Medication
Please be aware that no drugs, prescription or otherwise (including Panadol), are able to be administered by the college except in certain circumstances where it is necessary for a student to take medicine on a medical practitioner’s written orders during college hours. Parents are requested to notify the college in writing, provide the correct dosage for the period in question and provide a medical certificate and doctor’s instructions / prescription indicating the necessity for the drugs to be administered at college.
Mobile Phones
Student’s phones are to be stored in lockers and switched off. If students need to make a call during college hours, students are permitted to use the college phone. If someone needs to contact them during college hours, he/she may ring the office and the message will be relayed to the student concerned. Mobile phones will be confiscated and retained in safe keeping in the office for a week, if found being used or carried at school.
Student Leave Requests
Leave from school is generally discouraged, however sometimes such leave is unavoidable or necessary. As a courtesy, parents are asked to contact the Principal to discuss the proposed leave.
Leave is not to be excessively long and should be avoided completely in Years 10, 11, and 12. Assessment gaps in Years 11 and 12 can significantly impact a student’s ability to attain their Queensland Certificate of Education, ATAR scores, VET certificate, and/or traineeship and apprenticeship completion.
The Cairns Catholic Education Policy – Student Attendance lists the following acceptable and unacceptable reasons for non-attendance:
Acceptable reasons for non-attendance
- Illness or significant medical treatment
- Participating in a school or regional sporting or other event
- Attendance at a significant family event such as a funeral
Unacceptable reasons for non-attendance
- Birthdays
- Shopping
- Visiting family and friends
- Sleeping in
- Looking after other children
- Minor medical check-ups or procedures
- Haircuts
- Leaving early for travel or school holidays (or returning late from school holidays)
- Sports day or when the school is celebrating a liturgy or Mass. These are normal school days, and students and their parents must treat them as such – opting out is not an option.
Unapproved leave may still be taken, but it’s crucial to understand the potential consequences. Reteaching days/weeks of missed content is not possible, and examinations may not or cannot be rescheduled. Therefore, any missed assessment would be incomplete and noted in the Semester report. This may have more serious outcomes for Year 11 and 12 subjects and for a student’s Queensland Certificate of Education.
For approved leave, Middle Leaders Curriculum, in consultation with the Deputy Principal, will determine the procedure for your student to follow with regard to assessment. This procedure will follow the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority guidelines for assessment in all year levels and the guiding principles of timeliness and equity for all students will be followed in decisions for students. Please be aware that this may have a negative impact on the student’s educational outcomes.
General points to note
- Exams are to be completed upon return.
- Assignments are to be submitted by the due date as per normal procedures—may be electronic or in advance.
- Teachers can provide an indication of work to be covered and it is the student’s responsibility to catch up on their return .
- It is the student’s responsibility to collect work from teachers.
To request student leave, please complete the form below:
Whole School Behaviour Support Plan
SunSmart Policy Statement
School Annual Report
Catholic schools in the Diocese of Cairns meet their annual reporting requirements under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (the Act) Section 423 (1) by updating their information on this section of the Cairns Catholic Education website. Information contained in each section of the report relates to the previous calendar year. The required information is published by 30 June each year, except post-school destinations data for Year 12 completers which is published by 30 September.
Please note that the data shown in the Annual Report was collected during July and August 2023. Only Year 8 and Year 11 students were surveyed with 66.14% of these students responding, 64% of staff responding and 37% of parents responding.
Student Care Insurance
If your child has had an accident or injury at school, or in a school related activity, you may be entitled to claim for expenses under Catholic Education’s Student Care Insurance.
Find out more at the link below:
Below are policies and procedures adopted at St Stephen’s Catholic College.
A full list of policies is available on the Catholic Education Services website, at the links below:
