Term 2 Newsletter, 2025

Excursions and Events 
There are a number of School Events planned for Term 2. 

Parents/Carers will be emailed with details of each event. Where permission is required, we ask that you give permission through the Compass Portal as instructed. This will ensure that your response goes directly to the staff member who is responsible for that event. 

Students without parent/carer consent provided cannot be included in the event. Phone calls, handwritten notes and texts are not acceptable unless a prior agreement has been made with the Assistant or Deputy Principal. Some events will be limited due to transport or other considerations, so getting in early will be important, once you are notified those bookings are open. 

Duke of Edinburgh Hike 3 – Group B
When: Tuesday 17 June 2025
Where: Mount Wondabyne 

More information will be emailed to parents/carers closer to the event. 

Duke of Edinburgh Hike 4 – Group A
When: Tuesday 24 June 2025
Where: Emerald Pool

More information will be emailed to parents/carers closer to the event.

Year 7 Mathematic Excursion – Ten Pin Bowling
When: Tuesday 24 June 2025
Where: Gosford City Ten Pin Bowling
Time: 10am – 12.30pm

Year 7 students will complete a unit of work in Mathematics this term on Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. The excursion to Gosford City Ten Pin Bowling will enable them to collect data and apply calculation strategies developed in the classroom.

Year 7 & 10 Immunisation Program
When: Thursday 26 June 2025
Where: ETASC

The Central Coast Health School Immunisation Team will be visiting ET Australia Secondary College to administer free vaccines to Years 7 and 10 students. Year 7 students will receive the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Year 10 students will receive the meningococcal ACWY vaccine. Details will be emailed separately.

Key Dates for Term 2 2025
The first day of Term 2 for all students is Tuesday 29th April 2025.
The last day of Term 2 for all students is Friday 4th July 2025*
*This will be a half day for Years 7-10 students. 

Parents/Carers are requested to review and update their contact details in Compass. If you need help accessing your Compass account, please contact the school on 4323 1233. 

AIS Respectful Relationship Education Program
ETASC is currently working with the Associations of Independent Schools NSW (AIS) to develop a respectful relationships education program for ETASC students. This program is being designed to meet the needs of our student cohort as they learn to navigate more complex relationships through school and into their adulthood. As a result, student surveys, parents/carers surveys, and staff surveys will be conducted this term to determine how much knowledge our school community has on respectful relationships. More information will be sent out later in the term.

School Starting Times and First Day of Term Arrangements 

• Years 7 and 8 students are required to be on campus at 8:55am for a 9:00am start time every school day. Students enter our Years 7 to 10 campus via the school reception area located on Level 1, Imperial Shopping Centre, Gosford. Accessing the Imperial Centre via the Erina Street entrance is the most direct entry point for the school. The school hall is open for students and supervised by staff every morning from 8:30am. 

• Years 9 and 10 students are required to be at school at 9:05am for a 9:10am start time every school day. Students enter our Years 7 to 10 campus via the school reception area located on Level 1, Imperial Shopping Centre, Gosford. Accessing the Imperial Centre via the Erina Street entrance is the most direct entry point for the school. The school hall is open for students and supervised by staff every morning from 8:30am. 

• Years 11 and 12 students are required to be on campus at 8:40am for an 8:45am start time every school day. Students enter via the school reception located in the driveway of 125 Donnison Street, Gosford. For those students who arrive before 8:40am, students are welcome to use the student common area from 8:30am. 

• If a student arrives late to school without a valid reason, they are required to surrender their mobile phone to reception for the day. Failure to do so will result in the student having to surrender their phone to the Assistant or Deputy Principal every day for a period of 10 weeks. 

Withdrawal from school
ETASC requires four weeks’ notice of withdrawal of a student from school. 

Parents/Carers are liable for school fees up to the withdrawal date or four weeks after notice is given, whichever is the latest. 

Notice of withdrawal must be made in writing to the Deputy Principal. 

