The Yr. 7 Locker Bay is located at the top of the school in between the B and C Blocks. This is our area and we want to make it a safe and clean space where all our equipment is kept. In your locker bag there is hooks for you to hang your bags on as well as an allocated locker. All students will be given a combination lock to use throughout their schooling at FSC.

Please enter all absences on the Compass school portal.  The ‘A Parent’s Guide to Compass’ document will  step you through the process of entering absences. If you require any assistance please contact the General Office.

Students arriving late must sign in through the iPad in the General Office. For early departures and absences through the day, we encourage parents to enter the absence on Compass. Alternatively, students are to present a note to the office, signed by a parent/guardian. This note should include the date and time that the student is to be permitted to leave the school and if they will be returning to later in the day. Signing out at the office on the iPad should then be done at the time of departure.

Students in Year 12 at FSC are the only students at the school who can access the street at recess and lunch in an ongoing way. Permanent lunch passes are only available to town students if they have parental permission to go home for lunch. These passes are issued by the General Office  at the start of the year upon sighting a note from parents. Daily lunch passes for students in years 7 – 11 are only available for special parental requests such as dental or doctor’s appointments. In this case, students are to present a note to the General Office, signed by a parent or guardian. This note should include the date and time that the student is to be permitted to leave the school. The student will sign out using the iPad in the General Office and upon their return they must sign back in to allow the school to track all students in the case of an emergency.

Please label clearly all items that are brought to school – clothing, books, pens, bag etc. Lost property is collected in the area near the sickbay, towards the library from the General Office.

All new students wishing to travel on a bus must complete an “Application to Travel on Bus” form. These are available from the General Office.  There are expectations of behaviour for bus travel and, should these expectations not be met, then penalties such as losing the right to bus travel will be imposed.  Passes to travel on other buses will not be given automatically.  Temporary bus passes may be issued to students upon receipt of a note signed and dated by the parent/guardian which includes the Bus Route name and the stop where the student is getting off. If approved, a special bus pass will be issued for collection by the student from the Office.

Computer and internet access at the College is provided for educational use only.  Each year every student is allocated sufficient internet downloads and printouts for reasonable educational use.  If a student’s usage exceeds this, then they will need to supplement their credit by making a payment at the General Office to cover additional usage. 

As of June 2018, Foster Secondary College adopted and updated the Department of Education and Training Student Mobile Device policy that restricts the use of mobile phones. Mobile phones are not to be accessed or used during school hours including recess and lunch. Use of mobile phones and electronic devices during school hours will result in Confiscation. For students that have medical or learning needs or other circumstances that require them to carry their mobile phone during the day, concessions can be arranged through the Principal.

Sick bay is located near FSC’s reception.  If a student becomes ill or injured during the school day, first aid qualified staff or our school nurse will assess them, check the child’s medical records provided by parents/guardians, deliver necessary first aid and notify parent/guardian by phone for more serious or persistent conditions. Illness or injury requiring urgent medical attention will be referred to medical assessment and ambulance transfer. All families are to ensure they are covered for Ambulance privately or under their health care or pension entitlements. A Medical and Personal Details form is to be completed by parents/guardians accurately for each student and updated annually or whenever changes occur during the year. This enables College staff to adequately care for students and contact parents quickly in times of need.

Students may require medication for allergies, medical conditions, infections, asthma, migraines etc. We recognise that for many students it is necessary to maintain access to their medication throughout the school day. However, it is important that all medications on the school site be managed by qualified staff.

FSC  requires specific authority in writing, before school personnel can give any medication to a student. Appropriate documentation must be filled out and accessible to FSC staff. Please see the FSC office manager for administrative requirements and feel free to discuss health issues with the Secondary School Nurse.

Medication needs to be in a clearly marked, preferably original container/blister pack, labelled with the child’s name, dosage direction, time for it to be administered and storage instructions. Medication is kept in a locked cupboard in the office. Apart from insulin and asthma inhalers, for safety and supervision reasons, medication is not to be kept by students in their lockers, school bags, pockets or lunch boxes unless this is medically indicated. 

Paracetamol (Panadol/Panamax) can only be given to students with written consent. If they have persistent headache or pain that has not resolved with rest, adequate food and water intake first, and they have not already had medication at home before they came to school, then only a single dose, according to consent and child’s age/weight, will be given at school. If pain is unrelieved, the College will not give a second dose but parents will be contacted. NSAIDS (Anti-inflammatory analgesics i.e. Nurofen) are not supplied by the College and should not be taken on an empty stomach or used by students with asthma, bleeding disorders or aspirin sensitivity. Students requiring this medication will need the yellow Medication Consent Form and must supply the school with the medication labelled with the student’s name, as above.

Some students are allergic to peanuts, nuts, eggs, seafood, bee stings, ant bites etc. Some allergies result in redness and swelling which can be controlled with anti-histamines and ice and some allergies are severe and can develop into an anaphylactic reaction which can be potentially life threatening. Allergies are to be recorded on the Medical and Personal Details form with details for treatment and the appropriate tablets/Epi-pen supplied. All students requiring Epi-pens/anti-histamines will need to provide an action plan and replace the pen/tablets when the expiry date is reached. As per government regulation, all teaching staff have regular updates for the immediate treatment of these conditions.

Asthma Management plans should be completed each year and whenever there is a change in medication or requirements. Please supply a named spacer and inhaler for each child with asthma. Students can carry their asthma medication with them, especially for sport and strenuous activity so it is readily at hand. Emergency asthma kits are located throughout the college and can  be used in the case of a child having an asthma attack when they have left their medication at home. FSC follows the recommended Victorian Schools Asthma Policy and Action Plan.

School is no place for an unwell child. If a student is going to be absent please phone reception by 10.00am and on their return to school, please provide a brief written note to explain their reason for absence. Notification of a student’s absence is a legal requirement to enable the school to keep accurate attendance rolls.