Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we approach the end of the academic year in 2024, we would like to remind you of the necessary steps to exit your child/children from Sirius College, should you be planning to do so.

Exit Form Submission Deadline

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting the Student Exit Form for the next year is the 1st of November 2024. Failure to provide this required notice will result in the incurrence of a full-term fee.

You may review the Student Exit Policy on the parent portal at Seqta Engage for more details regarding the exit process.

Online Exit Form

To submit your exit request, please visit https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/exit. The online form must be completed and submitted by midnight on the 1st of November 2024, to avoid incurring an additional tuition fee.

Exception for Year 12 Graduates

It’s important to note that Year 12 graduating students are exempt from completing the exit form.

Previous Submissions

If you have already submitted an exit request, there is no need to resubmit it.

Important Points to Consider When Submitting an Exit Application

To avoid technical issues when submitting an exit application, we strongly recommend reviewing the following:

• Use a computer instead of mobile devices for the application.
• Make sure you have stable internet access.
• Ensure your mobile phone number and email address are correctly registered in the school systems.
• Save the school mobile number (0488 868 831) on your mobile phone to receive the SMS code (the system also sends the code to your registered email address).
• Double-check that you have entered the correct Student ID.
• Submit a separate application for each student you wish to exit.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and encourage you to complete the exit process in a timely manner if it applies to your situation.

Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope you had a restful break as we reach the halfway point of the academic year. As a not-for-profit organization, Sirius College has a proud tradition of offering scholarships to support our students in their pursuit of excellence and to assist families who may be facing financial difficulties.

We are pleased to announce that scholarship applications for the year 2025 are now open and will remain so until the end of the Term 3 holiday. We would like to emphasize that late applications will not be accepted. Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria, including academic excellence, financial need, community service, and special talents.

To apply for a scholarship, please ensure that you submit your application by midnight on Sunday, 6^th October 2024. The application process can be completed online through this link https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/scholarship. Please note that a non-refundable fee payment is required for all applications. You will be directed to the payment webpage via the application form.

It is important to mention that the application form incorporates a two-way authentication process. You will be asked to provide the Student ID, and a verification code will be sent to the mobile phone number we have on record for the parent. Once you enter the code, the form will populate with relevant information and allow you to complete the required fields before submission.

To check your eligibility for the scholarships and to access the application form, please click here.

If you have any further inquiries or require assistance with the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to support you and ensure a smooth application experience.

Thank you for your attention, and we look forward to receiving your scholarship applications.

Best regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we navigate through the winter season, we kindly remind you of our school’s Communicable Diseases Policy. The well-being of our students, staff, and the broader school community is our top priority.

Policy on Sick Children:

If your child is showing any symptoms of an infectious disease, please keep them at home. These symptoms may include, but are not limited to:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches
• Headache
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting

If a child arrives at school displaying any of these symptoms or develops them during the school day, we will contact you immediately to pick them up. This policy is in place to prevent the spread of illness and to ensure a healthy environment for everyone.

What You Can Do:

• Monitor your child’s health daily.
• Encourage good hygiene practices, such as regular handwashing.
• Ensure your child gets plenty of rest and stays hydrated.
• Seek medical advice if your child shows symptoms of an infectious disease.

We understand that keeping children home can be challenging, but your cooperation is essential in keeping our school community safe and healthy. Thank you for your understanding and support in this matter.

Should you have any questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Warm regards,

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we approach the midpoint of the current academic year, we would like to remind you that the application deadline for new students wishing to join Sirius College in the next academic year is rapidly approaching. Please submit your applications by Friday, 31 May 2024, before midnight.

If you are considering applying for your other child(ren), children of your relatives or friends to study at Sirius College, please proceed to the application page by clicking here.

Please note that this application is only for new students and not for the re-enrolment of current students.

For a detailed overview of our enrollment procedures, please review our Enrolment Policy. (a PDF file will be available for download)

For those who have already applied, no further action is required at this time. We will contact you if additional information is needed.

We are also pleased to inform you that Sirius College offers sibling discounts on annual fees. While the fee schedule for the 2025 academic year is not yet finalized, our current fee schedules can provide a preliminary guide. For more details, please refer to our School Fee Schedules.

Should you have any questions or require assistance with the application process, please feel free to reach out to the Enrolment Coordinator at the office of your preferred campus.

Thank you for choosing Sirius College for your children’s education. We are eager to welcome your additional family members to our school community potentially.

Warm regards,

Sirius College
Enrolment Department

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we approach the midpoint of the current academic year, we would like to remind you that the application deadline for new students wishing to join Sirius College in the next academic year is rapidly approaching. Please submit your applications by Friday, 31 May 2024, before midnight.

If you are considering applying for your other child(ren), children of your relatives or friends to study at Sirius College, please proceed to the application page by clicking here.

Please note that this application is only for new students and not for the re-enrolment of current students.

For a detailed overview of our enrollment procedures, please review our Enrolment Policy. (a PDF file will be available for download)

For those who have already applied, no further action is required at this time. We will contact you if additional information is needed.

We are also pleased to inform you that Sirius College offers sibling discounts on annual fees. While the fee schedule for the 2025 academic year is not yet finalized, our current fee schedules can provide a preliminary guide. For more details, please refer to our School Fee Schedules.

Should you have any questions or require assistance with the application process, please feel free to reach out to the Enrolment Coordinator at the office of your preferred campus.

Thank you for choosing Sirius College for your children’s education. We are eager to welcome your additional family members to our school community potentially.

Warm regards,

Sirius College
Enrolment Department

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We trust this letter finds you and your family in good health. The purpose of this communication is to inform you about the recent increase in reported COVID-19 cases within our school community. The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and families are of utmost importance to us, and we are committed to taking every precaution to ensure a healthy learning environment.

It has come to our attention that recent cases have been linked to social gatherings and interactions outside of the school. We kindly request your support in reinforcing the importance of COVID-19 preventive measures within your family and social circles.

Here are some key reminders:

Follow Health Guidelines: Encourage your family members to follow all recommended health guidelines, including wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and frequent handwashing.

Monitor Symptoms: Please be vigilant in monitoring any symptoms associated with COVID-19 among your family members. If anyone experiences symptoms or has been in contact with a confirmed case, follow the appropriate protocols and inform the school via this link https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/covidtest. The school will not allow students with symptoms or confirmed positive for COVID-19, to attend.

Parents are expected not to send their children if they show symptoms of any infectious diseases including COVID.

Limit Gatherings: Consider minimizing social gatherings and interactions, especially in situations where proper safety measures may be challenging to maintain.

We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our school community. By working together, we can help reduce the risk of further spread.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to the well-being of our school community.

Regards,

Dear Parents and Guardians,

At Sirius College, our commitment to enhancing the quality of education and services we provide to our students and their families remains steadfast. We deeply value the input from our students, parents, staff, and the broader community. As part of our ongoing efforts, we have crafted a survey for our parents, which can be accessed here and should be completed by Sunday, November 19, 2023.

The survey outlines key criteria that are common across all schools and designed to benefit students and parents. These criteria are comparable and may influence parental decisions when selecting a school for their children. We would like to ask you to please let us know how you think Sirius College about other schools based on each of the criteria mentioned in the survey.

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we approach the end of the academic year in 2023, we would like to remind you of the necessary steps to exit your child/children from Sirius College, should you be planning to do so.

Exit Form Submission Deadline

Please be aware that the deadline for submitting the Student Exit Form for the next year is the 3rd of November 2023. Failure to provide this required notice will result in the incurrence of a full-term fee.

You may review the Student Exit Policy on the parent portal at Seqta Engage for more details regarding the exit process.

Online Exit Form

To submit your exit request, please visit https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/exit. The online form must be completed and submitted by midnight on the 3rd of November, 2023, to avoid incurring an additional tuition fee.

Exception for Year 12 Graduates

It’s important to note that Year 12 graduating students are exempt from completing the exit form.

Previous Submissions

If you have already submitted an exit request, there is no need to resubmit it.

We appreciate your attention to this matter and encourage you to complete the exit process in a timely manner if it applies to your situation.

Should you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope you had a restful break as we reach the halfway point of the academic year. As a not-for-profit organization, Sirius College has a proud tradition of offering scholarships to support our students in their pursuit of excellence and to assist families who may be facing financial difficulties.

We are pleased to announce that scholarship applications for the year 2024 are now open and will remain so until the end of the Term 3 holiday. We would like to emphasize that late applications will not be accepted. Scholarships are awarded based on various criteria, including academic excellence, financial need, community service, and special talents.

To apply for a scholarship, please ensure that you submit your application by midnight on Monday, 2nd October 2023. The application process can be completed online through this link https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/scholarship. Please note that a non-refundable fee payment is required for all applications. You will be directed to the payment webpage via the application form.

It is important to mention that the application form incorporates a two-way authentication process. You will be asked to provide the Student ID, and a verification code will be sent to the mobile phone number we have on record for the parent. Once you enter the code, the form will populate with relevant information and allow you to complete the required fields before submission.

To check your eligibility for the scholarships and to access the application form, please click here.

If you have any further inquiries or require assistance with the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to support you and ensure a smooth application experience.

Thank you for your attention, and we look forward to receiving your scholarship applications.

Best regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we approach the midpoint of the year, we would like to remind you that the deadline for applications for your other children or relatives to study at our school next year is Wednesday, 31 May 2023, at midnight.

To apply for your other child(ren) to study at Sirius College, please visit the application page by clicking here. Please note that this application is only for new students and not for current students. We do not require re-enrolment of current students.

If you have already done an application for enrolment, there is no need to take any further action. You will be contacted when necessary.

We would also like to inform you that Sirius College offers discounts on annual fees for siblings of existing students. For more information on these discounts, please refer to our School Fee Schedules. Kindly note that fees for the 2024 academic year have not been released yet, and the current schedules are indicative only.

If you require additional information regarding enrolment applications, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant Enrolment Coordinator by calling the office of your preferred campus.

Thank you for entrusting your children’s education to Sirius College. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome your other children into our community.

Yours sincerely,
Sirius College

Dear Parents and Students,

We are excited to announce some updates about our curriculum framework. The College has been working to align its curriculum with the emerging trends in education, including blended and personalised learning, and the newly refined Australian Curriculum. Our goal is to provide a flexible learning environment that prepares students for the challenges and opportunities of the future while considering their workload and well-being.

Beginning in the 2024 academic year, we will introduce changes to our subject period distribution and bell times to improve the learning experience for our students. We will transition to five periods of one hour per day, allowing for more in-depth learning and exploration of the subject content. Research suggests that this change will lead to a deeper understanding of topics and provide more flexibility for teachers to adapt their lessons to the needs and interests of their students.

In primary school, we will introduce a new program that combines Science and Technology content from the curriculum, along with a separate Humanities subject, to provide a more focused approach to these learning areas. We will introduce Performing Arts and Creative Arts subjects to allow our students to explore their creativity and express themselves in new and exciting ways. These changes will support our aim to develop skills that will be valuable in the modern workforce, such as problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and creativity. Additionally, we will introduce a new enrichment program in years 5 and 6 as part of the weekly timetable, designed to challenge and inspire our students.

In secondary school, we will continue to build on this foundation. We will set a more manageable workload for students by reducing the number of subjects that students are required to take simultaneously and carefully balancing the weekly period distribution for each subject. In years 7 and 8, we will teach more Technology and Arts. In years 9 and 10, we will update the elective structure and minimise compulsory subjects, allowing students to select more subjects that align with their interests and pathways. This will include an opportunity to study more VCE subjects before Year 11.

We will also extend recess and lunchtime to provide students with more time to recharge and socialise, while introducing shorter Wednesdays with one period less. These changes will have several potential benefits, such as enhanced teacher development, reduced student burnout, improved attendance, and better study balance. A slightly shorter day in the middle of the week will enable students to rest, recharge, better their focus, and enhance academic performance. Students will also have more time to pursue extracurricular activities or to engage in hobbies and other interests.

Your feedback is crucial to help us make decisions regarding changes to our bell schedule. Please complete the linked survey by May 19th to share your preferred schedule and any questions or concerns you may have. We value your input and will use it to inform our decision-making process and address any concerns you may have.