Regular Pattern of School Attendance Required by Students
A reminder to parents/carers that for their child to continue their enrolment at the College, students need to maintain a consistent pattern of attendance. 

The New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) requires all students to have a minimum attendance percentage of 85% throughout the year. 

This means the College expects every student to attend school every day unless they are too sick to attend. In the event of absence caused by illness, the College requires an explanation of the absence within 24 hours of the student’s absence. Notification can be provided via the Compass Portal, email, or phone call. In the event of three or more consecutive days off, the College can request a medical certificate to support the provided reasons. If you have other reasons for a student being absent for the day (family emergency for example) please provide the College office with an explanation so we can account for the student’s absence. 

For more information on school attendance please refer to the College Handbook relevant to you: 

Years 7 to 10 College Handbook 
Years 11 and 12 College Handbook  

Reporting a Student’s Absence
It is a government requirement for parents/carers to notify and provide a reason for their child’s absence from school on every occasion. To ensure notifications are always received and recorded by the appropriate staff members, a generic email address can be used for absentee notifications. We request this email address be used rather than emailing individual staff members. This will ensure the notification is received by the Reception staff, regardless of who is working on the day. Where an explanation has not been received within 7 days from the first day of any period of absence, the school will record this as unexplained on the student’s record.

Methods for notifying the school of absences are:

Email: attendance@etaustralia.com
Phone: 02 4323 1233 after 8:30am
Via the Compass App

When your child is absent from school and we have not been notified, an email and push notification via Compass will be sent to inform you of their absence, which you are able to reply to. Parents/Carers can sign into the Compass Portal and enter an attendance note for their child for future and past absences.

COVID-19, Other Illnesses and School Attendance
ET Australia follows NSW Health guidelines to minimise COVID-19 transmission, keeping schools open and the community safe.  

NSW Health advice is that if a student is unwell and has any symptoms, they should always test for COVID-19. If the test comes back negative for COVID-19, the student should still not return to school until the student no longer has any symptoms. NSW Health advises that it is important that students do not attend school if they are unwell. Covid-19, other viruses, influenza, common colds, and stomach bugs can all be contagious. Health advice is that students who are sick should always stay home to rest and recover and avoid putting other students and staff at risk of getting sick. Students who present with symptoms at school will be sent home immediately and will not be able to return to school until they no longer have symptoms. 

Request for Student Leave
The Department of Education’s requirement for school attendance also affects opportunities for families to take holidays during school terms. Some schools are withdrawing the option of families taking students out of school for holidays. ETASC is flexible, but the Minister for Education requires us to ensure all student leave during term time be approved by the College Principal in advance. A Student Leave Request form is available from reception and needs to be completed 4 weeks prior to the planned absence from school.

Please contact the College office on 02 4323 1233 if you have any further queries about holidays during school terms. 

ET Australia Secondary College – A non-smoking High School
ETASC is a non-smoking Secondary College for ALL students and staff – this includes the use of vape pens and e-cigarettes. 

Students who are caught smoking cigarettes or using vape pens or e-cigarettes during school hours will have their cigarettes, vape pens or e-cigarettes confiscated and destroyed. Parents/Carers will be contacted to inform them of this behaviour. 

Advice from NSW Health clearly outlines that it is illegal to sell cigarettes, vape pens and e-cigarettes or accessories to, or buy these products on behalf of, a person under 18 years of age. 

Please visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/e-cigarettes.aspx for more information from NSW Health. 

Any student smoking during school hours will be in breach of school rules and will be treated the same way as any other breach of school rules. Repeat offenders will be placed on a school contract that will stipulate the behaviour required to maintain their enrolment at the College. The school contract with the student will include the provision of access to quit smoking programs and access to the College psychologist to develop strategies to use instead of smoking during the school day. Breaching the school contract will result in the student’s expulsion from the College. 

Banned items – Reminder
Students are prohibited from bringing certain items to school: 

• Chewing gum 

• Aerosol cans – deodorant etc. 

