St Monica's College, Epping is a college which operates with the consent of the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne and is owned, operated and governed by Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS).
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
1. Education services
1.1 Catholic education is intrinsic to the mission of the Church. It is one means by which the Church fulfils its role in assisting people to discover and embrace the fullness of life in Christ. MACS schools offer a broad, comprehensive curriculum imbued with an authentic Catholic understanding of Christ and his teaching, as well as a lived appreciation of membership of the Catholic Church.
1.2 Parents/guardians/carers, as the first educators of their children, enter into a partnership with the college to promote and support their child’s education. Parents/guardians/carers must assume responsibility for maintaining this partnership by supporting the college in the provision of education to their children within the scope of the college’s registration and furthering the spiritual and academic life of their children.
2. Enrolment
2.1 Parents/guardians/carers are required to provide particular information about their child during the enrolment procedure, both at the application stage and if the college offers your child a place. Please note that lodgement of the enrolment form does not guarantee enrolment at the college.
If the information requested is not provided, the college may not be able to enrol your child.
2.2 To meet MACS and government requirements, parents/guardians/carers will need to provide the college with a completed enrolment form including, among other things, the information listed below:
evidence of your child’s date of birth (e.g. birth certificate, passport)
religious denomination
previous school reports (if applicable)
names and addresses of the child and parents/guardians/carers; telephone numbers (home, work, mobile) of parents/guardians/carers
names of emergency contacts and their details
specific residence arrangements
information about the language/s your child speaks and/or hears at home
nationality and/or citizenship including the visa sub-class granted upon entry to Australia (prior to citizenship being granted), where applicable
doctor’s name and telephone number
medical conditions, including immunisation history
information on additional learning needs (e.g. whether your child requires additional support in relation to mobility, language, social skills development, welfare needs, challenging behaviours, adjustments to the curriculum, etc.)
parenting agreements or court orders, including any guardianship orders.
After lodgement of the enrolment form, college staff may need to request further information, for example in relation to any parenting orders, medical conditions or additional learning needs that have been noted on the enrolment form. In addition, it is often useful for parents/guardians/ carers to attend a meeting with college staff prior to enrolment to discuss any additional needs your child may have. An interpreter may be organised, if required.
2.3 Subject to any special exercise of discretion by MACS, the order of priority for enrolment in MACS schools is detailed in the college’s Enrolment Policy.
3. Fees
3.1 The setting of the levels of fees, levies and other compulsory ad hoc charges in MACS schools is the responsibility of the college within the prescribed requirements of MACS, taking into account the allocation of government funds. The college offers a number of methods for paying fees, levies and ad hoc charges to reduce any financial burden and to assist financial planning. If you have difficulty in meeting the required payment of fees, levies and ad hoc charges, you are welcome to discuss this with the principal of the college.
3.2 Parents/guardians/carers are responsible for payment of all fees, levies and charges associated with the student's enrolment and attendance at the college, as contained in the college’s Fees, Levies and Charges Schedule provided to parents/guardians/carers from time to time. The fees must be paid for a child to enrol and to continue enrolment at the college. The college has discretion over whether to allow a student to participate in optional or extracurricular school events, such as paid college excursions or extracurricular activities, while fees remain due and payable.
4. Maximum age exemption
4.1 The college’s enrolment policies and procedures are intended to ensure that, when enrolling students, MACS schools are compliant with relevant Victorian and Australian government legislation. Generally a person who is aged over 18 years must not be enrolled at, or allowed to attend a MACS school, or participate in any program or course conducted unless they:
have been granted an exemption by the MACS Executive Director or delegate
fall within an exception to the maximum age requirements.
4.2 Approval for maximum age exemptions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
4.3 Application for maximum age exemption should be made on the Maximum Age Exemption Application Form and submitted to the MACS Regional General Manager.
5. Child safe environment
5.1 Catholic college communities have a moral, legal and mission-driven responsibility to create nurturing college environments where children are respected, their voices are heard, and where they are safe and feel safe.
5.2 Every person involved in Catholic education, including all parents/guardians/carers at our college, has a responsibility to understand the importance and specific role they play individually and collectively to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children is at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make.
5.3 The college’s child safe policies, codes of conduct and practices set out the commitment to child safety, and the processes for identifying, communicating, reporting and addressing concerning behaviour and allegations of child abuse. These documents establish clear expectations for all staff and volunteers for appropriate behaviour with students in order to safeguard them against abuse.
