ST MARY’S COPTIC ORTHODOX COLLEGE

19-35 Thorpdale Ave, Coolaroo Vic 3048 PO Box 19 Dallas Vic 3047

Tel: 03 93010999 Fax 03 93022610

Principal: Rev. Father Tadros Sharobeam

Email: stmarys@stmarys.vic.edu.au

Website: www.stmarys.vic.edu.au

Thank you for your interest in applying for enrolment at St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College. Listed below is information on enrolment, please read this carefully to ensure all requirements are met.

• All children who are being enrolled for Foundation must turn 5 by the 30 of April of their Foundation year.
• Children who turn 5 after the 30 April will not be accepted.
• No assessment or testing will be undertaken by children, who are younger than the specified cut off date.
• All parents, carers and children must attend an interview with the respective Heads of School.
• Parents or carers will be notified by mail whether their child has been accepted for enrolment.

To enrol, you must bring the following documents with you:

• A completed Enrolment Form.
• A Copy of your child’s Birth Certificate.
• A Copy of your child’s Baptism Certificate.
• Reference from your local priest – see Page 9
• A Copy of your child’s most recent semester school report (if enrolling in year levels other than Foundation
• A copy of your child’s last NAPLAN test results (Year 3 and above)
• Immunisation Certificate from your local council (Primary students only
• A Copy of your passport showing date of entry into Australia & type of visa,

• If you are on a visa, please complete the following information:

A non-refundable application fee of $100.00 per child is payable on the day of the interview. This administration fee does not confirm acceptance. This fee is separate from College fees.

If a place is offered, a formal letter of offer will be forwarded to the parents or carers. The offer will be accepted if the College receives the signed Acceptance Form with the minimum payment of one term’s College Fees in advance by the due date.

All students, parents and carers must agree to the College Student Code of Conduct and Parent/Carer Code of Conduct. These are attached at the end of the enrolment form.

The College reserves the right to refuse offering enrolment of any student.

(Please note: there is a separate fee for this service)

11.Does the FATHER speak a language other than English at home?

The following information is required to assist the College assess and manage the enrolment of students, who may pose a risk of harm to themselves, other students or Staff.

14.Are there any circumstances about the student seeking to be enrolled that the College should

know prior to enrolment? (Behaviour, social difficulties, etc If you selected yes, please provide necessary supporting documents.

15. To your knowledge, is there anything in the student’s history or circumstances that might pose a risk of any type to the student, other students, Staff or visitors?

16. Does the student have any history of violence or socially unacceptable behaviour?

Schools are required to seek parental permission to cover a wide range of activities and situations associated with your child’s learning, health and duty of care. Please read and sign.

Medical Treatment

Photographs

Head Lice

Uniform

Coptic Orthodox Philosophy and Values

Application for enrolment of your child at St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College means that you are choosing a Coptic Orthodox education for your child. It requires your commitment to support the Philosophy and Values of the College and a willingness to co-operate in their implementation. Specifically, it means:

• Religious Education is a core subject, including participation in prayer and liturgy.
• Coptic values are emphasised.
• Academic excellence and the acquisition of skills are promoted within a Coptic Orthodox framework.
• Your child is expected to adhere to the College’s standards for: obehaviour, uniform and self-discipline guidelines oachieving academic outcomes oparticipation in College activities, incursions, excursions and camps

Your co-operation is essential to assist your child attain these goals. Parents and carers are expected to be supportive in attending parent/teacher information evenings and parent/teacher interviews.

Each person signing below agrees:

1.I have read and agree to the responsibilities in the above Coptic Orthodox Philosophy and Values and apply for enrolment of my child, subject to those conditions. I agree to adhere to the policies and guidelines determined by the College.

2.To abide by all College rules, Codes of Conduct and policies. These documents are available on the College website (and from the College) and should be read carefully and understood.

3.I agree jointly, and independently, to pay all College fees, levies and charges incurred while my child is enrolled, including any expenses incurred by the College as a result of late or non payment.

4.I acknowledge that false, misleading or incomplete information in this form may entitle the College to cancel my child’s enrolment.

PLEASE HAVE Parish Priest Reference FILLED AND SIGNED BY YOUR PARISH PRIEST

Press on the link below to download the Parish Priest Reference

Parish Priest Reference

Please upload all your documents after signing from the below section

You can save your form and come back after you collect all your signed documents for uploading

St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College believes that all community members play a valuable role in the life of the College and have the right to feel safe, secure and supported in their College community. Members of the St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College community are expected to uphold the Christian ethos of the College.