• Knives 

• Liquid paper 

• Permanent markers 

• Laser devices 

• Metal or opaque drink bottles 

• Cigarettes 

• e-cigarettes or vapes 

• Cigarette lighters or matches 

• Gel Blaster/Gel Gun 

If students bring these items to school, they will be confiscated.

If students continue to bring these items to school, appropriate action will be taken in accordance with the consequences for breaches of the expected behaviours outlined at enrolment and in the Years 7 to 10 College Handbook and Years 11 and 12 College Handbook. 

Medication Taken at School
In accordance with our First Aid and Medications Policy, parents/carers are required to complete an Authorisation for Administration of Student Medication form for any medication that is required to be dispensed during school hours. 

Parents/Carers will also be required to provide the medication in its original packaging which has the Doctor’s instructions on the label. 

Please contact the school office if you would like any further information or require a form to be sent home. 

For more information on medication taken at school please refer to the College Handbook relevant to you: 

• Years 7 to 10 College Handbook 
• Years 11 and 12 College Handbook 

School Lockers
Lockers are provided at no cost for students to store their school bags to improve security, and work, health and safety. Students are asked to clean out their lockers at the end of every term. Items left in lockers at the end of each term will be discarded. If you value the contents of your locker, please take it with you. 

Students are encouraged to keep lockers always locked, even when empty. We are keen to prevent unauthorised access to lockers and/or to have other people placing objects in lockers that do not belong there. 

Enrolments
Enrolment places are still available for the current year groups in 2025: 

• Year 7 

• Year 9  

• Year 10 

• Year 11 

Places are not available in our other year groups, and a waiting list is in place. 

Please contact the school office if you would like to make an enrolment enquiry or would like more information. 

Lunch Orders – Lunch Options for 2025
Students in Years 7 and 8 will have the following lunch order options in 2025:  

Monday – McDonald’s 
Tuesday – Subway
Wednesday – Sushi
Thursday – Subway
Friday – Hot chips 

Years 9, 10, 11, and 12 students have permission to buy food from the food court in the Imperial Centre for the first 15 minutes of each break every day. The school staff provide student supervision in the food court during breaks.  

As soon as students have received their food and drinks, they must make their way directly to Kibble Park. During breaks in Kibble Park, students are always supervised by school staff.  

Students will only be permitted to enter the food court if they are purchasing food or drinks. If students go to the food court and do not purchase food or drinks, they will be banned from accessing this privilege.  

Years 11 and 12 students are also permitted to go to Shop 3 Café unsupervised to buy food and drinks during breaks. As soon as students have received their food and drinks, they must make their way directly to Kibble Park. During breaks in Kibble Park, students are always supervised by school staff.  

Teaching Staff
Contact details for all members of school staff are in the College Handbook relevant to you: 

• Years 7 to 10 College Handbook
• Years 11 and 12 College Handbook 

Years 7 – 10 Individual Education Plans (IEPs)
Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings will continue in Term 2. These meetings are an opportunity to discuss the students’ individual learning needs and plan for reasonable adjustments that ETASC can make to provide targeted support for your child. An email will be sent inviting you to book via the Compass Portal by clicking on ‘Parent Student Teacher Conference’.   

Please bring to the meeting any diagnostic paperwork or specialist reports that you have not previously provided to the school. The meetings will be with either Jasmyn du Plessis, ETASC’s Student Learning Support and Careers Coordinator, or Olivia Whiting, ETASC’s Assistant Student Learning Support and Careers Coordinator.   

If the time slots are not suitable, please email Jasmyn.duplessis@etaustralia.com so an alternative time can be arranged.  

Free After-School Tutoring
Any student who wants help after school in any subject should ask the subject teacher, and arrangements will be made to provide free tutoring on most afternoons. 

All extra-curricular or tutoring classes are free of charge.

Literacy Tutoring:
Weekly Literacy Tutoring – Join Us! 

Struggling with sentence structure? Want to master punctuation? Join Melanie and Bella for our weekly literacy tutoring sessions! 