We believe these changes to our curriculum framework will put the College in a better position to meet future changes in the educational landscape, enhance the learning experience of our students, and better prepare them for success. Thank you for your continued support of our College, and we look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.

Sincerely,

Sirius College

* Sent by the Curriculum Team.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we are approaching the midway point of the year, we are pleased to remind you that the deadline for applications for your other children or relatives to study at our school next year is fast approaching. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, 31 May 2023.

If you would like to apply for your other child(ren) to study at Sirius College, please proceed to the application page by clicking here. Please note that this application is only for new students and not for the re-enrolment of current students. To view our  Enrolment Policy which outlines how the application for enrolment will be processed, please click here. (PDF file will be downloaded for your reference.)

If you have already done an application for enrolment, you do not need to do anything else. You will be contacted when necessary.

We would also like to remind you that Sirius College offers discounts on annual fees for siblings of existing students. For more information on these discounts, please refer to our School Fee Schedules. It is important to note that fees for the 2024 academic year have yet to be released, and the current schedules are only indicative.

If you require further information regarding enrolment applications, please do not hesitate to contact the relevant Enrolment Coordinator by calling the office of your desired campus.

Thank you for entrusting your children’s education to Sirius College, and we look forward to the opportunity to welcome your other children into our community.

Yours sincerely,
Sirius College

Dear Parents,

Your child/ren is listed as currently holding a New Zealand passport. As a courtesy, we wanted to let you know the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs has released a statement below.

Note: we are not providing any advice on immigration or citizenship. This email is only to inform the Sirius College community of changes that will be made by the Australian Government.

If you have any questions please direct them to the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs – click here or phone: 131 881

“From 1 July 2023, New Zealand citizens who have been living in Australia for four years or more will be eligible to apply directly for Australian citizenship. They will no longer need to first apply for and be granted a permanent visa. These changes apply to New Zealand citizens holding a Special Category (subclass 444) visa (SCV) who arrived in Australia after 26 February 2001.”

Read the full article: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/new-zealand-citizens/pathway-to-permanent-resident-and-citizenship

It is important to keep the school updated with residency and visa information so we can ensure we have accurate information relating to your family.

Kind regards,

Christa Zeuschner

Registrar

* Please note that this email is only sent to parents holding New Zealand passports.

Dear Parents,

We hope you and your families have enjoyed a relaxing holiday break. We wish you a happy and successful academic year for our students.
As you have been informed last year with the updated Enrolment Agreement, we would like to take your attention to a couple of updated policies and procedures that were included in the Enrolment Agreement.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

As we all know that the likelihood of success in learning is strongly linked to regular attendance and appropriate participation in educational programs. It is crucial that students develop habits of regular attendance at an early age.

Our attendance policy is slightly changed and our practices will be more rigid to reflect the requirements of the policy. We strongly recommend you read the policy as we have listed some highlights.

• Leave request up to 3 school days, no application/approval is required even though you may submit the application.
• Unapproved absence for more than 3 school days, the relevant Coordinator will follow up with the family and take action if necessary.
• Leave for up to 25 school days in a single request each academic year may be approved.
• Leave for up to 40 school days (cumulative) in every academic year, may be approved.

You may access the application form via https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/leave as you may access all other forms in the parent portal. (the first screen when you log in to SEQTA)

PARENT CODE OF CONDUCT

We believe that cooperation, collaboration, and partnership between parents and our school ensures that student learning, well-being, and the core values of responsibility, respect, and compassion are supported.

The Parent Code of Conduct is to ensure such cooperation and support by outlining the school’s expectations for all parents and guardians regarding the conduct expected of them while engaging in school activities or representing Sirius College. We strongly encourage all our parents to familiarise themselves with this document.

FEEDBACK

We always value feedback including complaints, and concerns from our parents, and are happy to revise our practices if necessary. You may submit your feedback via https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/community/feedback/ via our website or the parent portal.

Regards,
Sirius College

Dear Parents,

As we, Sirius College try to improve our delivery of education and services to our students and parents, we always appreciate the feedback provided by our students, parents, staff, and community in general.

We have prepared a survey for our parents that is accessible via this link to complete by Monday, 15th of November 2022.

The survey lists value factors that exist across all schools generated for their students and parents. These values are comparable which may have an impact on parents’ decision to enrol in a school.

We would like you to provide your choice of thinking regarding Sirius College compared to other schools for each value factor listed in the survey.

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents and guardians,

If you are planning to exit your child/children from Sirius College at the end of this academic year (2022), you are required to submit a student exit form by the 11th of November 2022. Failure to provide the required notice will incur a full-term fee.

Parents should contact campus secretaries to request an online form. The online form must be completed and submitted by the 11th of November, 2022 to avoid an additional tuition fee.

There is no requirement for Year 12 graduating students to complete the exit form.

Regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff,

The Victorian Government has announced the end of the Pandemic Declaration and associated Pandemic Orders. This means that the mandatory orders around isolation for people with COVID-19 have ended and instead we move to health advice and recommendations for people with COVID-19 or COVID-19-like symptoms.

Our school will continue to adhere to the Department of Health’s recommendations to ensure that our school remains a safe environment for our staff and students.

The following settings, based on advice from the Department of Health apply from 11.59 pm Wednesday 12 October 2022.

It is strongly recommended that students:

• who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home and isolate themselves for 5 days
• should not attend school after 5 days if still symptomatic
• who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school
• advise the school of the COVID-19 positive test result.

Where students become symptomatic at school they should:

• be collected by their parents/carers
• undergo testing for COVID-19.

It is strongly recommended that staff:

• who test positive for COVID-19 stay home and isolate for 5 days
• should not attend after 5 days if still symptomatic
• who are symptomatic but have not tested positive should not attend school.

Reporting positive COVID-19 test results

We still require all staff and the parents of students who are confirmed positive for COVID-19 to report the school by phone or using a form via this link https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/covidtest. This practice is crucial for those with severe medical conditions in the school community.

We will notify all close contacts of a confirmed case to get tested and isolate if their test results return positive.

Face masks

Staff and students who wish to wear a face mask may continue to do so.

The Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who is a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 when leaving home.

Additionally, the Department of Health recommends that masks should be worn by a person who has COVID-19 for 10 days after a positive test when they need to leave home.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This is a reminder that scholarship applications for 2023 are still open until the end of the Term 3 holiday. Late applications will NOT be accepted. Scholarships are awarded for academic excellence, financial difficulty, community service and special talents.

Please submit your application by Monday, 3 October 2022 with all the required documents via https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/scholarship. All applications require a non-refundable fee payment where the applicants will be directed to the payment webpage through the application form.

Click here to check your eligibility for the scholarships.

Regards,

Sirius College

The following notification is sent via Docusign.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We have updated the Enrolment Agreement (previously known as Terms and Conditions of Enrolment) on 10 May 2022. The updated version of the agreement is effective on 22 August 2022.

Please read the document carefully and sign it digitally by 2 September 2022. You will be given an opportunity to download the signed copy of the agreement after your submission.

Both parents will receive the notification and are expected to sign unless the student has a single parent.

If you have any difficulties regarding digital signatures, please contact us at [email protected].

Please do not share this message with someone else.

Regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff,

The following is an update related to COVID-19

Mask Wearing in Schools

We would like to inform you that the Independent Schools in Victoria have received expert advice on the return to wearing masks in schools. The advice strongly urges schools to have an indoor mask requirement for all students aged 8 and over and all staff, while younger students should also be encouraged to wear masks.

A short letter is available that explains this will be a consistent expectation across all schools in Victoria this winter.

We strongly recommend that through to the end of winter, all students aged 8 and over and all staff will wear masks when in class, except where removing a mask is necessary for clear communication or when a particular activity requires the removal of a mask.

Masks are not required to be worn outdoors but can be worn when physical distancing is not possible. This expectation should not constrain student participation in the full range of school activities, including music, sport and performances.

Schools are not required or expected to sanction students or staff who do not meet this expectation but are asked to communicate this expectation to the whole school community and seek their support for this collective effort.

Wearing masks is a simple step we can all take this winter to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases and ensure our schools are as safe as possible.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Sirius College is a not-for-profit organisation that has a great tradition of providing scholarships for our students to encourage them in their pursuit of excellence and to our families who are facing financial difficulty to lessen their hardships.

Scholarship applications for 2023 are now open until the end of the Term 3 holiday. Late applications will NOT be accepted. Scholarships are awarded for academic excellence, financial difficulty, community service and special talents.

Please submit your application by Monday, 3 October 2022 with all the required documents via https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/scholarship. All applications require a non-refundable fee payment where the applicants will be directed to the payment webpage through the application form.

Click here to check your eligibility for the scholarships.

Regards,

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we are approaching the midway point of the year, we would like to remind you that the application deadline for new students who want to enrol at Sirius College next year is midnight Tuesday, 31 May 2022.

If you would like to apply for your other child(ren) to study at Sirius College, please proceed to the application page by clicking here. This is not re-enrolment for the existing students but it is for new students. To view our  Enrolment Policy please click here. (PDF file will be downloaded)

Please note that Sirius College offers discounts on annual fees to siblings of existing students. For further information regarding discounts please refer to our School Fee Schedules (fees are only indicative as the 2023 Fee Schedule is yet to be released).

If you require further information regarding enrolment applications please contact the relevant Enrolment Coordinator by calling the office of your desired campus.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Parents/Guardians,

CSEF
It is a kindly reminder that CSEF (Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund) application forms must be submitted to the Campus secretaries by the 20th of May 2022. Families holding valid means-tested concession cards such as Centrelink Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Veterans Affairs Gold Card, or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply. $125 per year will be paid for eligible primary school students and $225 per year paid for eligible secondary school students to use towards camps, sports or excursions.

The CSEF forms were already provided but if you don’t have one, please see your campus secretary for a copy of the form.

New Enrolment Applications For 2023

As we are approaching the midway point of the year, we would like to remind you that the application deadline for students commencing their studies next year is Tuesday, 31 May 2022.

If you would like to apply for your other child(ren) to study at Sirius College, please proceed to the application page by clicking here. This is not for re-enrolment for the existing students but it is for new students. To view our  Enrolment Policy please click here. (PDF file will be downloaded)

Please note that Sirius College offers discounts on annual fees to siblings of existing students. For further information regarding discounts please refer to our School Fee Schedules (fees are only indicative as the 2023 Fee Schedule is yet to be released).

If you require further information regarding enrolment applications please contact the relevant Enrolment Coordinator by calling the office of your desired campus.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope you and your families enjoyed a wonderful break over the school holidays.

The Victorian Government has announced some important changes to COVIDSafe measures for schools that will apply from the start of Term 2.

Face masks

From 11:59 pm Friday 22 April, face masks, while recommended, are not required in any school setting. This means students in grades 3 to 6, staff and visitors in primary schools are no longer required to wear face masks. Any student or staff member who wishes to wear a mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk.

Screening requirements

Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, now do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. This was previously 8 weeks.

If the school is aware of a confirmed case, parents of all exposed students will be notified.

Household contacts

Students and staff who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are no longer required to quarantine. They can return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests 5 times within their 7-day period and wear face masks indoors if they are aged 8 and above, unless they have a valid exemption.

If any household contact returns a positive RAT result during this period, they must isolate at home for 7 days and notify the school immediately.

Vaccination requirements for visitors to schools 

Parents, carers and other adult visitors (not performing work) are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

RAT screening program reminder

RATs will continue to be supplied for the first 4 weeks of Term 2 to support the early detection of COVID-19 in our school.

The testing recommendations will remain the same this Term for students and staff – recommended to test at home twice a week

As we approach winter and flu season, the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 and booster shots for students 16+ remains the best way to ensure protection for students and staff.

If you have any concerns about getting your child vaccinated, please get in contact with your GP or another health professional who can answer your questions.

Thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our school safe.

Stay safe, keep well!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Further to my letter of 23 March 2022, I am writing to update you on the functionality of our Sirius College IT systems.

I am pleased to report that SEQTA system functionality has now been fully restored. Parents are now able to communicate with teachers via SEQTA and track their children’s progress.

However, due to delays with the restoration process, Term 1 report distribution will now commence by Monday, 9 May 2022.

We have greatly appreciated your patience while we have worked to resolve our recent IT systems issue and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school via calling your relevant campus.

