Assalamu Alaykum Wr. Wb.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

School life at AIA CSSC is not only about educating our students inside the classroom, but also about sharing with the wider community, their happiness as well as their sorrows. Our hearts go out to the family of Ayah Elboden, a year 8 student at our sister campus in Coburg, who lost her long battle with illness. We ask Allah (swt) to ease her parent’s pain and grant her al Firdaous Insha’Allah.

Term 3 is shaping to be a brilliant term so far for our students at AIA CSSC. It began with the Hajj rituals and simulations which took place in the first week of Term 3. This was followed by the World’s Great Shave, where students had the opportunity to shave teachers’ hair to raise awareness about Leukemia and send a powerful message of hope to families currently facing blood cancer. Teachers and students raised money to donate to the Leukemia foundation. Like many communities around Australia and the world, the AIA community has been affected by this illness and we believe that it is our duty to do our part in raising awareness and raising funds for this vital cause. Pictures can be viewed on our Facebook page by clicking on the following link: https://www.aia.vic.edu.au/cssc

We are currently in week 5. Our students have been busy learning on site, despite the continuing challenges they have been facing due to the pandemic. Many students are still being affected, and have been following the correct procedure by staying home when sick. Teachers also continue to be affected. We have had a number of teachers not feeling well and required to isolate. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our teachers, students as well as parents a speedy recovery during these times. I also thank all parents who are doing the right thing when their children are sick, in keeping them at home to look after them and reduce the spread within the school community.

Our aim is to ensure our school continues to run efficiently and teachers have been working together to fill in the gaps when needed in order for our students to continue receiving the quality education that they deserve. The staff at AIA-CSSC continue to promote excellence which is reflected in their professionalism, their planning and their teaching practices. They will continue to support and nurture our students during these tough times as best as possible.

Parents’ information session for VCE & IB students

In 2021 our CSSC received the International Baccalaureate (IB) accreditation to run the Diploma Programme for Year 11 & 12 students. We are very excited that our first group of IB students began their journey this year. They will complete their IB Diploma studies in 2023 and receive their IB diploma certificates. At CSSC we pride ourselves in being able to provide for our senior students and be able to offer them both the VCE & IB Diploma programs. Both programs are recognised by all universities and we will endeavour to ensure we provide all our senior students the support required for the program they select to pursue. The school does not favour one program over the other. Students will find experienced teachers helping them and guiding them to achieve their ultimate success regardless of the program they study. In order for students to select the program which best suits their own skills and interests, we organised an information session for Year 10 parents and students on Wednesday 17 August 2022. Our teachers provided lots of information to help with choices ahead of going in to year 11 and 12 in 2023. We wish all our students success in their education and we will continue providing them with choices that suit their individual needs.

CSSC Facebook page

We now have our own CSSC Facebook page where we can celebrate and share with parents the wonderful activities taking place on our Senior Campus. Parents are able to access our Facebook page from our school website https://www.aia.vic.edu.au/cssc or by clicking on the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/aiacssc/

We encourage all parents to view our page and share it with their friends so that we can all share in the success and enjoyment of our students.

Uniform

In recent weeks, we have been experiencing cold weather in the morning. We have seen some of our students come to school wearing their puffer jackets which is not part of our uniform. We ask all parents to discourage their children from doing so, instead, encourage them to wear appropriate under garment clothing to combat the extreme weather. We recommend that students wear thermal clothing under their white shirts, as well as their school jumper, blazer, school gloves, scarves etc.

A reminder to all members of the CSSC community that correct school uniform is expected at all times including the school blazer which is compulsory and needs to be worn to and from school. Our uniform policy can be found in the student diary and on our new website:

https://www.aia.vic.edu.au/parents/uniform-shop.

Wearing the school uniform reflects our students’ pride in themselves and in their school. I ask all parents and guardians to make themselves familiar with the policy and support us in ensuring that our students are wearing the uniform correctly.

Rapid antigen tests

I am grateful to parents, students and staff for continuing with the Rapid Antigen Tests surveillance monitoring and for abiding by the quarantine regulations when testing positive for the virus. At times throughout the term, these absences have had an impact on staffing and I am grateful to the staff of CSSC for supporting colleagues in whichever way they can, as well as supporting students who have been required to remain at home.

2022 Staff responsibilities and contacts as listed:

Campus staff can be contacted via email: cssc@aia.vic.edu.au or phone 8372 5446.

Important calendar reminders for Term 3, 2022

Ali Harba

Head of Campus