✏️ When: Tuesdays, 2:30–3:30 PM
✏️ Where: Classroom 6
✏️ What: Explore the ins and outs of sentence writing with a focus on punctuation. 

All students are welcome. Come along and sharpen your writing skills in a supportive environment! 

Please let the school know if your child needs to leave early for transport. 

Numeracy Tutoring:
Every Thursday, Matt A. and Suzanne run numeracy tutoring for students in Years 7-10 from 2:30pm-3:30pm in classroom 6. 

In our Maths tutoring sessions, we focus on a variety of essential skills, with an emphasis on Numeracy Ninjas and multiplication, which will support understanding of Division and Repeated Addition. 

Each session begins with a 5-minute mental maths activity, followed by work in our tutoring booklets. These booklets cover a range of topics such as division, BIDMAS, time, interpreting bus/train timetables, and solving worded problems. Each booklet is customised to meet the individual needs of the students. 

If your child needs help with specific class topics, we encourage them to bring their class booklets so we can work through any areas of difficulty. 

Sessions conclude with a fun, quick maths game for the group. 

Please let the school know if your child needs to leave early for transport. 

Feel free to contact the school to let us know your child will be attending. 

Learning Enrichment Opportunities
ETASC offers free tutoring for all students. 

For students who are identified as needing extra assistance with: 

• Reading – ETASC offers the MacqLit reading program. 

• Mathematics – ETASC offers the QuickSmart program. We also offer consolidation of classwork and after school tutoring. 

• Writing – ETASC offers English tutoring and consolidation of classwork. 

Stage 4 Spelling and DEAR
Year 7 and 8 students will participate in DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) during Term 2. Please encourage students to bring in a novel of their choice or to borrow one from the Knowledge Hub. 

Year 11 2026 Information Session
On Friday, 6th June, 2025, Year 10 students will have an information session at the Years 11 & 12 campus to find out what ETASC offers senior students. The information will include: 

• Course overview including the subjects offered 

• Access to alternative subjects via distance education  

• School based apprenticeship opportunities  

• TVET opportunities  

• Day to day experience at the Years 11 & 12 campus 

• Testimonials from the current Year 11 and Year 12 students.  

Application forms for Years 11 & 12 along with an overview of the course offering will be available for Year 10 students to take home on the day.  

SYNC – Skills You Need Consolidating
This year ETASC will continue with SYNC for Years 9 and 10 students. Each lesson aims to help students establish and practise the fundamental skills necessary for further education and work. These practical skills enable students to practise problem solving, critical thinking and group work. 

Classes include:  

• Nutrition – properly reading food labels, budgeting, planning, food wastage and cooking skills; 

• Computer Skills – desktop usage, using Microsoft Office, typing skills, film editing and website building; 

• Careers – resume writing, cover letters, how to research jobs, skills selection and how to apply for jobs; 

• Independence Days – car maintenance, practical living skills and household upkeep. 

These units will help to round out the students’ employability skills. 

Years 9 & 10 Student Assessment Handbooks
Student Assessment Handbooks are available on the school website and are important documents for Years 9 & 10 students to read to be informed about their Record of School Achievement (RoSA) requirements.

Within the handbook there is information on how to successfully complete Year 10, the grading scale for each subject, what an ‘N’ Determination Award (N Award) is and how to avoid one, study skills and who to talk to if you need help. 

We encourage all Years 9 & 10 students and parents/carers to read these documents thoroughly to ensure they are informed of the expectations for Years 9 & 10 students. 

Year 9 Assessment Handbook
Year 10 Assessment Handbook  

Curriculum Update
Year 11 have completed their first term of senior school, adjusting to the greater workload, including homework and take-home assessment tasks. Year 12 students are now halfway through their HSC courses and hopefully will increase their practise of past HSC questions in preparation for their HSC.   

Year 12 Reports  
Student reports were emailed out through the school administration platform Compass at the end of Term 1. Year 12 received their Semester 1 report with comments on their achievements and how to improve their academic progress. 

