Digital Orientation Pack

We strongly recommend that all new families read through the Parent and Student Handbook before commencing at Mernda Hills. This should be your go-to resource for information about all aspects of the school.

If you are also interested in our policies and other documentation, please visit our Publications page.

Every student must read and sign the ICT Agreement along with their parents before commencing at the school. Students that have not completed this form will not be able to access school ICT resources, network or email at school. ICT usage is an essential part of our program across all year levels and students without access will be unable to participate in the school program.

If you and your child have not yet completed this form, please click here to access it online.

Students entering Years 5-8 must purchase a Chromebook through the school's Order Portal. The portal ensures that all devices match our requirements, are in good condition, are up to date and are configured correctly for school management and control.

For this reason, devices obtained from other sources cannot be used at the college. Purchasing or on-selling of second-hand devices for use at the college is not permitted.

We recommend that students order their device at least one month prior to commencement in case of delivery delays. Students may also choose to purchase accessories such as carry bags or headphones through the portal.

For further information on ICT devices, see the Common Questions section below.

If you would like your child to use our school bus for transport to and from school each day, please make sure to complete our Bus Application Form as early as possible.

Please note that our service has limited seating and service locations. Therefore a place cannot be guaranteed to all applicants. Current students already using the bus service will take priority over new applicants.

Click here to learn more about the bus service.

Academic and Sports uniform can be purchased from our supplier A Plus Schoolwear in Mill Park.

Unit 3, 30 Heaths Court, Mill Park

Phone: 03 9436 4005

Email: info@northernregionaluniforms.com.au

Please refer to the handbook for uniform requirements and guidelines. All students should wear academic uniform on their first day unless otherwise specified by their teacher.

Primary

All stationery for Primary students is provided by the school and is included in school fees. Students will receive their resources at school as they are needed.

Secondary

Stationery for Secondary students is to be purchased by the student. Resource requirements may vary by subject. Please refer to the stationery lists in the Student/Parent Resources for a breakdown of what to buy. Students may make their own choices in purchasing as long as they meet the provided specifications.

Before starting school, we recommend that new Foundation students start engaging in preparation activities at home. Click here to download our countdown calendar of suggested activities. For more ideas and information, please refer to our school readiness page.

Shortly before commencing, you will receive an email request to update your student's information via the Consent2Go system. Each parent will receive a separate invitation to update. Please make sure to review all details to ensure they are accurate and up to date.

This includes information such as:

• Address and contact details
• Census data (eg. education and occupation)
• Student medical conditions and plans
• Student photo permission
• Emergency contacts
  

If the student's citizenship/visa status changes at any point before or during enrolment, please make sure to update the school in writing as soon as possible.

The school currently holds orientation days for students entering Foundation and Year 7 only. Students will receive an invite before the event with detailed information.

Foundation

Students entering Foundation are invited to attend three orientation days to help ease them into the normal routine of school. Rather than full days, the students attend for a few hours at the beginning of each day. Orientation days are usually held in November over a weeks.

Year 7

New and currently enrolled students entering Year 7 are invited to attend one orientation day in November. This is a full school day and includes a range of activities, including hands-on classes, sports activities, and relationship building.

For all students, the first day of school in 2025 will be Tuesday 28 January.

For other important dates, please refer to the calendar.

Homeroom for all students starts at 8:45am each day. All students should be prompt to report to homeroom when the bell rings. School finishes for Primary at 3:20pm and for Secondary at 3:30pm.

Supervision is provided for students between 8:15am - 3:50pm. Students on campus outside these times must be registered with OSHC (Primary) or attend Study centre (Secondary).

For other important dates, please refer to the calendar. Notifications may also be sent for upcoming events via email, Consent2Go and the school newsletter.

Mernda Hills provides before and after school care for Primary students starting from 7am until start of school, and from end of school until 6pm. There is an additional fee and sign-up for this service.

Secondary students may attend Study Club at the school library after school on Monday-Thursday. Study club runs from end of school until 4:30pm. Students are expected to use this time for study or homework, not for socialising.

Click here to see further information on OSHC and study club.

The school canteen runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. All food served at the canteen is vegetarian.

Lunches must be ordered prior to 8:45am using the Spriggy Schools app. Lunch orders are delivered to Primary classes by student representatives. Secondary students may collect their lunch orders from the canteen window.

Snacks and drinks may be purchased at the canteen window during recess and lunch time. Purchases at the window must be made with cash or with physical credit/debit card. Phones may not be used for purchasing during school hours, in accordance with the school's ICT device guidelines. There is a $10 minimum charge for card based purchases.

The college runs a limited school bus service in the local suburbs. For further information, click here.

The college provides access to private instrumental tuition through the Whittlesea Music School. For further information, click here.

The bell for homeroom goes at 8:45am. Arrival after that time is considered late and students are expected to come through reception before going to class. Students sign in at reception and are given a late pass to show their teacher.

If you need to pick up your child early, you need to give reception at least 20 minutes advanced notice. Students are not always readily available as they may be in the middle of a project, out at sport, or in another building for specialist classes. Parents arriving during a class period may need to wait until the period is over. Any student leaving early must be signed out by their parent/carer through reception.

Students are expected to remain at school for the whole day. Students who leave early may miss out on important learning. We ask that parents allow their children to remain at school for the full school day excepting where urgent or emergency circumstances apply.

If your student not coming to school due to illness or other reason, please notify the school by phoning reception or emailing admin@merndahills.vic.edu.au so that the roll can be marked appropriately. Please do not only contact the teacher as they cannot correctly update the record.

If a student becomes unwell at school or injures themselves, they will be sent to sickbay who will then contact parents if appropriate. Parents may need to make arrangements to collect a sick or injured child.

