A very warm welcome to the San Clemente Catholic College community to all our new families. For those families returning I hope the year has started in a very positive manner. As with any new year I have appreciated that students and staff have returned renewed, refreshed and excited about the opportunities provided at our school. Welcoming Year 7 students last week  and seeing the large number of parents on the day I was reminded of the wonderful sense of community that we have worked hard to develop and maintain over many years. This weeks opening assembly reinforced this message as we welcomed new staff and Year 7 with our now traditional “clap in”.

During this assembly I reminded students that we have an excellent reputation for building quality interpersonal connections within our community. Students at San Clemente are extremely welcoming, often pausing to greet each other and staff. The manner in which students enter the room, respectfully greeting staff has always been of the highest quality. Guests to our school will often comment on the engaged nature of our students when it comes to their relationships. This engagement can have an extremely high impact on a students learning.

I also spoke about students preparing themselves in a manner that gets them entering the school or classrooms in a positive manner. Specifically I was talking about their physical preparation and in particular their uniform. For students to feel good and thus feel confident they also need to look good. Our uniform provides sharp yet comfortable clothing for our students when worn well. Further to this, our policy around hair, make up and piercings encourage our students to present themselves ready for the day in a manner that shows staff they are prepared and ready to learn. Similar to standards that all must meet in our work place as we prepare for the demands of our job, when we prepare well, we often feel better and are able to work to the best of our potential. I have listed below a number of focus areas that I have asked Mentors, Leaders of Wellbeing and all staff to assist students to be at their best:

Facial piercings – The school endeavours to work with the students by permitting discrete/’invisible’ replacements only to prevent infections or closing but they are not to be seen. If a student chooses to wear a facial piercing, he/she will receive an infringement and on the third occasion will be internally suspended at school. Any further infringements will result in a meeting with the Year Coordinator and Assistant Principal and, if necessary, the Principal. 

Shoes – School: Must be black leather lace-up style. High-top and Canvas shoes are not permitted.

Shoes – Sports: Sports shoes must be of an athletic or jogger style. Skate or casual shoes are not permitted.

Hair – Extremes of style and/or colour (girls and boys) are not acceptable. Long hair must be tied back.

Socks – Only white socks are acceptable with both academic and sport uniforms.

Skirt – Must be no more than 5cm above the knee. At times, they are rolled up or altered. This is not permitted.

Sport Shorts – These are not to be altered. The Uniform Shop (Alinta) now stocks specifically designed shorts for girls which are both a better fit and more comfortable.

Sport Uniform – Only to be worn on days in which students have practical PDHPE lessons and Fridays.

I look forward to working with all students and families throughout 2025. Please do not hesitate to contact of you have any questions or concerns.