Yours sincerely,

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal of Sirius College

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Our IT department is currently experiencing technical difficulties with our servers.

Therefore, parents/guardians will be unable to access SEQTA and may not receive digital communication from the school in the coming days. In the meantime, any important information will be sent home with students in printed format. Our IT department is working on resolving the issue as soon as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact the school via calling our office.

We will provide an update in due course.

Regards,

Campus Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope you and your families have enjoyed a relaxing holiday break.

As we prepare to welcome students back to our school next week, the Victorian Government has announced some new measures for the beginning of the 2022 school year across all Victorian schools.

Rapid antigen tests

• Free rapid antigen tests will be available for the first 4 weeks of Term 1 2022.
• Twice-a-week testing is strongly recommended for students.
• The department will supply the tests to our school – you do not need to buy your own.
• Once the school receives these tests, they will be distributed to our students.
• Tests will be provided in packs of five and the initial distribution will be limited to one pack per student. 
• Students will do the tests at home; they only need to report their result if it is COVID-positive and isolate at home for 7 days. They must report a COVID-positive result to:
  • Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form or call centre on 1800 675 398; AND
  • Sirius College via COVID-19 Register.

Vaccination requirements

Parents, carers and all visitors must have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine or have a valid medical exemption (with limited exceptions) to enter school buildings.

All staff working in schools need to be fully vaccinated or have a verified medical exemption. 

COVID-19 vaccinations for students are not required for them to attend school but vaccination for students is highly encouraged. If your child has not yet had their first dose, please try to organise this before the term begins. 

Our school is also collecting the COVID-19 vaccination status of students on a voluntary basis. You may input this information via our Vaccination Register.

Ventilation

We will also make sure that classrooms are well ventilated by opening windows and doors, to minimise the risk of infection. Air purifiers will be used around the school as an added safety measure.

Vital COVIDSafe steps

Hand hygiene and social distancing will continue wherever possible in Term 1. Mask wearing will continue, with students in Grade 3 and above required to wear masks – although they will not be required outdoors. Teachers will be required to wear masks at all times when not actively teaching or communicating with students.

There’s no doubt that this term is going to be challenging for all of us, but we are also very excited to kick off the school year and welcome back all of our students. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Stay safe, keep well!

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

The Victorian Government has made further changes to the restrictions that will take effect on Thursday, 18 November at 11:59 PM. The changes relevant to our school have been detailed below:

Face masks

Masks are only required for primary school staff and visitors and for students in Years 3 to 6. Masks are no longer required in secondary school settings. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching. Face masks are strongly recommended for students in Prep to Grade 2.

Contact with a positive case

Under the new rules, close contacts that are fully vaccinated only need to isolate until they receive a negative test if the close contact is not in their household.

Those who have a positive case in their household will need to isolate for seven days if vaccinated, or 14 days if unvaccinated.

A student or staff member who tests positive for COVID-19 will need to isolate for 10 days, which is four days less than the current rules.

We will be encouraging students to remain safe and practise good COVIDSafe behaviours for the remainder of Term 4.

Thank you again for all your support during these challenging times.

Stay safe, keep well!

Dear Parent/guardian,

Please be advised that the bus service will be outsourced from the 2022 academic year onwards. There will no longer be door-to-door pickup/drop-offs. There will be pick-up & drop-off points.

We have also updated our Bus Service Policy which is available at this link.

If you would like to apply for bus services for the 2022 academic year, please use the following https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/bus_service to make an application. You must make separate applications for each child to register for the bus services. We have a limited capacity for each route, we will approve the applications on the basis of first-come-first-served.

In the application form, you will be able to find out the locations of the pickup & drop-off points to choose and an annual fee for each route.

You are required to provide the student ID of your child to receive a security code to your mobile phone in our school system to continue with the application. Please make sure you use the correct student ID. All communications will be made through the system.

Regards,
Sirius College

BE THE VOICE OF SIRIUS

Dear Parent,

Our aim at Sirius College is to provide you with the best education service that we possibly can. We are committed to continually improving and value your feedback.

We would like to invite you to complete a 5-minute survey
to provide your feedback on our services.

Please follow the link below to complete the survey by Monday, 22 November:

Click Here 

We thank you for your participation.

Kind regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Thank you for your efforts in Term 4 to help support the transition to onsite schooling, including getting your family vaccinated and encouraging mask-wearing at school.

All metropolitan Melbourne students and school levels will return to onsite learning from Monday 1 November, joining regional Victorian students who returned to onsite learning on Friday 22 October. Our standard timetable and bell times will apply as of next week.

The earlier return of students to full-time onsite learning is great news for our school community and families.

Face masks
All staff, parents, visitors and students in Grade 3 and above must wear a face mask indoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching. Face masks are strongly recommended for students in Prep to Grade 2.

Breaching restrictions
Restrictions are in place to stop the spread of the virus and keep our community safe. Therefore, all community members must abide by these restrictions so that we could return to normal as soon as possible.

For the safety and wellbeing of our staff members and students continuing to attend school on-site, members of the community who breach these restrictions will be reported to the Police Assistance Line (PAL).

Our school has taken a number of steps to support onsite learning, including staff vaccination, ventilation, physical distancing for staff and students, staggered start, finish and break times, and mask-wearing.

We will be encouraging students to remain safe and practise good COVIDSafe behaviours for the remainder of Term 4.

Thank you again for all your support and we very much look forward to welcoming our students back to onsite learning full time as of next week!

Stay safe, keep well!

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents and guardians,

If you are planning to exit your child/children (apart from Year 12 graduating soon) from Sirius College at the end of this academic year (2021), you are required to submit a student exit form by the 5th of November, 2021. Failure to provide the required notice will incur a full term fee.

Parents should contact campus secretaries to provide an online form. The online form must be completed and be submitted by the 5th of November, 2021 to avoid an additional tuition fee.

Regards,

Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are very excited to share that the timeline for the staged return to onsite learning is being brought forward, with restrictions that were to be lifted on Tuesday 26 October now to be lifted from Friday 22 October.

This has all been made possible thanks to parents, teachers, students and the broader Victorian community stepping up to get vaccinated in great numbers across our community.

The updated Roadmap, which is based on advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, sets out the staged return to onsite learning in Term 4.

Remote learning will continue to be delivered to students on the days students are not onsite.

Vulnerable children and children of parents or carers who are on the authorised provider and authorised worker list can continue attending onsite.

Face masks
All staff, parents, visitors and students in Grade 3 and above must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching. Face masks are strongly recommended for students in Prep to Grade 2.

Breaching restrictions
Restrictions are in place to stop the spread of the virus and keep our community safe. Therefore, all community members must abide by these restrictions so that we could return to normal as soon as possible.

For the safety and wellbeing of our staff members and students continuing to attend school on-site, members of the community who breach these restrictions will be reported to the Police Assistance Line (PAL).

We are extremely grateful to our committed staff and families who continue to show great flexibility and resilience as we work together to contain the spread of this virus.

Thank you again for all your support and we look very much to welcoming our students back to onsite learning full time, very soon. Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if you are feeling unwell.

Stay safe, keep well!

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

At Sirius College, we strive to provide a quality remote learning experience during the pandemic without compromising learning outcomes. This is only possible through the ongoing feedback we receive from our parents, students and staff.

We thank our parents who have participated in the Remote Learning Evaluation Survey towards the end of Term 3. The results of this survey have enabled us to improve and optimise our Remote Learning Plan.

When asked, ‘How satisfied are you with the implementation of the Remote Learning Plan?’ 78% of parents stated that they were very satisfied, satisfied or neutral. This display of support and appreciation by our parents has provided much-needed motivation to our staff during the pandemic. Although an overwhelming majority of respondents were somewhat satisfied with the delivery of remote learning some adjustments were needed to perfect the plan.

Taking on board the feedback we received from our parents, we have made some changes to the Remote Learning Plan to help improve the mental and physical wellbeing of our students, allowing more time for social and physical activity. These changes include; limiting assessments to English and Maths in primary, reducing the number of assessments in secondary and reducing the number of periods in secondary from seven to five.

Your ongoing feedback is welcome and crucial in improving the service we provide to our students and the wider community.

We thank you for your support during these challenging times and acknowledge that remote learning would not have been possible without the support of our parents, students and staff members.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

We hope you have been keeping safe and following the restrictions to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. Schools in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria will begin a staged return to onsite learning from Wednesday 6 October (first week of Term 4) as announced by the Victorian Government.

Remote learning will continue to be delivered to students on the days they are not attending onsite. Campus Management will contact teaching and general staff regarding their working arrangements in Term 4.

Metropolitan Melbourne

• From Wednesday 6 October (first week of Term 4)

• • Year 12 – Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) units 3 and 4
  • Year 11 – Students can attend units 3 & 4 classes onsite*

• From Monday 18 October (third week of Term 4)

• • Prep (Monday to Wednesday)
  • Years 1 and 2 (Thursday and Friday)

• From Tuesday 26 October (fourth week of Term 4)

• • Year 3 and 4 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
  • Year 5 and 6 (Thursday and Friday)
  • Year 7 (Monday to Friday)
  • Years 8 and 9 (Tuesday and Wednesday)
  • Year 10 (Thursday and Friday)
  • Year 11 (Monday to Friday)

• From Friday 5 November

• • All students are expected to return to onsite learning Monday to Friday.

* Units 3 & 4 classes for year 11 students will continue to be available online. Students attending units 3 & 4 subjects on-site should make appropriate travel arrangements to return home in time for their other classes.

Regional Victoria

From Monday 4 October, Prep to Year 2 students and final year students will continue to attend onsite. Further announcements will be made prior to the start of Term 4.

Please note the settings above are indicative only and are subject to change based on advice from the Victorian Government.

Face masks

All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Which students can continue to attend school on-site?

Students who fall into any of the following categories can continue to attend school:

• Children whose parents are considered essential workers, cannot work from home and where no other supervision arrangements can be made
• Vulnerable children, including children in out-of-home care, children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm and children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health services)

Students attending school on-site who are identified as close contacts and are self-isolating can only return to school once they have been cleared by the Department of Health. Students will also not be admitted to school if they are symptomatic.

Breaching restrictions

Restrictions are in place to stop the spread of the virus and keep our community safe. Therefore, all community members must abide by these restrictions so that we could return to normal as soon as possible.

For the safety and wellbeing of our staff members and students continuing to attend school on-site, members of the community who breach these restrictions will be reported to the Police Assistance Line (PAL).

We are extremely grateful to our committed staff and families who continue to show great flexibility and resilience as we work together to contain the spread of this virus.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if you are feeling unwell.

Stay safe, keep well!

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Sirius College is a not-for-profit organisation that has a great tradition of providing scholarships for our students to encourage them in their pursuit of excellence and to our families who are facing financial difficulty to lessen their hardships.

The 2022 Scholarship Applications are still open. Scholarships are awarded for academic excellence, financial difficulty, community service and special talents.

Please note, you may be eligible for the 2022 Financial Difficulty Scholarship if you have lost your job or suffered loss of income due to the current COVID-19 lockdowns.

Click here to check your eligibility for the scholarships.

Please submit your application by Sunday, 3 October 2021 with all the required documents via this link.

Warm Regards,

A. Zekai Ergun
Director of Finance

Dear Parents,

We are always reviewing our practices in order to continue to deliver the curriculum in the best possible way for our students.

As we go through another prolonged period of remote learning, we would like to hear your feedback regarding our current delivery of online learning. Please complete this survey thinking about each question carefully, considering your child’s learning experiences and circumstances.

Your response will assist us in planning for the continuous improvement of future remote learning practices.

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

We hope you have been keeping safe and following the restrictions to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. The Victorian Government has announced that there will be no face to face learning for the rest of term 3.

How will this extension impact our school?

• The remote learning timetable is in effect until the end of term 3.
• Tutoring classes are suspended until further notice.
• The working arrangements of all staff remain unchanged.
  

Face masks

All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Which students can continue to attend school on-site?

Students who fall into any of the following categories can continue to attend school:

• Children whose parents are considered essential workers, cannot work from home and where no other supervision arrangements can be made
• Vulnerable children, including children in out-of-home care, children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm and children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health services)

Students attending school on-site who are identified as close contacts and are self-isolating can only return to school once they have been cleared by the Department of Health. Students will also not be admitted to school if they are symptomatic.