5.4 The college has established human resources practices where newly recruited staff, existing staff and volunteers in the college understand the importance of child safety, are trained to minimise the risk of child abuse, and are aware of the college’s relevant policies and procedures. The college also provides ongoing training, supervision and monitoring of staff to ensure that they are suitable to work with students as part of our human resources practices.
5.5 The college has robust, structured risk management processes as prescribed by MACS that help establish and maintain a child safe environment, which involves consideration of possible broad- based risk factors across a wide range of contexts, environments, relationships and activities with which students within our college engage.
5.6 The college, in partnership with families, ensures children and young people are engaged and are active participants in decision-making processes, particularly those that may have an impact on their safety. This means that the views of staff, children, young people and families are taken seriously and their concerns are addressed in a just and timely manner.
5.7 The college’s child safety policies and procedures are readily available and accessible. Further details on MACS’ and the Catholic education community’s commitment to child safety across Victoria can be accessed at:
the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria Ltd child safety page www.cecv.catholic.edu.au/Our-Schools/Child-Safety
the MACS child safety page www.macs.vic.edu.au/Our-Schools/Child-Safety.aspx.
6. Period of enrolment
6.1 The enrolment of the student, once approved by the principal of the college, commences in the entry year and continues until the completion of the last year at the college or until the student’s enrolment is otherwise withdrawn or terminated.
7. Policies and procedures
7.1 All of the college’s policies and procedures are available on the college website. For the purposes of this agreement, a reference to the college’s policies and procedures also includes processes, guidelines and any other applicable governance documentation.
7.2 The parents/guardians/carers must comply with and take all reasonable steps to uphold the college’s policies and procedures, as introduced or amended from time to time, including those concerning or dealing with:
a) the care, safety and welfare of students
b) standards of dress, grooming and appearance
c) grievance and complaints
d) social media and the use of information, communication and technology systems
e) student behaviour and conduct and discipline of students
f) parent behaviour and conduct, including any Parent/Guardian/Carer Code of Conduct as may be published from time to time
g) privacy.
7.3 The college has absolute discretion in all of its operational and educational matters and offerings as determined by its governing body, MACS, and subject to relevant delegations to the principal of the college.
8. Terms of enrolment regarding acceptable behaviour or conduct
8.1 The college is a community that exemplifies the gospel values of love, forgiveness, justice and truth. The college community recognises that everyone has the right to be respected, to feel safe and be safe; and, in this regard, understands their rights and acknowledges their obligation to behave responsibly.
8.2 Every person at the college has a right to feel safe, to be happy and to learn, therefore we aim to:
promote the values of honesty, fairness and respect for others
acknowledge the worth of all members of the community and their right to work and learn in a positive environment
maintain good order and harmony
affirm cooperation as well as responsible independence in learning
foster self-discipline and develop responsibility for one’s own behaviour.
8.3 MACS and the college administration, in consultation with the college community wherever appropriate, will prescribe standards of dress, appearance and behaviour for the student body.
8.4 As a term of your child’s enrolment, parents/guardians/carers agree that the student is required to comply with the college’s behaviour aims and code of conduct, and to support the college in upholding prescribed standards of dress, appearance and behaviour and ensure compliance with the Code of Conduct for Students.
8.5 The parents/guardians/carers agree to be responsible for ensuring that the student is aware of all policies and procedures that apply to the student, including those relating to the student conduct and behaviour and any code of conduct for students, and to actively support the college in the implementation of such policies, procedures and codes of conduct.
8.6 The parents/guardians/carers agree to comply with any code of conduct for parents/guardians/ carers or other policy implemented by the college from time to time which sets out the college’s expectations of parents/guardians/carers who have a student enrolled at the college.
8.7 The parents/guardians/carers agree that any unacceptable behaviour by a child, or significant and/or repeated behaviour by a parent, guardian or carer that, in the college’s view, is unacceptable and damaging to the partnership between parent/guardian/carer and college, or otherwise in breach of the student code of conduct or the parent/guardian/carer code of conduct may result in suspension or termination of the student’s enrolment.
9. Terms of enrolment regarding conformity with principles of the Catholic faith
9.1 As a provider of Catholic education, the principal will take into account the need for the college community to represent and comply with the doctrines, beliefs and principles of the Catholic faith when making decisions regarding matters of college administration, including enrolment. Students and families who are members of other faiths are warmly welcomed at the college. However, MACS reserves the right to exercise administrative discretion in appropriate circumstances to suspend or terminate enrolment, where it is necessary to do so to avoid injury to the religious sensitivities of the Catholic college community