The Codes of Conduct apply to Council members, staff, contractors, consultants, volunteers, students, parents, carers, relatives and guests of the College, whether in the College or attending any College related function or activity at another location. The College Board is responsible for endorsing the Code of Conduct.

The College Principal is responsible for ensuring all members of the College community are aware of the Codes of Conduct upon arrival and for implementing the standards of conduct as set out within these codes.

Staff members are responsible for respecting diversity, individual needs, cultural practices and beliefs of community members; providing an environment that encourages positive interactions, support constructive feedback and provide guidance through positive role modelling, and when appropriate, clear and respectful directions. Given that volunteers and contractors may not have access to the Codes of Conduct, staff are obligated to ensure that the activities of volunteers and contractors comply with the Code.

Parents and carers are responsible for supporting the efforts of the College in maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all students and in modelling the College’s core values. Parents and carers fulfil this responsibility through respectful communication with College teachers and staff involved with their child’s progress at school. This includes supporting the College in matters of punctuality, absence, late arrival or early departure, behaviour and dress standards as well as with staff and other parents and carers in relation to College events and activities.

Students are responsible for treating all members of the College community with respect, upholding the rights of their peers to be educated in a safe learning environment and respecting and maintaining the College standards with uniform, behaviour, punctuality, engagement, participation and achievement. Students will represent the College in a manner that is consistent with the College’s core values.

Students are the central focus of St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College. All that we do is motivated by a commitment to providing the best spiritual, learning and social environment for the students. In return, each student has responsibility to make a positive contribution to the life of the College and make the most of opportunities afforded to them.

The Student Code of Conduct sets out responsibilities and expectations for every student enrolled at St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College. This Code of Conduct forms a condition of the student’s enrolment.

Students of St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College are expected to:

a. Support and demonstrate the right of every individual to be free from harassment, bullying, intimidation, discrimination or aggressive behaviour;

b. Support the College in maintaining a child safe environment where all children are protected and feel safe, by refraining from using any inappropriate language or behaviour, and by bringing to staff attention any issues related to child safety;

c. Reach his or her academic potential by cooperating with staff, being well prepared for lessons and completion of all tasks;

d. Refrain from interfering with, or preventing the learning of others;

e. Represent St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College in a manner that upholds the values, ethos and reputation of the College;

f. Maintain a full involvement in the College community through Chapel, liturgies, assemblies and other College activities;

g. Be in attendance on all school days and at scheduled, timetabled and co-curricular activities, except in cases of illness, accident or approved leave;

h. Wear the correct College uniform at all times and be neat and tidy in appearance;

i. Demonstrate respect, courtesy and appropriate language when with other members of the College, the local and broader community;

j. Show respect for College buildings, facilities, contents, grounds and the possessions of other students, staff and the College;

k. Demonstrate appropriate internet usage on a personal or College device and appropriate personal, legal and ethical use of social media and digital communications;

l. Not partake in the use of non-medically prescribed substances, including tobacco, alcohol and other illicit substances on the campus of the College, whilst participating in any College activity off campus or whilst wearing College uniform.

The consequences for a student breaching this Code of Conduct will be determined at the discretion of the Principal or Assistant Principal. The student may receive a sanction such as a written warning, detention, suspension, behaviour contract, removal of leadership position, exclusion from an activity, excursion, trip or camp and/or termination of enrolment

If a breach of the Student Code of Conduct is deemed to be of a serious criminal nature, St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College reserves the right to report the matter to police, seek legal advice or report it to external agencies or relevant authorities. Please note that staff have mandatory reporting obligations by law where they have reasonable grounds to suspect a child is at risk of sexual, physical or emotional harm and have serious concerns about the welfare of the child.

Students with a complaint or grievance are expected to follow the procedures and processes outlined in the St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College Grievance Policy.

1. Home College Partnership

At St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College, we appreciate that parents and carers are the primary educators of their children. We know that family involvement in the College community, including supporting and upholding the College values and policies has a positive effect on student learning and behaviour. Therefore, we recognise that operating in a partnership between home and the College is in the best interests of the student. Parents/carers’ communication and continued support for their child’s learning and the College will assist in better catering for the child’s learning and developmental needs.