Breaching restrictions

Restrictions are in place to stop the spread of the virus and keep our community safe. Therefore, all community members must abide by these restrictions so that we could return to normal as soon as possible.

For the safety and wellbeing of our staff members and students continuing to attend school on-site, members of the community who breach these restrictions will be reported to the Police Assistance Line (PAL).

We are extremely grateful to our committed staff and families who continue to show great flexibility and resilience as we work together to contain the spread of this virus.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if you are feeling unwell.

Stay safe, keep well!

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

We hope you have been keeping safe and managing well under the restrictions imposed by the Victorian Government to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.  As you may already be aware, the current lockdown has been extended until 11:59 PM Thursday, 2 September 2021.

How will this extension impact our school?

• The remote learning timetable is still in effect for all students.
• On-site learning is expected to resume on Friday, 3 September.
• Tutoring classes are expected to resume on Saturday, 4 September.
• The working arrangements of all staff remain unchanged.
  

Face masks

All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

We want to acknowledge the hard work and perseverance of our students, parents and staff as we understand the challenges associated with switching back and forth between on-site and remote learning. Please remember that we are here for your children, always striving to provide a quality education regardless of the mode of learning.

Lastly, stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these difficult times.

Stay safe, keep well!

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

The Victorian government has announced that the current lockdown will be extended until 11:59 PM Thursday, 19 August 2021.

How will this extension impact our school?

• The remote learning timetable is still in effect for all students.
• Parents of primary school students will be contacted by their campus administration regarding the collection of their child’s book pack.
• Tutoring classes will be cancelled on Saturday, 14 August.
• On-site learning is expected to resume on Friday, 20 August.
• The working arrangements of all staff remain unchanged.
  

Face Masks

All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. Students will not be admitted to school if they are symptomatic.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these challenging times.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parent,

It is our school procedure that we are required to update our school systems with important details of each student.

PARENT/GUARDIAN CONTACT DETAILS

Your contact details are vital to request your consent for certain activities and keep you informed. We usually send notifications via email and text messages to both parents/guardians provided to the school. We prefer both parents receive all notifications but if any of the parents does not want to receive notifications, please contact campus secretaries.

Please note that the school must have at least one parent to receive notifications. If you are the only parent/guardian for your child, unsubscription requests will not be processed.

Make sure that you provide your own email address and mobile number (not your spouse’s). If the same number is entered for both parents the same message will be received twice.

Please make sure you check your emails on a regular basis at least once every day.

If you and your partner’s home addresses are different, please update the addresses respectively.

DEMOGRAPHICS DETAILS

The school is required to provide demographics data to the Federal government as part of the Commonwealth Student Background Data collection. Parents are expected to update their secondary school, tertiary education and occupation group. You may access the details of the occupation group via this link to select the correct option.

EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS

An emergency contact person is very crucial when the school cannot contact both parents/guardians. If the student does not have an emergency contact, please enter the emergency contact person with the contact details.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS

It is critical that the medical information about your child is up to date in the school systems. Please check the medical information provided in the form and update it if needed.

If the student has any medical condition, you are obliged to provide an “ACTION PLAN” from your family doctor as soon as possible. Depending on your child’s medical condition, we may ask your child not to attend school until the action plan is provided.

Action plans are available on these links as follows.

• Action Plan for Allergic reactions
• Action Plan for Anaphylaxis
• Action Plan for Asthma
• Action Plan for Diabetes

RESIDENCY DETAILS

The school is required to maintain the residency status of each student and hold its relevant documents. If your child is not an Australian citizen, you must provide his/her residency status along with supporting documents. If the residency status is changed, please update details accordingly and provide supporting documents. All documents can be emailed to [email protected].

LEGAL CONDITION/CUSTODY DETAILS

If your custody arrangements have changed for your child, please update details and provide relevant documents. If there is an intervention order, you are required to provide relevant documents. All documents can be emailed to [email protected].

If you are separated or divorced, both parents are required to provide their contact details including address, mobile phone and email address.

We are unable to accept the same address if parents are separated or divorced.

Thank you for your cooperation.

SIRIUS College

A non-denominational independent school

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

The Victorian government has announced a 7-day snap lockdown that will begin at 8:00 PM tonight in an attempt to curb the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

How will the lockdown impact school?

• There will be no school for all students on Friday, 6 August as teachers will be utilising this day to prepare for remote learning.
• The remote learning timetable will come into effect on Monday, 9 August for all students.
• Tutoring classes will be cancelled on Saturday, 7 August.
• Currently, primary school students are not required to collect their book packs. If the lockdown is extended, parents of primary school students will be contacted by their campus administration.
• Since the lockdown was announced after ordinary school hours, secondary school students can come to school to collect their books as of Friday, 6 August.
• On-site learning is expected to resume on Friday, 13 August if the lockdown is not extended.
• All teaching staff will be working remotely as of Friday, 6 August. All other staff will be notified of their working arrangements by their campus principal.

Why is there a need for staff preparation day?
As a school, we strive to provide a quality remote learning experience without compromising learning outcomes. Such an implementation is only possible with proper preparation. Additionally, the lockdown was announced after ordinary school hours, which makes the transition to remote learning even more challenging for everyone. Therefore, a staff preparation day is important to maintain our standards of teaching and learning.

Which students can continue to attend school on-site?
Students who fall into any of the following categories can continue to attend school from Friday, 6 August:

• Children whose parents are considered essential workers, cannot work from home and where no other supervision arrangements can be made

• Vulnerable children, including children in out-of-home care, children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm and children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health services)

If your child falls into any of the categories above, please follow the link to send an email to your relevant campus secretary:

• Eastmeadows Campus
• Dallas Campus
• Meadow Fair Campus
• Ibrahim Dellal Campus
• Keysborough Campus
• Shepparton Campus

Device Borrowing
Students who are required to borrow devices from our school are encouraged to read the Borrowing Policy and sign the Borrowing Agreement. This agreement must be returned to the relevant campus secretary.

Face Masks
All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these times of uncertainty.

Regards,
Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents & Guardians,

We hope you are all safe and well as authorities continue to closely monitor the conditions in Victoria. 

A new case of COVID-19 has been detected in Victoria today, with the health department confirming the positive case is a teacher at Al-Taqwa College in Melbourne’s west. 

As a precautionary measure, students who have siblings studying at Al-Taqwa College should not be attending school as of Thursday, 5 August.

Let’s all do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep our community safe.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Commonwealth School Data Collection Notice

Dear parent/guardian

The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the department) would like to advise all parents and guardians that it collects certain information about your child’s school, its staff, and student body.

Why is this information collected?

This information is collected by the department in accordance with the Australian Education Act 2013 (the Act) and the Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the Regulation). The Act and the Regulation require the legal entity responsible for the administration of the school (the Approved Authority) to provide certain information to the department. The department collects this information to:

• Ensure the provision of Australian Government funding to schools is properly calculated and appropriately
• Conduct research, statistical analysis and develop school education policy for the Australian
• Meet national and international reporting obligations on school students in
• Publish and provide information about schools to the

How is information collected?

Information is provided to the department by a school or their approved authority via various data collections on the SchoolsHUB website.

What information is collected?

Each data collection fulfills a separate reporting requirement. The data collections conducted through SchoolsHUB are:

• The Student Residential Address and Other Information Collection (Address collection) provide student residential addresses (excluding student names), and the names and addresses of parents/guardians of students for eligible full or part-time primary and secondary students enrolled at most non-government schools.
• The Financial Accountability (FA) assurance activity is done to certify that the financial assistance provided by the Australian Government for schools has been spent or committed to be spent to provide school
• The Financial Questionnaire (FQ) reports the income, expenditure, assets and liabilities from all non-government Australian schools receiving Australian Government recurrent grant
• Student Attendance (STATS) provides a school’s student attendance rate data by grade, gender and indigeneity from non-government schools for full-time students in Years 1 to 10 attending regular and special
• The Non-Government Schools Census (Census) provides information about the number and characteristics of the school’s staff and student body during a specific reference period. Characteristics include student year level and workload, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students, students with disability, students receiving distance education, boarding students, and overseas The names of students and staff are not collected, apart from the name, position and contact details of the staff member nominated as the primary contact for the annual census.

• Census Special Circumstances Applications may also be made by schools to include a student/s who did not attend during the Census reference period but otherwise meets Census eligibility Schools will provide the department with information and documents about the student demonstrating their eligibility. The department does not require information that personally identifies a student and asks schools to de-identify any documents before providing them.

How will the information be used and disclosed?

Some of the information collected by the department from schools in accordance with the Act and the Regulation, may be ‘personal information’ for the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act).

Personal information is protected by law, including under the Privacy Act. Any use or disclosure of your personal information must occur in accordance with the Regulation. Personal information is information or an opinion about an identifiable individual. Personal information includes an individual’s name and contact details.

Personal information collected by the department may be used or disclosed for the following:

• Used by the department to review school funding calculations and develop school education
• Used or disclosed where it is otherwise required or authorised by law, including under the Act or Regulation, or otherwise permitted under the Privacy
• Disclosed to the Australian Bureau of Statistics to calculate your non-government school community’s capacity to contribute to the costs of schooling (Address collection only).
• Disclosed to the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to publish on the My School website and include as high-level data for ACARA’s National Report on Schooling in Australia and the Productivity Commission Report on Government Services (Census and STATS only).
• Disclosed to state and territory education departments and authorities in accordance with the Act.
• Disclosed to a contracted auditor where the department decides to audit or verify the information provided by an approved authority about a school. The contracted auditor may use previously collected information or request access to individual student records for comparison purposes. The contractors may pass this information onto officers within the department, if there is a discrepancy in the data provided by the school and the school’s records and further investigation is required. The contracted auditor must handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act.
• Disclosed to its service providers for the purposes of the provision of information and communications technology (ICT) support services to the department.
• Other than in exceptional circumstances (for example, investigation of fraud relating to overseas students), the department does not disclose any of the personal information collected to overseas recipients.

For more information about how the department handles personal information, please review the department’s privacy policy.

Protecting your child’s privacy

When student information is provided to the department by schools or approved authorities, the department requests that the information must not explicitly identify any student. For example, student names or student identifiers are not provided. To help protect your child’s privacy, we support schools to submit their reporting requirements using de-identified records.

In limited cases, even without student names or identifiers, a student may be reasonably identifiable from the information provided (for example, because of the small size of a particular school). In this event, the disclosure of such personal information to the department by a school, and the collection of that personal information by the department, are both required and authorised by law for the purposes of the Privacy Act.

What do you need to do?

You do not need to do anything. Your school is responsible for providing the requested information to the department.

Want more information?

Your school can provide information about data provided for your child. To find out more about school data collections and reporting, visit SchoolsHUB.

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

The Victorian government has announced that the lockdown will end as planned tonight at 11:59 PM, therefore, all students will resume on-site learning on Wednesday, 28 July (regular bell times will apply). The tutoring program will also resume on Saturday, 31 July.

Face masks are mandatory for all individuals (aged 12 and above) indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching. Density limits will apply.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. Students will not be admitted to school if they are symptomatic.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these challenging times.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Sirius College
Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

The Victorian government has announced that the current lockdown will be extended until 11:59 PM Tuesday, 27 July 2021.

How will this extension impact our school?

• The remote learning timetable will come into effect on Thursday, 22 July for all students.
• Parents of primary school students will be contacted by their campus administration when their child’s bookpack is ready for pick-up later this week.
• Tutoring classes will be cancelled on Saturday, 24 July.
• On-site learning is expected to resume on Wednesday, 28 July.

If the lockdown is extended, all classes will continue online until further notice. Please follow this link to access the Remote Learning Plan which contains helpful information regarding Zoom.
All teaching staff will be working remotely as of Thursday, 22 July. All other staff will be notified of their working arrangements by their campus principal.

Which students can continue to attend school on-site?
Students who fall into any of the following categories can continue to attend school from Thursday, 22 July:

• Children whose parents are considered essential workers, cannot work from home and where no other supervision arrangements can be made.

• Vulnerable children, including children in out-of-home care, children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm and children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health services).

If your child falls into any of the categories above, please follow the link to send an email to your relevant campus secretary.