Year 11 Reports
Student reports will be emailed out through the school administration platform Compass at the end of Week 2 this term (first week of May). Year 11 will receive a progress report to give parents an indication of student work habits and knowledge of subject content. 

Assessments 
At the start of the term, a message will be sent through Compass with an outline of each assessment task and the due date. Many tasks require students to research and write responses outside of class time. Remember to take advantage of the after-school session from 3-4pm where teachers are available to answer questions. These tasks require students to work on them throughout the term and are not designed to be done in one night. If a student is absent on the day an assessment task is due, please ensure the illness misadventure form is completed, with documentary evidence and emailed to Christina.Clark@etaustralia.com within 24 hours.  

HSC Minimum Standards – Intervention  
In order to receive the HSC, all students need to receive a level 3 in the HSC Minimum Standards Test. There are three tests, reading, writing and numeracy. Last term students were given the chance to complete these tests. Any students who did not receive a level 3 will be taken from class and given access to intervention in small groups. The aim is to help these students practise and develop the skills needed to gain a level 3. Students will be given another opportunity towards the end of Term 2 to sit the HSC Minimum Standards Test again.

Year 12 Mentorship Program 
Each Year 12 student has been assigned a staff member to be their mentor. Last term they met to reflect on strategies that worked to achieve the student’s goals. This mentorship program will continue into Term 2. Students receive a booklet to record their academic goals for the term and meet with their mentor to plan steps to help them achieve it. Mentors meet with the students to encourage them to keep working on those steps.  They also help students to reflect on what strategies are helping them and what things need to change to ensure they meet their academic goals.   

Year 12 Practice Trial HSC – Weeks 9 & 10 
To help Year 12 prepare for their Trial HSC exams in Term 3, students will have the opportunity to sit practise Trial HSC examinations at the end of Term 2. They will be able to use their summary notes and get feedback. This will give students a taste of what the HSC exams will be like in a way that builds confidence in achieving them.   

Subject Selection
In Term 2, Year 11 students will be informed about the process of subject selection and parents/carers will be sent a detailed email. Parents/Carers will be required to complete an online form to finalise the subjects their child selects to study for the HSC. Parents/Carers are encouraged to attend Year 11 Parent Teacher Interviews at the end of Term 2 to discuss with teachers their child’s capabilities in subjects which will be helpful in the decision-making process.   

Parent/Carer & Teacher Interviews – Tuesday 17 June and Thursday 19 June 2025
Parent/Carer & Teacher interviews will be happening after school on the 17th and 19th of June. Teachers of each subject will be available to discuss your child’s progress and to offer strategies to help your child to improve. It is a great opportunity to raise any concerns and discuss ways to best support your child. It will also be useful for parents/carers of Year 11 students to discuss subject selection options with teachers. 

Year 11 Incursion – Time Management Elevate Workshop  
Wednesday 18 June 2025
To help students develop routines to balance study and lifestyle, a time management seminar has been organised. Students will be shown how to work smarter by completing high value work. They will also be shown how to utilise study groups to leverage time and learn techniques for overcoming procrastination.   

Year 11 and 12 Pathway Plans
Initial Year 11 and 12 pathway plans will continue to be conducted by the Student Learning Support and Careers Coordinator with all students. This meeting will focus on identifying any support the school can provide to help students achieve their study and employment goals. 

Year 12 parents/carers will be invited to attend their child’s pathway plan meeting with the Student Learning Support and Careers Coordinator and Principal. This meeting will focus on identifying any support the school can provide to help students transition and achieve their study and employment goals after they complete Year 12. 

Year 11 and 12 – Individual Education Plans (IEPs) 
Year 11 and 12 Individual Education plan meetings will continue throughout term 2. Individual Education Plan meetings are an opportunity to discuss student individual needs and to develop reasonable adjustments that ETASC can make to provide targeted support to your child. If you feel your child would benefit from an Individual Education Plan but have not heard from the school, please contact Elissa at Elissa.Cosentino@etaustralia.com.  

Years 7 to 10 Student Handbook
Stage 6 Student Handbook