2. Expectations

a. Members of the St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College community will respect diversity in people, their ideas and opinions, their legal and moral rights and treat others fairly, with dignity and respect at all times regardless of race, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability.

b. St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students in its care. Parents and carers are expected to adhere to the parents/carers Code of Conduct and support the College in maintaining a child safe environment where all children are protected and feel safe, by bringing to staff attention any issues related to child safety.

c. St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College is an independent school; it relies on the payment of school fees to function. Parents and carers who have chosen to send their children to St Mary’s, they have a moral obligation to pay their school fees to ensure the best education and care for their child/ren. For detailed information about the College’s fees, refer to the Fee Structure and Tuition Fee Collection Policy.

d. Parents and carers are expected to provide their child’s Immunisation Certificate or Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) and complete and return the attached Medical Information Form at the time of enrolment. To assist the College in managing medical emergencies, catering for the student’s needs and communicating with parents and carers in a timely manner, parents and carers are to provide accurate information about their child’s needs and contact details and keep the College informed of any changes to the child’s medical condition/s, their address or contact numbers. The Medical Information Form will be completed on annual basis.

e. School attendance is compulsory, therefore students need to be encouraged by their parents or carers to attend school regularly when the school is open for instruction, and parents or carers are expected to provide a reason for their child’s absence from school, whether for part of the day or for the whole day.

f. Students are expected to be at school from 8:30am to 3:15pm. Students should not be removed from school except for important appointments that could not be made outside of school hours, due to illness or injury. Picking students up announced from 2:45 pm or picking students early to avoid traffic is not acceptable. A note in writing explaining the reason for a student’s late arrival or early departure is expected of the child’s parents or carers.

g. Parents and carers are expected to be supportive in attending parent/teacher information evenings and parent/teacher interviews.

h. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the College grounds or at College functions, nor will it be tolerated for community members to be under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs, or provide others with illegal drugs.

3. Communication

a. Written and spoken language, whether in person, via telephone or online, will be courteous. Parents and carers are most welcome to provide feedback for improvement. However, disparaging, harassing, or offensive language in the College environment will not be tolerated. The College reserves the right to take appropriate action, if this occurs. b. Parents and carers should find an appropriate time to approach staff regarding feedback. Appointments with staff need to be made through reception or via email. Arriving at the College and insisting on speaking with a staff member without an appointment, is highly discouraged.

c. Parents and carers must update their address and contact details (phone numbers, emails etc as soon as possible. d. Communication is vitally important between parents/carers and the College. Involving other parents or carers in incidents involving your child, or ringing other parents or carers with a complaint against their child is inappropriate and unacceptable, due to breach of confidentiality.

e. Addressing a student regarding an issue or incident involving your child is unacceptable. Any issues of concern regarding a student other than your child should be discussed with College staff only.

f. If there is a concern about a bus driver or other students on a College bus, then the parentsor carers should contact the College. Under no circumstances are parents and carers permitted to get on the bus and complain to students or the driver. The College reserves the right to withdraw bus services for a student, if this occurs.

g. Parents and carers are to refrain from using social media to badmouth the College, staff member/s, another parent, carer or student/s. Any concerns should be addressed to the Principal or Assistant Principal. The College will deal with issues professionally, respecting the privacy of all involved.

4. School Activities

a. Parents and carers are asked to support whole College events and activities such as liturgies, chapel, and sports days. Students learn by example. As Christians, chapel and liturgies are the cornerstone of St Mary’s Coptic Orthodox College. Parents and carers must ensure that their children attend all the school events and activities on time.

b. Insist that your child attends, and is on time for, liturgies, chapel, sports days and whole College events.

5. Breaches of this Code of Conduct

The consequences for breaching this agreement will be determined at the discretion of the Principal or Assistant Principal and may result in the following:

a. Directed to restrict communication with members of staff through a nominated College representative.

b. Mediation sessions organised by the College

c. Banned from attending any College activity

d. Banned from being on the College grounds

e. In the case of an extreme or prolonged breach of the Code of Conduct by a parent or carer, the College may terminate the enrolment of the child/ren of that parent or carer.

6. Complaints and Grievances

Parents and carers with a complaint or grievance are advised to address it by following the process outlined in the Complaint and Grievances Policy.