• Eastmeadows Campus
• Dallas Campus
• Meadow Fair Campus
• Ibrahim Dellal Campus
• Keysborough Campus
• Shepparton Campus

Device Borrowing
Students who are required to borrow devices from our school are encouraged to read the Borrowing Policy and sign the Borrowing Agreement. This agreement must be returned to the relevant campus secretary.

Face Masks
All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. No students will be admitted to school if they are symptomatic.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these times of uncertainty.

Regards,
Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff,

The Victorian government has announced a 5-day circuit breaker lockdown that will begin at 11:59 PM on Thursday, 15 July 2021 until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 20 July 2021 in an attempt to curb the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

How will the lockdown impact school?

• There will be no school for students on Friday, 16 July as teachers will be utilising this day to prepare for the possibility of remote learning.
• Tutoring classes will be cancelled on Saturday, 17 July.
• The two-day school holiday planned for next week will be extended to include Monday, 19 July.
• On-site learning will resume on Thursday, 22 July if the lockdown is not extended.

All teaching staff will be working remotely on Friday, 16 July. All other staff will be notified of their working arrangements by their campus principal.

Face Masks
All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these times of uncertainty.

Regards,
Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians & Staff, 

Welcome back to school for another semester filled with social, emotional and academic growth. I acknowledge the hard work of our parents and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and I am confident that we will overcome these difficult times.

I am pleased to inform you that the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) has approved our application to establish VCE at Sirius College Ibrahim Dellal Campus in 2022. Year 11 classes will commence at Sirius College IDC in 2022 and we anticipate that our new VCE building will be completed in early 2022.

COVID-19 Update 14/07/21

Face Masks:

School staff and secondary school students aged 12 or older are not required to wear a face mask while at school, however, must carry a face mask at all times, unless a lawful exception applies. 

Face masks are mandatory indoors at school when interacting with external visitors, including parents/carers and staff/students from other schools. School staff who work in largely public-facing roles, e.g. reception staff, must wear a face mask indoors at all times.

Visitors and parents must observe indoor face mask requirements.

Interstate Travel:

Due to the current situation with COVID-19 nationally, some students may be returning from a designated orange or red zone and required to undertake home-based quarantine on return.

Currently, Victoria has listed a number of states and territories as orange and red zones, meaning any Victorians returning from:

• Orange zones — must obtain an orange zone permit to enter Victoria, isolate on arrival, get tested within 72 hours and stay isolated until they get a negative result
• Red zones — must obtain a red zone permit to enter Victoria, travel directly home upon arrival, get tested at the required time points (within 72 hours of arrival and on or about day 13 post-arrival) and quarantine for 14 days.

Click here for updated information regarding zones and the permit system. Follow this link for up-to-date information regarding exposure sites in Victoria.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

We have recently made minor changes to our Scholarships and Awards Policy (PDF File to be downloaded to your web browser).

Applications will be open starting from 13 July 2021 until the end of the Term 3 holiday (3rd of October). Late applications will NOT be accepted.

• VCE Achievement Awards has been updated as follows in conjunction with the previously announced timeline.
  • The monetary award for ATAR scores 99.00 or above changed from $7500 to $5000.
  • The monetary award of $1000 for ATAR score between 90.00 or 99.00 is removed.
  • The monetary award of $2500 for the top score in the state for any VCE study is added.

• Academic Scholarship assessment for Year 6 students and prospective students has been updated.

You may submit your applications via https://www.sirius.vic.edu.au/scholarship. All applications require a non-refundable fee payment where the applicants will be directed to the payment webpage through the application form.

Regards,

Sirius College Management

Dear Parents & Staff,
The Victorian government has announced that the lockdown will end as planned at 11:59 PM on Thursday, 10 June 2021, therefore, all students will resume on-site learning on Friday, 11 June (regular bell times will apply). The tutoring program will also resume on Saturday, 12 June.

All parents, staff and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching. Masks are required outdoors if social distancing cannot be maintained.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these challenging times.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Sirius College

Executive Principal

Dear Parents & Staff,

The Victorian government has announced that the current lockdown will be extended until 11:59 PM Thursday, 10 June 2021 in Greater Melbourne, as the outbreak is yet to be contained. Restrictions are set to ease in regional Victoria as of 11:59 PM Thursday, 3 June 2021.

How will this affect our campuses?

• Remote learning is still in effect for students from Foundation to Year 10.
• Students in Year 11 and Year 12 will return to on-site learning on Friday, 4 June, however, remote learning bell times apply.
• The school bus and canteen services will resume for Year 11 and Year 12 students.
• Tutoring classes will be cancelled on Saturday, 5 June.
• All students are expected to resume on-site learning on Friday, 11 June.
• Sirius College – Shepparton Campus will resume on-site learning as of Friday, 4 June as it is located in regional Victoria.

Except for those teaching Year 11 and Year 12, all teaching staff can continue to work remotely. Teachers are only required to be on-site while teaching or if they have on-site duties. All other staff will be notified of their working arrangements by their campus principal.

Face Masks

All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these times of uncertainty.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents & Staff,

The Victorian government has announced a 7-day circuit breaker lockdown that will begin at 11:59 PM on Thursday, 27 May 2021 until 11:59 PM on Thursday, 3 June 2021 in an attempt to curb the state’s growing coronavirus outbreak.

How will the lockdown impact school?

• There will be no school for students on Friday, 28 May as teachers will be utilising this day to prepare for remote learning
• The remote learning timetable will come into effect on Monday, 31 May for all students
• Tutoring classes will be cancelled on Saturday, 29 May
• On-site learning will resume on Friday, 4 June

In the event that the lockdown is extended, all classes will continue online until further notice.

Please follow this link to access the Remote Learning Plan which has helpful information regarding Zoom.

All teaching staff will be working remotely as of Friday, 28 May to prepare for remote learning. All other staff will be notified of their working arrangements by their campus principal.

Which students can continue to attend school on-site?

Students who fall into any of the following categories can continue to attend school from Monday, 31 May:

• Children whose parents are considered essential workers, cannot work from home and where no other supervision arrangements can be made
• Vulnerable children, including children in out-of-home care, children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm and children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health services)

If your child falls into any of the categories above, please follow the link to send an email to your relevant campus secretary:

• Eastmeadows Campus
• Dallas Campus
• Meadow Fair Campus
• Ibrahim Dellal Campus
• Keysborough Campus
• Shepparton Campus

Face Masks

All staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors and outdoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

Device Borrowing

Students who are required to borrow devices from our school are encouraged to read the Borrowing Policy and sign the Borrowing Agreement. This agreement must be signed and returned to the relevant campus secretary.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these times of uncertainty.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents & Staff,

The Victorian Government has reintroduced partial COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne due to a cluster of new cases.

As of Wednesday, 26 May 2021 all staff, parents, visitors and secondary school students must wear a face mask indoors. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching. Face-to-face learning will continue as schools remain open.

The Department of Health and Human Services has published exposure sites regarding the recent outbreak, click here for exposure sites (updated regularly). If you have been to any of the locations listed, you must follow the specific advice listed for that exposure site.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these times of uncertainty.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents & Guardians,

At Sirius College we aim to empower students to become critical thinkers and socially responsible individuals motivated by moral values and a belief in tolerance, diversity and harmony, however, this is not possible without the support of our parents & guardians. I thank you all for working together with us to realise our mission. 

I also want to take this opportunity to wish all those who have been observing the month of Ramadan a blessed Eid. May this special day bring you peace, prosperity and joy.

New Enrolment Applications For 2022

As we are approaching the midway point of the year, I would like to remind you that the application deadline for students commencing their studies next year is Monday, 31 May 2021. 

If you would like to apply for a place at Sirius College please proceed to the application page by clicking here. To view our updated Enrolment Policy please click here. 

Please note that Sirius College offers discounts on annual fees to siblings of existing students. For further information regarding discounts please refer to our 2021 Fee Schedule (fees are only indicative as the 2022 Fee Schedule is yet to be released).

 If you require further information regarding enrolment applications please contact the relevant Enrolment Coordinator by calling the office of your desired campus. 

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear parent,

As we started the first semester of this academic year, we would like to inform you that The Department of Education and Training would like to receive the report of all student addresses. You may find additional information about the official notice.

We would like to take this opportunity to the parents to update some basic contact details in our database for your child.

Your contact details are vital to request your consent for certain activities and keep you informed.

COMMUNICATION PERSON

Our default setting sends emails and text messages to both parents/guardians. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. (Please note; if you are the only parent/guardian for your child, unsubscription requests will NOT be processed)

EMAIL & MOBILE NUMBER

Please make sure that you provide your own email address and mobile number (not your spouse’s). If the same number is entered for both parents the same message will be received twice. Please make sure you check your emails on a regular basis at least once every day.

HOME ADDRESS

If you and your partner’s home address differs, please update the addresses respectively.

EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS

An emergency contact person is very crucial when the school can not contact both parents/guardians. If your child does not have an emergency contact, please enter the emergency contact person with the contact details.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS

It is critical that the medical information about your child is up to date in our database. Please check the medical information provided in the form and update it. If your child has any medical condition, you are obliged to provide an “ACTION PLAN” from your family doctor as soon as possible. Depending on your child’s medical condition, we may ask your child not to attend the school until an action plan is provided.

Action plans are available on these links as follows.

• Action Plan for Allergic reactions
• Action Plan for Anaphylaxis
• Action Plan for Asthma
• Action Plan for Diabetes

LEGAL CONDITION/CUSTODY DETAILS

If your custody arrangements have changed for your child, please update.

Dear Parents and Staff,

I hope you have been keeping safe and managing well under the restrictions imposed by the Victorian Government to contain the hotel quarantine outbreak.

Based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that the lockdown will end tonight as planned, that is, 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 17 February. Therefore, our school will return to on-site learning on Thursday, 18 February.

All staff and secondary school students must wear a face mask at all times indoors and outdoors where social distancing is not possible. Teachers and education support staff are not required to wear face masks while teaching.

We thank all parents and staff for their understanding and cooperation during these times of uncertainty.

Regards,
Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents & Staff,

I hope you are all in good health and coping well with the latest news. I want to update you regarding the latest restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Victoria and how it will affect our school.

Based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, Premier Daniel Andrews has reimposed Stage 4 restrictions for all of Victoria from 11:59 PM Friday, 12 February 2021 to 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 17 February 2021.

What will next week look like for staff & students?
There will be no school on Monday, 15 February as teachers will be utilising this day to prepare for remote learning. The remote learning timetable will come into effect on Tuesday, 16 February and Wednesday, 17 February for all students excluding Foundation. Foundation students will not have class on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If the lockdown is not extended, on-site learning will resume on Thursday, 18 February. However, if the lockdown is extended, all classes will continue online and Foundation students will join remote learning as of Thursday, 18 February.

You may access this link to find out how to join Zoom sessions for remote learning.

All teaching staff will be working remotely as of Monday, 15 February. All other staff will be notified of their working arrangements by their campus principal.

Which students can continue to attend school on-site?
Students who fall into any of the following categories can attend school from Monday onwards:

Children whose parents are considered essential workers, cannot work from home and where no other supervision arrangements can be made
Vulnerable children, including children in out-of-home care, children deemed by Child Protection and/or Family Services to be at risk of harm and children identified by the school as vulnerable (including via referral from a family violence agency, homelessness or youth justice service or mental health or other health services).

If your child falls into any of the categories above, please follow the link to send an email to your relevant campus secretary:

• Eastmeadows Campus
• Dallas Campus
• Meadow Fair Campus
• Ibrahim Dellal Campus
• Keysborough Campus
• Shepparton Campus

Are face masks mandatory?
According to the Department of Education and Training, staff and secondary school students attending school must wear a face mask at all times. All staff and students are expected to bring their own face masks.

If you have any further questions, you may contact your campus secretary from Monday, 15 February.

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during these difficult times.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents,

I am writing to you about the most recent COVID-19 hotel quarantine outbreak.

We want to reassure you that no new COVID-19 cases have been detected at our schools and that our schools remain open. 

Based on the advice of the Department of Health and Human Services, everyone on campus must wear a face mask indoors. Face masks are also strongly recommended outdoors where it is not possible to practise social distancing.

Please ensure that you continue to follow health advice, including practising social distancing, keeping hands clean and wearing face masks. 

