EREA Student Leadership Conference

During the last week of the summer holidays, Edmund Rice Education Australia held a Student Leadership Conference at St Mary Mackillop House, North Sydney. The conference was hosted by NSW EREA schools, where student leaders from every EREA across Australia were invited and represented. Elias Logue, College Vice-Captain represented ERC with distinction across the four days. Whilst in attendance he was engaged in a variety of presentations based around the conference theme of Voice and Agency along with connecting with student leaders from other EREA schools, colleges and flexible – learning centres. Elias will lead the College Student Leadership Team midway through Term 1 with other student leadership teams from NSW to generate further partnerships and share stories.

Student Transport

• At present we are aware of the congestion on buses. This is normal at the commencement of the academic year. We have been in communication with both Premier and Dion’s Transport who have provided alternatives for travelling to and from school if required due to congestion and buses reaching capacity (LINK).
• Students without an opal card, MUST provide confirmation of order upon request of the driver
• General rules when travelling on public transport apply, these are clearly stated in the Code of Conduct on Buses and Trains (refer to Page 31 of the Student Diary).

Dion’s Buses – BUS S419 morning service

• As mentioned in the Parent Lounge (TASS) earlier this week, Dion’s Buses recently received feedback regarding the morning S419 service. Drivers will now pick up students from the bus stop on Park Rd before Trinity Row, Bulli (Stop ID 251647) and has now been included in the route.

Student Drop Off / Pick Up – REMINDERS

• Parents should not be driving down the College driveway at the commencement or conclusion of the school day or parking at the end of the turning circle
• Parents, please adhere to the local road rules when dropping off or picking up in the surrounding streets. If you are picking your son up and are stopping, waiting in marked ‘No Stopping or No Parking Areas’ or across personal driveways the council parking rangers have indicated that they will be fining offenders
• Year 12 student drivers, must have completed the permission to drive to/from school form with the appropriate signatures. Students who already have permission to drive are reminded of our local arrangement with residents about where they can park, being courteous and following safe driving practises – especially with regard to their speed around the surrounding streets. Students are to ensure they park correctly and allow suitable travel time so they are not late, leading them to make poor parking decisions which evidently can be a financial burden.
• Rangers have been called previously by local residents as a response to parents and student drivers parking illegally across driveways or too close to kerbs by residents. The College has not previously nor will it intervene or become involved with parking infringements and/or demerits actioned by authorities.

Collecting Students Early for an Appointment

• We ask that your son be given a note explaining why he is needing to leave early and have it signed in the morning by his Pastoral Care Coordinator.
• He will be required to keep the signed note until the required time to leave class and present it to the office to be collected.
• This process helps us help you, ensuring you arrive at your appointment on time. If an unplanned situation arises, please contact the College as soon as possible and we will locate your son. Please understand that this will take several minutes for your son to be brought to Reception.

College Detentions

• Thursday afternoon detentions commenced again this week. The day has been moved from Wednesday so there is no clash with commitments regarding Stage 5 Sport.
• The process has not changed:
  1. Students will be notified by the teacher issuing the afternoon detention

Communicating with the College – Who should I call when….?

Communication is a crucial part of your son’s education. Often with so many facets occurring at any one time it is difficult to know who to contact in the first instance. To assist in this process, we have provided a table of “Who should I call when….” as an initial point of reference and I would also encourage you to utilise your son’s student diary (for Stage 4 – 5).

Contacting the College via email

ERC recognises that email is a fast and convenient way to communicate with your child’s teacher. We wish to remind you that teachers read their emails at various times throughout the school day. Further, teachers are generally not expected to respond to emails from parents or students outside of normal working hours. In the case of an emergency please contact the Front Office during business hours on office@erc.nsw.edu.au or phone 02 – 4228 4344. We appreciate your assistance and understanding. If you have any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to contact the College.

Mr Walsh
Deputy Principal