Thank you so much for the warm welcome I have received as I have begun the school year here at St Francis. It has been great to see the number of parents who have attended our parent and carer information evenings. I look forward to meeting each of you as the year goes on. The students have also shared a warm and friendly welcome.

Thoughts on Attendance: 

Regular attendance at school is integral to students’ learning, wellbeing and future life opportunities. Every day of attendance provides students with the opportunity to experience a sense of belonging within their school community, to grow in their faith and to realise their learning potential. St Francis Catholic College, in partnership with families, is responsible for encouraging and supporting the regular attendance of students at school. Under the Education Act 1990 (NSW), it is the duty of a parent of a child of compulsory school-age to cause the child to be enrolled at and to attend school. 

There have been some changes to the attendance procedures in 2025 (introduced by the Catholic Education, Diocese of Wollongong) as shown in this document.

Every day counts and every lesson counts.

Each lesson missed:

• Puts your child behind and harder for them to catch up 
• Can lead to lower achievement in reading, literacy and numeracy
• Can lead to gaps in learning and connection with friends
• Makes school completion less likely
• Makes the transition into the workforce, or tertiary education, post school, less likely to be successful. Absences add up: if a student misses 2 days a month, that adds up to four weeks a year. This, if it becomes a pattern, adds up to one and a half years from Kinder to Year 12!

What can families do? 

• Be firm! Send your child to school every day unless they are sick.However, if your child is displaying any cold or flu-like  symptoms, please DO NOT send them to school. We do have vulnerable members of our community whose health will be seriously jeopardised if they are exposed to viruses and the flu. 
• Develop good sleep and morning routines.
• Schedule extra-curricular and medical appointments outside of school hours.
• Do not book holidays in term time.
• Seek help before problems become too serious.

Remember: We are here to help: going to school more often will make a difference and positive attendance habits will follow your child into work and life.