The Department of Health and Human Services has also published exposure sites regarding the recent outbreak. The list is available at this link. We strongly encourage you and your family to get tested if any of your family members, friends, or relatives have been to one of the sites on the list.

Please stay alert for any symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately if any symptoms are present. While you or any member of your household is waiting for their test results, do not send your children to school until a negative test result is received. 

We thank you again for your unwavering support and cooperation during these difficult times.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents and Staff,

I am writing to contact you about the latest developments surrounding the most recent outbreak in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

As you may be aware, Sirius College was mentioned to be one of the schools that had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

I would like to note that we have been following all of the necessary actions in line with the recommendations of the DHHS, and for this reason are notifying our families and staff as we have had final confirmation today. As we have been informed this afternoon by DHHS, I am glad to inform you that the student in question at the school has received a negative test result twice.

In the meantime, our students from year 8 and 9 will commence face to face teaching from Monday, 26 October. We will function as per usual and continue face to face teaching for all of our students from the foundation to VCE.

We want to reassure you that no cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been detected on our school site and that our school remains open. You may watch the press conference on this link.

Please make sure that you continue to follow health advice, including practising physical distancing, regular hand hygiene, and wearing face masks.

We strongly encourage you and your family to get tested today if any of your family members, friends, or relatives have been in close contacts with known cases. If you have been asked to isolate yourself and children due to the close contacts of people in the outbreak of northern suburbs, please follow the instructions until you are cleared by DHHS.

Please be alert for any symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), and get tested, and make sure you do not send your children to school until you get the outcome of the test if you develop any of the following:

• Loss or change in the sense of smell or taste
• Fever
• Chills or sweats
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose

We thank you again for your unwavering support and cooperation during these difficult times for us all.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents,

We are writing about the situation in our local area after the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) identified some new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

We would like to reassure you that no cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been detected on our school site and that our school remains open. (Tomorrow- 23rd of October is a public holiday)

If you live in the areas of Dallas, Roxburgh Park, Broadmeadows, Preston, West Heidelberg, or Heidelberg Heights, please make sure that you continue to follow health advice, including practicing physical distancing, regular hand hygiene, and wearing face masks.

You may find the details about the outbreak on this link as we have copied the relevant section below.

We strongly encourage you and your family to get tested if any of your family members have been to these locations or any of your family members, friends, or relatives have been close contacts of known cases.

We also recommend you to monitor the symptoms of your family members for the next couple of days. Please be alert for any symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), and get tested, and make sure you don’t send your children to school until you get the outcome of the test if you develop any of the following:

• Loss or change in sense of smell or taste
• Fever
• Chills or sweats
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose

Every person within the Sirius College community plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of the virus, and the above points must be followed with due diligence to ensure we protect ourselves as well as others, especially those who may be more susceptible to infections.

It is important we all continue to follow the health advice from the experts. Our school will continue to work closely with DHHS and the Department of Education and Training (DET) should any cases in our school community arise.

Let’s do our bit to make sure our loved ones stay safe and well.

Regards,

Dear Parents,

As we, Sirius College try to improve our delivery of education and services to our students and parents, we always appreciate the feedback provided by our students, parents, staff, and community in general. We have prepared a survey for our parents that is accessible via this link to complete by Friday, 16^th of October 2020.

The survey lists value factors that exist across all schools generated for their students and parents. These values are comparable which may have an impact on parents’ decision to enrol in a school. We would like you to provide your choice of thinking regarding Sirius College compared to other schools for each value factor listed in the survey.

Enrolment Termination

Parents who are planning to exit their children from Sirius College at the end of this academic year (2020) are required to submit their exit request by the 1^st of November, 2020 as written in the School Fee Schedule. Failure to provide the required notice will incur a full term fee.

Parents should contact campus secretaries to provide an online form. The online form must be completed and be submitted by the 1^st of November, 2020 to avoid an additional tuition fee.

Regards,

Sirius College

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are all in good health and spirits as we persevere through the latest lockdown. I want to provide you with the latest update regarding our school following the recent COVID-19 easing of restrictions in Victoria.

From 5 October (first week of Term 4)

• All year levels will commence remote learning.
• Essential VCE assessments and GAT will take place on campus.

• All primary students (Foundation to Year 6) will begin face to face learning.
• Year 10, 11, and 12 students will begin face to face learning.
• If your child is in Years 7 to 9, they will continue with remote and flexible learning. There will be exceptions for vulnerable children and children of permitted workers, who will continue to be able to attend on-site. A date for them to return to on-site learning will be based on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer.

Face Masks
All staff and secondary students are expected to bring their own face masks. The school will only provide face masks as a back-up option to students and staff who don’t possess a mask or may require one due to necessity. All teachers are exempted from wearing a mask while teaching.

Health and Safety
If you or any member of the family shows any of the COVID-19 symptoms, we strongly recommend you get tested for COVID-19 and to self-isolate your child at home until you receive the results.

If your child exhibits any of the symptoms, they will be immediately excluded from the class, and you will be required to collect your child from school. Your child will not be accepted to the school until medical clearance is secured.

Your campus management will inform you about the instructions about how to drop off or pick up your child. Please follow the guideline as instructed with due diligence to ensure we protect ourselves as well as others, especially those who may be more susceptible to infections. To maintain social distancing, we expect all parents to limit their stay within the vicinity of the school campus.

All students will be temperature checked upon arrival to school.

The above information is our plan moving forward but should there be any changes within the coming days, we will promptly update our school community.

Thank you all again for your remarkable efforts during these extraordinary times. The latest announcement is encouraging, as we move to what will be a ‘COVID normal’ operation of our school.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents & Guardians,

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe during this challenging period for us all. We understand the complexities caused by the pandemic, especially the economic repercussions for all of our parents and families.

For this reason, I am contacting you to note that we are focused on easing the burdens placed on our families facing financial hardship caused by COVID-19. As you may recall a while back, we sent out a broadcast to all families to notify us if they are facing any financial hardship.

For families who are currently struggling due to the economic effects of COVID-19, the College will provide the following:

If you are experiencing permanent job loss or substantial loss of income, you can apply for a COVID-19 financial difficulty scholarship for 2020 tuition fees. Please communicate with the accounts department through [email protected]  or call us (9301 5800) concerning this before the 9th of October 2020, we will send a unique online link for this application.

We would also like to announce that we will be cancelling our annual tuition fee increase for 2021 (projected to be 3%) and keep tuition fees as it is, to limit the financial strain on our families.

For further queries, please contact our accounts departments.

I thank you for your understanding during this difficult time.

Kind regards,

Ahmet Zekai Ergun

Director of Finance

Dear parent / guardian / staff member

Update on Coronavirus
We have been informed that two students from Ibrahim Dellal Sunshine Campus and a student from Eastmeadows Campus have confirmed cases of COVID-19. All of these cases are linked to the external sources (not our school). We have also confirmed that they had no direct contact with anyone from the school community after their infection. They are all safe and not in critical condition.

The Non-Government Schools Census Data Collection

The Australian Government provides funding to Australian schools under the Australian Education Act 2013 (AE Act). The AE Act and the associated Australian Education Regulation 2013 (the AE Regulation) require that a school authority provides the Australian Government with certain information about the school, its staff, and student body to ensure the school’s funding is properly calculated and appropriately managed. This information is collected by the Department of Education, Skills, and Employment (the department) on behalf of the Australian Government.

What information does the department collect in the Non-Government Schools Census?

Any personal information collected is protected by law, including the Privacy Act 1988, and will be handled in accordance with that Act, the AE Act, and the AE Regulation.

The authorities that operate schools, such as a Catholic Education Office or independent school authority, will provide basic information about the school to the Australian Government. This includes its name, address, contact details, and years of schooling offered.

The school authority must provide information to the department about the makeup of the school’s staff and student body during an annual school census. This is because Australian Government funding varies according to whether students are primary, secondary, receiving distance education, or are overseas students and is calculated to provide additional funding, called ‘loadings’, for students at an educational disadvantage.

The school authority must provide the department with information about the number of staff and students at the school (no names are provided), including the number of:

• teaching and non-teaching staff
• primary and secondary students
• full-time and part-time students
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and students
• students with disability
• students receiving distance education
• boarding students
• overseas students.

• calculation of Australian Government funding
• publishing and providing information about schools to the public.

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff members,

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe as we continue the second lockdown in Melbourne. I want to update you with the latest State government directives regarding schools following the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria.

Mandatory Face Masks in Metropolitan Melbourne & Mitchell Shire

Wearing face coverings is mandatory for people in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire from 11.59 pm Wednesday 22 July.

Based on advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government announced that everyone over the age of 12 in Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire must wear a face covering when they leave their home for one of four reasons:

• study or work — if you cannot work from home
• medical care and caregiving
• shopping for essentials
• daily exercise.

• in the staffroom
• on yard duty
• when providing first aid or taking temperatures.

• attend primary school for on-site supervision.
• are aged 12.
• live in Metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire and attend a school outside these areas.
• have a medical condition such as problems with their breathing, a serious skin condition on the face, a disability or a mental health condition. This includes students who attend specialist schools.

Parents and/or Carers
A student’s parent or carer will be required to wear face coverings for school drop off and pick up. If a parent enters school premises, they must be wearing a face covering. 

Teachers and Students Outside of Metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire
Students who live outside Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire but who visit these areas for one of the permitted reasons, including for work and to attend school, will have to wear a face covering.

For information about face coverings, including different types of coverings, visit the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) face-covering advice web page.

COVID-19 Testing
We appreciate if you (student, or parent) have been tested for COVID-19, regardless of the outcome, to inform the school via [email protected] email with the details of students/parents and the test results when available. Every person within the Sirius College community plays a crucial role in preventing the Covid-19 spread, and the above points must be followed with due diligence to ensure we protect ourselves as well as others, especially those who may be more susceptible to infections.

We’re all in this together. Let’s do our bit to make sure our loved ones stay safe and well.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents & Guardians,

We hope that you are safe and well. The Victorian Government has introduced new measures across metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Sirius College is among the Victorian schools impacted in these areas. Shepparton Campus is excluded from lockdown areas.

Delivery of Education
Year 11 & 12 students will start face to face education as planned on Monday 13 July 2020. Some of our Year 11 & 12 students may not be able to come to school since they should be in quarantine or self-isolation. Year 11 & 12 teachers will conduct face to face classes that will be broadcasted via Zoom for those who cannot attend school.

Students in Foundation to Year 10 will remain on holidays next week while teachers prepare for a resumption of remote and flexible learning beginning in week 2 of Term 3.

As it is located outside of the Metropolitan Melbourne area, our Shepparton Campus will commence face to face teaching in all year levels on Monday 13 July 2020 as well.

Confirmed case of COVID-19
We have been informed that a staff member from Dallas Campus and two students from Eastmeadows Campus have confirmed cases of COVID-19. All of these cases are linked to the external sources (not our school). We have also confirmed that they had no direct contact with anyone from the school community after their infection. They are all safe and not in critical condition.

We remain alert by taking the necessary precautions/preventions to minimise the risk factors. If you (student, or parent) have been tested for COVID-19, regardless of the outcome, we encourage you to inform the school via [email protected] email with the details of students/parents and the test results when available.

If you or any member of the family shows any of the following symptoms, we strongly recommend you get tested for COVID-19 and to self-isolate your child at home until you receive the results. The symptoms such as:

• fever
• respiratory symptoms
  • coughing
  • sore throat
  • shortness of breath

Other symptoms can include runny nose, headache, muscle or joint pains, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of sense of smell, altered sense of taste, loss of appetite, and fatigue.

If your child exhibits any of the above symptoms, they will be immediately excluded from the class, and you will be required to collect your child from school. Your child will not be accepted to the school until medical clearance is secured.

Every person within the Sirius College community plays a crucial role in preventing the Covid-19 spread, and the above points must be followed with due diligence to ensure we protect ourselves as well as others, especially those who may be more susceptible to infections.

The school will start checking temperatures of every student on arrival from 13 July 2020 as we implement other safety measures practices. We also strongly recommend all students who use public transport to wear face masks at all times.

