Parent Information
Appearance and Uniform Requirements
All students are expected to wear the College uniform with pride and to adhere to the appearance requirements detailed in the College Uniform and Appearance Policy.
Uniform requirements are purchased form the Uniform shop onsite or online.
Bullying
The dignity of the human person is a foundation of all Catholic social teaching and inherent in our education ministry. Essential to this is the creation and maintenance of a respectful, safe and supportive learning environment that promotes student wellbeing. Bullying, cyber-bullying, harassment, aggression and violence which disregard core values of faith including dignity, respect, justice, equity, compassion, trust and courage.
All members of our College community are expected to prevent and challenge such actions in order to build respectful relationships that respond effectively and sensitively to the needs of each person. School staff abide by operational guidelines that support the implementation of specific initiatives, which are designed to promote Pastoral Care, wellbeing and a safe and supportive learning environment.
Child Protection
The College follows the policies and procedures of the Diocese of Wagga Wagga in regard to Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting. A comprehensive range of internal policies and procedures as well as annual in-service training for all staff is in place. All staff are responsible for Child Protection in our College, which includes:
Responding to Risk of Harm
All school staff are mandatory reporters. If there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is at risk of ‘significant harm’ due to abuse, neglect, self-harm, domestic violence or is a risk to others, then a report must be made to the Community Services Child Protection Helpline. If a report involves alleged criminal behaviour, then it will also be immediately reported to the Police for investigation.
Any concerns that a child who is attending Mater Dei may be at risk of harm, should be discussed with the Principal as soon as possible.
Addressing complaints of inappropriate behaviour by staff
All staff are subject to a Code for Professional Conduct that governs their professional behaviour so as to ensure a safe and supportive environment is created for students, staff and the broader community.
In addition to this Code, certain complaints may constitute what is called ‘reportable conduct’. Reportable conduct is handled differently to other types of complaints which may arise in the school. These complaints are subject to legal obligations established by the NSW Ombudsman Act 1974. The obligations have been put in place to ensure that certain kinds of complaints are addressed through a fair and confidential process conducted by the Catholic School Office Wagga Wagga that is overseen by, and reported to, the Office of the NSW Ombudsman.
If a complaint involves alleged criminal behaviour, then it will also be immediately reported to the Police for investigation. Any concerns about the behaviour of a staff member towards any child or young person should be discussed with the Principal as soon as possible. If your concern is in regard to the behaviour of the Principal, then contact the Catholic Schools Office as soon as possible.