hair must be completely tied back with a ribbon, hair band or scrunchie only in School colours.
• Hairstyles are to be conservative. Extreme fashion styles not permitted are, but not limited to, beaded-braids, rat tails, dreadlocks, spikes, undercuts, top-knots.
• No excessive use or hair gel or hair products.

Jewellery:

• Jewellery (piercings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, anklets, etc.) cannot be worn apart from a watch, earrings, or a medic-alert bracelet.
• Students with pierced ears may wear one pair of small plain gold or silver studs or sleepers. The sleepers and studs must be no greater than 3-5mm in diameter. Two earrings must be worn, but only one earring in each ear. Earrings must be worn in the lower part of the lobe and in the same position in each ear. Clear plastic studs may be worn to keep ear piercings open. No other body piercings are permitted.
• Jewellery that does not comply with the above standards will be confiscated for two weeks.

Appearance:

• Middle School students in Years 6 – 8 are not permitted to wear makeup. Fake tans, tinted moisturisers, and tinted sunscreen lotions are also prohibited. A clear lotion is recommended.
• Senior School students are permitted to wear natural-looking/lightly applied makeup.
• False eyelashes are not permitted.
• Students must be clean-shaven.
• Coloured nail polish and false nails are not permitted.

Mobile Phones:
Middle School:

• Middle School students must keep their mobile phones in lockers until the end of the day.
• Mobile phones, including recess and lunch, are not to be used at school between 8.00am and 3:25pm.
• If students need to communicate briefly with their parents, they should proceed to the Middle School reception and ask their parents to be contacted.

Senior School:

• The mobile phone of the Years 9 to 11 students must be kept in their lockers.
• Although we prefer studentsto pay by card or Smartrider for their lunches, we understand they may need to use their phones to pay. Once lunch has been purchased, phones must be returned to their lockers.
• Year 12 students can have their phones with them, but they must be set to silent and cannot be used in class or at break times.
• Students found using their phones between 8.00am and 3.25pm will have them confiscated. At the end of the day, the phones can be collected from the Senior School Reception.
• If students need to use their phones to communicate briefly with parents, work, or the like – they should use the 'phone zone' available in Senior School Reception.

Term 1 of 2024 will be busy. The key dates for Middle and Senior School are listed at the end of this letter.

The new term begins on Monday, 29 January, at 8.35am. We look forward to the students' return
and the many successes 2024 will bring. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch
with us.

Yours sincerely,

Mr John Stewart,
Head of Middle School

Miss Kelly Nebel
Head of Senior School

Term 1 Key Dates
Week 1
• Monday 29 January – First day of Term 1
• Wednesday 31 January - New students Year 6 to 10 Catchup ACER testing
• Thursday, 1 February – New students' photographs
• Friday 2 February - Secondary Interhouse Swimming Carnival

Week 2
• Monday 5 February – Year 9 to 11 Parent Information Evening

Week 3
• Monday 12 February – Year 6 Parent Information Evening
• Tuesday 13 February – CareerLink Courses commence
• Friday 16 February – Secondary Highflyers Assembly

Week 4
• Monday 19 February – Year 7 and 8 Parent Information Evening
• Wednesday 21 February – Challen Fundraising Day
• Thursday 22 February – Year 12 ATAR Goal Setting Day
• Friday 23 February – Year 12 General Goal Setting Day

Week 5
• Monday 26 February – Year 11 and 12 Adulting Day
• Wednesday 28 February – Year 10 to 12 CAS Sport Carnivals
• Thursday, 29 February – Year 7 and 10 Immunisations

Week 6
• Tuesday 5 March – Year 12 Parent Teacher Interviews

Week 7 – NAPLAN Week 1
• Monday 11 March – Year 7 Point Walter Day Camp and Year 11 Parent Teacher Interviews
• Tuesday 12 March – Year 7 Point Walter Day Camp
• Friday 15 March – Student Free Day for Year 6 and Year 6 Parent Teacher Interviews

Week 8 – NAPLAN Week 2

Week 9
• Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 March – Year 6 Ern Halliday Camp
• Thursday 28 March – Easter Service and End of Term 1