Scholarship Applications will be open during Term 3

We have recently made minor changes to our Scholarships and Awards Policy (PDF File to be downloaded to your web browser). Applications will be open until the end of Term 3 starting from 13 July 2020.

You may submit your applications via this link. All applications require a fee payment where the applicants will be directed to the payment webpage through the application form.

Regards,

Dear Parents and Staff members,

I hope you are all staying safe and well during this rapidly changing crisis over the Term 2 school holidays. I want to update you with the latest State government directives regarding schools following the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria.

Metropolitan Melbourne Lockdown Measures
Based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, Premier Daniel Andrews has reimposed Stage 3 restrictions for six weeks in the Melbourne Metropolitan area and the Shire of Mitchell from midnight 8 July 2020.

The start date for Term 3
The Premier has announced that all Year 11 & 12 students will start Term 3 as planned on Monday 13 July 2020. As being located out of the Metropolitan Melbourne area, our Shepparton Campus will commence face to face teaching in all year levels on Monday 13 July 2020 as well.

Students in Foundation to Year 10 will remain on holiday next week while teachers prepare for a resumption of remote and flexible learning beginning in week 2 of Term 3. The school does not expect Year 10 students to attend their VCE subjects next week.

The school will provide supervision next week for students whose parents are unable to work from home, including those in essential services. It will still be the school holiday period for Foundation to Year 10 students. We encourage parents to keep their children at home, but if they are unable to do so, the school will assist by providing supervision (no teaching) for these students.

All staff will report to school on Monday, 13 July 2020, to prepare for the potential commencement of remote learning during Term 3.

The Premier has stated that the Victorian government is developing a consistent education program for all schools in the coming week. We will keep you informed of the latest developments as they become available.

COVID-19 Testing
We remain alert by taking the necessary precautions/preventions to minimise the risk factors. If you (student, parent, staff member) have been tested for COVID-19, regardless of the outcome, we encourage you to inform the School via [email protected] email with the details of students/parents/staff members and the test results when available.

We hope that you are staying safe.

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents & Guardians,

We hope you are safe and well, as authorities continue to monitor conditions in Victoria very closely. Any further changes to on-site schooling for Victorian students will be made on the advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer.

We also continue to closely monitor the development of the local COVID-19 outbreak (especially in the northern suburbs of Melbourne) and remain alert by taking the necessary precautions/preventions in order to minimise the risk factors, however, there is no active case currently in our school community.

Term Break

As the school starts Term 2 break this week, we highly recommend the families to be cautious in their social interactions during the holiday period. Families should follow media and official announcements regarding outbreaks and get tested for COVID-19 if required. They should also self-isolate themselves until the test results come out.

Rest of the Year

COVID-19 imposes new normals at least for the rest of the year. We will continue to be vigilant regarding the possibility of an outbreak within our school community and the geographical surroundings of our campuses.

Preventative Measures

As part of our ongoing preventative management of the COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to remind you about the following points;

• Families should be cautious when attending family events/inviting family friends/relatives to minimise the risk of being infected.
• Students or their families can also call the Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus hotline for any health concerns on 1800 675 398.
• If you or any member of the family shows any of the following symptoms, we strongly recommend you get tested for COVID-19 and to self-isolate your child at home until you receive the results. The symptoms such as:

• fever
• respiratory symptoms
  • coughing
  • sore throat
  • shortness of breath

Other symptoms can include runny nose, headache, muscle or joint pains, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of sense of smell, altered sense of taste, loss of appetite, and fatigue.

You may access the online symptom checker tool via this link.

• If your child exhibits any of the above symptoms they will be immediately excluded from class and you will be required to collect your child from school. Your child will not be accepted to the school until medical clearance is provided.
• If your child or any member of the family (e.g. another child going to a different school) has tested voluntarily or has been asked to be tested, all members of your family must not attend the school until the results of the test come out. The family must inform the school to be added to our COVID-19 register and provide the test results.
• Every person within the Sirius College community plays a crucial role in preventing the Covid-19 spread, it is essential the above points are followed with due diligence to ensure we protect ourselves as well as others, especially those who may be more susceptible to infections.

If an outbreak happens in one of our campuses

We hope that an outbreak will never occur within our school community. Our school is well-prepared for the possible outbreak as we maintain the Covid-19 register very seriously. Our school will cooperate with the health authorities to conduct the risk assessment and contact tracing. In the event of an outbreak which affects school operations, The school will inform its community promptly for further instructions with regards to a possible transition to online learning and inform the relevant staff, students, and parents to get tested if needed.

Regards,

Dear Parents & Guardians,

I hope you are safe and well as authorities begin to initiate the easing of restrictions during COVID-19 in Victoria.

Return to face to face teaching 
Premier Daniel Andrews and the Education Minister James Merlino, acting on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, announced a phased resumption starting on Tuesday 26 May, Foundation, Year 1, Year 2, Year 11 and Year 12 students, will return to on-site learning at schools in Victoria. Students in Years 3 to 10 will continue to learn remotely until Tuesday, 9 June, giving the Government and the Chief Health Officer time to monitor and evaluate the effects that the return to school by other year levels has on the increased movement of people and transmission of COVID-19 within the community.

Based on this announcement, the staged return to Sirius College will be as follows:

• Students in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 continue remote learning program until 22 May 2020
• Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 students will commence learning on-site from Tuesday 26 May 2020
• Students in Year 11 and Year 12 continue remote learning program until 22 May 2020
• Year 11 and Year 12 students will commence learning on-site from Tuesday 26 May 2020 
• Students in Year 3 to Year 10 continue remote and flexible learning program until 5 June 2020
• Year 3 to Year 10 will commence learning on-site from Tuesday 9 June 2020

The school will arrange a set of new rules to support physical distancing and good hygiene practices to reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission within the practical limitations of a school environment. These will include pick-up and drop-off procedures. Your campus management will provide further information.

We have responded to potential FAQ’s families may have to clarify any confusion:

Why do you open the school towards the end of Term 2? Can’t you wait until Term 3?
We understand that this announcement will receive mixed reactions not only among our school community but also across the whole state. Our school is prepared to conclude the term in a remote learning setting. However based on all the messages sent by authorities our understanding is that our school is expected to comply with the announced schedule together with the vast majority of schools in Victoria.

Will the school provide remote learning if I choose to keep my child home?
All students in the year levels returning to on-site schooling are expected to attend school. Schools are not expected to provide remote learning where parents elect to keep these students at home, except where this is based on medical advice. If a child is healthy and their parents are not willing to send them to school for their safety and wellbeing, they will be marked as absent in the school system.

What happens if my child is unwell?
No student should attend the school if they are unwell. The school will contact parents if their child is exhibiting symptoms of illness at school, and they will need to be collected from school.

I have a child outside of the year levels starting on-site learning from 26 May (e.g. a child in Year 4 or Year 8). Am I allowed to bring them to school from 26 May onwards for face to face teaching?
No. The Victorian Government has initiated a staggered transition to face to face teaching, which leaves the year levels from Year 3 to Year 10 beginning from 9 June.
Students who cannot be supervised at home and for whom no other arrangements can be made will continue to be supervised on-site to continue remote and flexible learning program.

What happens if my child is absent during an assessment?
Following their return; students will be required to complete all scheduled assessments. The school will use the assessment data to provide a semester report for all students, which is a legal obligation. School’s assessment policy will apply for students who do not complete assessments without an approved reason.

When will school canteen services be available?
School Canteens will open on Tuesday, 9 June.

When will bus services commence?
Bus services will begin operating from 26 May.

Thank you for your valuable feedback and cooperation!

Dear Parents & Guardians,

I hope you are safe and healthy as we can hopefully see the light at the end of the tunnel in overcoming COVID-19. 

Despite the understandable challenges faced by a minority of our parents with the transition to remote learning, we have been inundated and overwhelmed by the support of the majority of our parents. We thank each and every one of our parents for their ongoing support in realising that now is a time for our families to be a source of support and motivation for our students. We strive to work through any concerns of our parents to better our quality of students.

Survey Feedback

We would like to update our school community following the remote learning survey completed by parents.

Parent responses to our Remote Learning Survey indicated that nearly 70% of parents are currently satisfied with the program. According to the same survey, 21% of parents outlined that they were neutral with the move to remote learning. The rest outlined that they weren’t satisfied. 

When asked to further comment, the following two items were among the main concerns:

• Excessive workload
• Too much screen time

Curriculum Adjustments

We have made adjustments to curriculum, assessments, and the workload of students in both primary and secondary starting from week 4. This is based on the feedback from parents in this survey as well as general feedback from students & staff.

As you can imagine, it has been an intensely arduous task in managing the delivery of content to all of our year levels ranging from foundation to year 12. With that in mind, we would like to note that we try our best to minimise any loss in the curricular content and its delivery with this move to remote learning. 

It has been amazing to witness our teachers going above and beyond expectations to deliver the content through various modes and to support our students despite these unprecedented circumstances. We are doing our utmost to take the necessary steps and put certain measures in place to ensure that we are providing the best possible education to your child in the circumstances that exist. 

You can find the answer to some of the frequently asked questions below:

Does the school receive government funding for providing electronic devices to students?

No, we do not receive any government funding. We would like to clarify this matter that may also be on your mind. We are not receiving any government funding to provide electronic devices to students during our transition to remote learning. We are not required to provide electronic devices by the government either. It is our school’s courtesy. 

When will the school commence face to face teaching?

The school would like to note how important the health and wellbeing of our school community is to us. As you may have heard, the Federal government offered an early financial incentive for independent schools to begin face to face teaching earlier but we declined this offer purely to safeguard and ensure the health and safety of our students, staff, and parents based on recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer of Victoria until further notice. 

I thank our school community for their unwavering support and cooperation as we try to flatten the curve back to normalcy.

Kind regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents,

We trust that you are all healthy and coping well with remote learning.

We would like to get your feedback on the initial experience of remote learning for your children. We recognise that it may have been a difficult period transitioning to online learning for some of our families. We also understand that at times things may go wrong and if you have a concern or a complaint, we would like you to let us know in order to provide a better service to our school community.

Please fill out the remote learning survey at your earliest convenience.

• Rate your satisfaction with the school’s Remote Learning Plan for Secondary students.

Dear Parents,

I hope you are all well and have had a safe holiday period during these uncertain times due to the COVID-19. I would like to welcome our school community back to Term 2 as we prepare to commence education under changing circumstances. 

As was noted in the previous letter, Term 2 will officially commence this Wednesday 15 April 2020 for all students. Following government advice from Premier Daniel Andrews, we will be moving to online education for students as of Term 2. As stated by Premier Andrews ‘on-site learning will only be available for children whose parents can’t work from home and vulnerable students without access to a suitable learning environment at home.’ Premier Andrews also strongly reiterated that ‘all children who can learn at home must learn from home – with exceptions only in extremely limited circumstances.’ Our focus is in line with these guidelines mentioned by the Premier.

The Victorian government has very clearly advised that all schools will move to remote and flexible learning when students return for Term 2. This means that ‘all children who can learn at home MUST learn from home’. This is a very clear directive by the Victorian Government based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer.

The experience of learning will change greatly during this period of remote learning. It will not be the same as face to face classroom interaction. A comprehensive Remote Learning Plan will be shared with you soon.

The curriculum will be delivered online ensuring that continuous learning takes place whether the student is attending the school or not. Please refer to the end of this letter to find out the daily schedule and weekly distribution of subject periods.

Our school community must accept the reality that learning will be different during this period of time. Please do not worry about your child regressing as every child is in the same situation. Try and provide a calm environment at home as the wellbeing of our students and our parents will be the most important aspect over the next couple of months. 

This is not an action that we have taken lightly, and we understand that it may cause you and your family concern, stress and inconvenience in this difficult time for all. Please understand that this step is being taken to slow the spread of the virus and ensure the health and safety of all Victorians.

Please note that students who have to attend school due to these extreme circumstances will not be receiving any face to face teaching. Keep in mind that maintaining social distancing at school is not possible at all times and depends on the number of students who are attending school. We are doing our best to accommodate the needs of our students, if your circumstances are likely to change, please inform the school at least two weeks in advance in order for us to make necessary arrangements. Parents who wish to do so may request a callback from the school via this link. 

No student or parent is to attend our school site if they are unwell. Parents will be contacted and their child will need to be collected from school if they are exhibiting symptoms of illness at school. The health, safety, and wellbeing of all is paramount at this time. 