Students that may have a highly contagious condition such as gastroenteritis are required to remain away from school for at least 24 hours after symptoms cease (eg. vomiting).

If your student will be away for over a week (eg. for a family holiday), please notify the school by completing an Extended Leave Application.

Please note that students that are away during school periods may miss out on important learning and assessments. Teachers are not required to provide work for students while they are away.

There are various volunteering opportunities at the school such as reading in classrooms, assisting with swimming, and supervising groups on excursions/camps.

In order to meet with child-safety regulations and keep our community safe, all volunteers must go through the school's clearance process before engaging in volunteer work at the school. The requirements for Volunteer Clearance include:

• Child Safety and OHS training (provided by the school)
• WWCC (Working With Children Clearance)
• Signed Code of Conduct
• 2 Reference Checks

If you would like to volunteer at the school, please make sure to obtain a WWCC and attend one of our annual group training sessions. For further details, please contact reception.

Consent2Go (C2G) is a consent platform primarily designed to make school excursions safer. It allows medical conditions and emergency contacts to be available on the teachers phones without requiring internet, and is an easy way for parents to provide their consent for school activities.

Once a student is enrolled at the school, the only way to update personal and medical details is through the C2G platform. Parents are invited to update their details through the platform before school commences, and before any excursions/camps.

It is essential that parents familiarise themselves with Consent2Go and, when invited, check that information is up to date. New asthma management plans, anaphylaxis plans, medical reports, and educational psychologist reports must all be added via this platform to keep the school up to date. Some of this information may have been provided to the school, however if it is not there when parents sign in, we ask them to add it again or contact the school. Please do not assume the information will be available to staff if it is not appearing in C2G.

It is also essential that parents respond and give consent via the app when their child is scheduled for an excursion, camp or other outing requiring consent.

The app is also used to give consent for photos to be used in the different school publications such as the website and facebook account. So please be sure to keep this updated with your preferences.

SEQTA is an online learning management system used by students, teachers, parents and carers to engage with learning and college communications. There are separate portals for students and parents.

School reports are published through the portal for parent viewing and download. Secondary students may also use the portal to view classwork and assignments, exam timetables, and general notices.

Secondary students will receive their account and login instructions for SEQTA within the first day or two of school. Staff can help to guide them in logging in and navigating the platform.

Parents will receive an email with instructions for how to login to SEQTA within the first few weeks of their child starting at Mernda Hills.

For more information about SEQTA, or to access the login page, please click here.

Prior to the start of the year, each teacher will contact the students in their class by email or phone to let them know their class allocation and any important information for commencement.

In the Secondary, each student is allocated to a homeroom which contains students from multiple different year levels. This is referred to as a Vertical Homeroom.

Students will remain in the same homeroom each year, with the same teacher. Throughout their school life they will build a community with their homeroom, being mentored by older students and helping younger students as they themselves mature. Your homeroom teacher is your first point of contact for any questions or concerns.

Year 9 is an exception for the Vertical Homerooms due to their dedicated Learning 4 Life program. Year 9 students have their own homeroom which is not cross-year level. After completing Year 9, students will return to their prior homerooms.

You can email your child’s teacher any time using the format firstname.lastname@merndahills.vic.edu.au. They will reply or call when time allows.

Teachers are generally not available during school time as they are supervising classes.

New students in Secondary will choose their elective options on their first day of school in conjunction with a staff member. After this, their electives will be added to their timetable in SEQTA.

During Term 1, Wednesdays are a day off for Foundation students. This gives the students time to rest as they get used to full time schooling.

Individual assessments for Foundation students also take place on Wednesdays in Term 1, with students coming in to the school for one-on-one time with the teacher. This is scheduled with families individually.

Foundation - Year 4

Devices are provided by the school for use in classrooms. You do not need to purchase one, and students do not take them home.

Years 5 - 8

Students must purchase a Chromebook through the school's Order Portal. This device is then owned by the student, but is managed by the school.

In order to make sure all devices meet the high technical specifications and cybersafety requirements of the school, all Chromebooks must be purchased through the order portal. Only one type of device is available via this portal. This ensures that all devices match our requirements, are up to date and are configured correctly for school management and control. Purchasing or on-selling of second hand devices is not available.

Students may also choose to purchase accessories such as carry bags or headphones through the portal.

When the student advances into Year 9 or leaves the school, they will see the IT department to have their device removed from school management. It can then be used as a personal device at home.

Years 9 - 12

Students are provided with a loan Macbook by the school on payment of a security deposit (bond). In order to make sure all devices meet the high technical specifications and cybersafety requirements of the school, all Macbooks are loaned to students by the school directly. This ensures that all devices match our requirements, are up to date and are configured correctly for school management and control. Students are not able to provide their own devices.

When the student's enrolment ceases, they may choose to purchase their loan device for an additional fee, or can return it to the school. The bond may be refunded if the device is returned in good condition with its box and accessories.

For further information, please refer to the Device Information handout.

Mobile phones are to be kept in bags or lockers during school hours and only be used for coming to and going from school. Phones may not be accessed during school hours unless students are invited by teachers to bring them for a particular purpose.

All uniforms are to be worn appropriately, with attention to neatness and hygiene.

Hats must to be worn while outdoors during Terms 1 & 4. School beanies are not considered hats for this purpose as they do not shade the face.

Academic shoes are to be black polishable leather lace-up (or Velcro closures for Foundation if required), not black runners or loafers. Sports shoes must be quality runners and should be predominantly black, white or navy.

Any makeup should be kept to a minimum and appear natural. Hair should be kept away from the face and naturally coloured.

Sport uniform is to be worn on scheduled sports days. Teachers will let students know which days these are for their class.

For further uniform guidelines, please refer to the Handbook.