It’s going to be critically important that we work very closely together to ensure that we provide the very best possible support for the ongoing wellbeing and learning of our students and your children.

For us to be able to provide devices for students who will be at school premises, if you have devices at home for your child to use, it would be of great help for them to bring their own device to use for their online learning in order to avoid shortage of supplies for students in need. As we will be moving into an online space for education, we recommend that parents & students refer to the acceptable use of ICT policy for the recommended code of conduct for students engaging in online learning. Please be aware that the attendance of students is still required and will be taken during their online sessions. 

School buses will not be operating in Term 2 due to the move to online education as well as the fact that the operation of buses violates the social distancing measures outlined by authorities. Canteens will also not be open during Term 2 due to the small number of students at school. 

Daily Schedule

Research and practice show that students are likely to learn best from home when they;

• make regular contact with teachers
• establish a study routine
• demonstrate learning progress and receive regular feedback
• are involved in a variety of learning activities/tasks

Based on these considerations daily schedule is set as follows:

In this schedule, each session indicated as “Class” will run live on Zoom. The school is addressing concerns that are related to online security and privacy.

• Zoom classes will be recorded. Students will be able to access them on demand.
• Attendance for each “Class” as indicated in the schedule will be recorded on SEQTA.
• Each class code will have a fixed meeting link which will be shared by the subject/class teacher.

In the primary, Periods 1 and 6 will be covered by the home teacher. Students will complete daily work in their Home Learning Packs during periods 2, 3, and 4. Period 5 is allocated for specialist subjects as follows and students will complete the daily physical activity during Period 7 :

• Monday: Languages
• Tuesday: Music
• Wednesday: Visual Arts
• Thursday: Performing Arts/Drama
• Friday: Religion and Values

In secondary, each period will be covered by the subject teacher as per timetable.

Allocation of Subject Periods

In the primary, the curriculum will be delivered as a combination of live video classes, self-completion of home learning packs monitored by subject teachers, pre-recorded classes, and activity time.

In secondary, all classes including electives will run online. The format of an online class is flexible depending on the subject. Possible options for a class can include a combination of video instruction and students working independently on assigned classwork. The weekly distribution of periods is unchanged; students will follow the actual timetable as in SEQTA online. 

The school has also updated its Communicable Disease Policy and will be viewable on Seqta Parent Portal by Wednesday, 15th of April.

We are working extremely hard and doing our absolute best to ensure we have a safe and sanitized environment for our school community. 

Again I would like to note that we follow the health recommendations in combating this virus by maintaining strict social distancing measures and practicing good hygiene. 

I hope that you are maintaining your safety and taking precautions during this uncertain time for all. 

In the current complex developments surrounding COVID-19, the financial health and well-being of our parents remain our priority. If your financial circumstances have been impacted by COVID-19 (like losing jobs or being stood down) please contact the school accounts department to make arrangements. 

Regards,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Dear Parents & Guardians,

I hope you & your family have had a good holiday period during this difficult time for all. I would like to update you on school developments surrounding the COVID-19.

Confirmed case of COVID-19
We have been informed that two siblings from Secondary year levels at Keysborough campus have confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, 6 April 2020 due to their direct contact with their parents who had returned from overseas. The last attendance of both siblings at the school was on Friday, 20 March 2020 and we have confirmed that they had no direct contact with anyone from the school community. The school has consulted with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and been advised that there is no risk involved in the school community and were not required to trace the case within the school. The school works very closely with the DHHS to identify and manage notifiable disease reporting.

We have already created a COVID-19 register towards the end of Term 1 and have been following up on all suspected cases including returns from overseas and showing the symptoms of COVID-19. You are requested to report whether your child(ren) is/are:

• a confirmed case of COVID-19, or
• had close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 or
• showing symptoms of COVID-19 but tested.

The start date for Term 2
The Minister for Education and Training has announced that, on advice from the Chief Health Officer, all Victorian government schools will move to remote and flexible learning and teaching for Term 2. Further details of the announcement can be found here.

Term 2 will officially commence on Wednesday, 15 April 2020 for all students. Students are expected to be studying from home. Upon receiving conflicting messages from the state and federal government authorities, we are trying to finalise the details of the delivery method of education.

We can assure you that the school is well-prepared to provide education in any setting.

We kindly ask all families to complete the parent survey below to gauge your expression of interest in having your child attend a school or stay home.

Please complete the form below by Sunday, 12 April 2020 at the latest to inform us if your child will need to come to school in Term 2. This information will assist us to prepare for the following weeks.

Regards,
Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents,

Sirius College has been working towards organizing an online platform to deliver the best possible teaching and learning for our students. While we are training our staff members on our online platform, we would like to understand the capabilities of our families to adopt this new way of learning.
This survey is designed for the initial assessment of student readiness to follow the curriculum in the scenario of school closure for an extended period during the academic year.
We appreciate your careful response to the questions in the survey. The data collected will help us to understand and assist families to use our online learning platform in a more effective way.

Regards,

• Which of the following devices do you have access at home? (Choose all the options that apply.)*

• Do you have access to a camera and a microphone? *

Dear Parents,

We continue to closely monitor the development of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and remain vigilant by taking the necessary precautions/preventions in order to minimise the risk factors. There has been no confirmed case of COVID-19, or close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 14 days within our school community currently. 

Our priority is to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of our students, staff and their families. We continue to take a precautionary approach based on the latest and best medical advice from the Department of Health of the Australian Government, Department of Health and Human Services of Victoria, the Department of Education and Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) as well as our Health and Safety Committee.

As you may be aware the State of Emergency has begun on Monday, 16 March at midday and will be enforced for the next four weeks to assist with measures designed to ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19 and give our health system the best chance of managing the virus. You may read the full statement from this link.

Sirius College management has already cancelled large scale assemblies and mass gatherings within the school effective since 12th of March, 2020. 

The situation surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak is dynamic and unpredictable which has led our parents to be anxious about the health and wellbeing of their children should they continue to attend classes. 

Up until this time, we have continued to follow the recommendations of the abovementioned authorities. We have been advised that schools are entitled to make their own decisions regarding school operation times. With this in mind, we have decided to begin Term 1 break on the week starting 23rd of March 2020. 

As of Wednesday, 18th of March 2020, all scheduled school assessments are postponed until the beginning of Term 2. This excludes VCE Unit 3 School Assessed Coursework. Those students will be required to come to school to complete these tasks. Schedules will be provided to students separately.

Term 2 will start as usual on Tuesday, 14th of April 2020. If circumstances change, the school will notify you of the changes.  

The school is ready to provision the educational materials for students to study at home and deliver the curriculum online when needed. We will provide further information about this matter in due time.

As part of our ongoing preventative management of the COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to inform you about the following points;

• Families should reconsider their planned overseas trips and possibly cancel until further advice from the government is received. The Federal government requires all arrivals (including Australian citizens) from overseas after the 16th of March, 2020 to self isolate themselves at home for 14 days after the date of their return. 

Therefore, Sirius College will not allow students who arrive in Australia from overseas on 16th of March, 2020 onwards until 14 days of self-isolation is practiced after the date of return, regardless of showing symptoms of COVID-19.

If any symptoms develop during this 14 day period, the family must provide a medical certificate.

• Families should remain cautious when attending family events to minimise the risk of being infected.
• Students or their families can also call the Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus hotline for any health concerns on 1800 675 398.

We encourage you to practice good hygiene, particularly in washing hands regularly and thoroughly at home and ask your child to continue this practice at all times.

Sirius College is a strong community where we support each other and is currently in a challenging time in which we need to work together more than ever to navigate through this period.

Your cooperation during these times is highly appreciated.

Yours Sincerely,

Ahmet Yamakoglu

Executive Principal

Dear Parents,

As we are approaching the end of Term 1, we continue to closely monitor the development of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and remain alert by taking the necessary precautions/preventions in order to minimise the risk factors, however, there is no potential risk posed to the community currently.

Our priority is to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of our students, staff, and their families. We continue to take a precautionary approach based on the latest and best medical advice from the Australian Government Department of Health, the Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) as well as our Health and Safety Committee. As the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic, we have escalated our preventative measures to manage the outbreak.

As part of our ongoing preventative management of the COVID-19 outbreak, we would like to inform you about the following points;

• Families should reconsider their planned overseas trips and possibly cancel until further advice from the government is received. All travel restrictions will be reviewed by the government on 14 March 2020. If you have already arranged your flight and are willing to go ahead with your travel, please be sure your travel insurance covers COVID-19.
• Families should also be cautious when attending family events to minimise the risk of being infected.
• Students or their families can also call the Department of Health and Human Services Coronavirus hotline for any health concerns on 1800 675 398.
• There is no vaccination for COVID-19 currently. However, in order to reduce the impact on the public health system, it is recommended that people receive the seasonal influenza vaccination to lessen the burden of respiratory infections on medical services generally. We strongly recommend families to consider vaccination, especially for those who have a history of respiratory complications.
• If you have recently returned from overseas, we strongly recommend you to self-isolate your child at home and monitor your family’s health for 14 days. You should consult your GP if yourself or any member of the family shows any of the following symptoms at the end of 14 days;
  • fever
  • flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, runny nose and fatigue
  • shortness of breath

If your child exhibits any of the above symptoms they will be immediately excluded from class and you will be required to collect your child from school.

Your child will not be accepted to the school until medical clearance is provided.

• If your child is asked to stay at home for self-isolation, it is recommended to read the “Isolation Guideline” published by the Department of Health.

• Families should also need to consider the impact on childcare where relevant, should schools have to close for a short period of time instructed by the authorities.
• We are updating our “Communicable Disease Policy” based on the recent developments and will be published for your access as soon as practical.
• We have decided to cancel all overseas school trips until the 31st of July, 2020. Other planned overseas school trips after this date are on hold until further notice.
• Interstate school trips, school camps, and all school excursions are also cancelled until 31st of July, 2020. All activities after this date are on hold until further notice.
• We have been working to create our response plan including staff training based on different scenarios to minimize the effects on education and other school operations to keep everyone safe at school.
• We will continue to highlight the importance of hygiene to prevent the spread of germs and viral illnesses through informative posters and practical strategies, such as increasing the supply of hand sanitiser in common areas and emphasising the necessity of washing hands properly at all times.

We strongly recommend watching the video, Brett Sutton Chief Health Officer, providing updated advice on coronavirus for Victorians on 3rd March 2020 via this link.

We also strongly recommend accessing the following resources provided by government agencies to learn about the outbreak.

• Smart Traveller

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/news-and-updates/coronavirus-covid-19

• Department of Home Affairs

https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/current-alerts/novel-coronavirus

• Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/victorian-public-coronavirus-disease-covid-19

• COVID-19 Pandemic Plan for the Victorian Health Sector by DHHS

https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/Api/downloadmedia/%7BE51514A8-EA52-4CBB-A757-83B1DAB5D14B%7D

Sirius College is a strong community where we support each other and is currently a challenging time in which we need to work together more than ever to navigate the next few weeks.

Your cooperation during these times is highly appreciated.

Yours Sincerely,

Ahmet Yamakoglu
Executive Principal

Dear Parents,

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! We hope that everyone in your family had a nice relaxing break.

 Following the recent news that the highly contagious Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has reached Australia in particular Victoria, we must work together to protect our school community. Sirius College will implement safety measures, which include:

• If you have recently returned from Overseas, It is strongly advised that you should visit your family doctor and ask for a Medical Clearance letter for your child(ren) from a General Practitioner, upon returning to Sirius College.
• If you have recently returned from China, we request that your child remain at home for a minimum of 14 days before returning to Sirius College with a Medical Clearance letter from a General Practitioner for your child(ren).
• We also ask that any authorised nominees (including grandparents, aunties, uncles etc.) who have been overseas, should not pick up or drop off your child(ren) at Sirius College for a period of 14 days from their return.

The above safety measures will remain in force pending further communication from Sirius College.

For further information regarding the Coronavirus, please see attached information sheet from the Department of Health.

We strongly advise you to watch media address by Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Brett Sutton, with advice on the coronavirus for parents whose children are returning to schools this week.

If you have any queries in relation to the above, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

We thank you for your cooperation during this time.