The new Covie App allows you to approve absences* from your mobile. You no longer need to email or call the school or send in a note.
At approximately 5.00pm on the day your child is absent, you will receive a notification (providing you've enabled notifications) asking you to provide an explanation for the absence. Once you've opened the App, click on the Absences button and select the applicable child who has been absent (see third screen below). Click 'Submit absence explanation' and select the date of absence, then select a reason for the absence from the drop down menu. You will also need to provide a simple explanation. Click submit.
Only ONE parent needs to submit an absence (even though both parents will receive the notification via the App).
*The Education Act 1990 requires you to ensure your child attends school each day that instruction is provided unless they are prevented from doing so by sickness or other acceptable reason, and for you to provide an explanation for any absence. The Act requires you to explain your child’s absences within seven days of the occurrence. Failure to do so will result in an unjustified absence being recorded. Please provide an explanation via the Covie App. If you have any concerns that our records are incorrect, please contact the school immediately.
Please see our Student Attendance Policy for more details.
If you are planning to take 5 days or more for a family holiday then an Application for Extended Leave - Travel Form needs to be completed.
You may become aware of a situation where a child has been, or could be harmed. This may be through maltreatment, or a child’s needs not being met in their context outside school, or even a concern at school.
If you have any concerns of a child protection nature, please contact the Principal or deputy principal as soon as possible. If you wish, you may directly report the matter to ‘FACS’ by ringing the Child Protection Hotline on 132 111.
It is natural to be concerned about the implications of a report for the adults involved. However, we need to work in the best interests of the children we are aware of, and care for. We need to trust the agencies which receive these reports to assess the situation so they can protect children. We want to be part of bringing matters out into the light, so that children are safe, or so that a situation is clarified and resolved.
Click here to visit the Covenant Careers website as part of our new Careers framework. It can also be found on the Covie App > Links > Covenant Careers and on the website under Portals > Covenant Careers. This extensive website has been designed to be both informative and inspirational, with answers to frequently asked questions, as well as an easy way to view all the upcoming careers events.
The portal has a range of useful information for parents regarding the progress, behaviour and attendance of their child at school. Edumate is also where all important medical and carer information is stored.
All parents are provided with login details for Edumate and it is essential that every parent logs in to the portal to ensure all contact and emergency information about your child is accurate and up-to-date.
The portal is not optimised for use on a mobile device, so please use a PC or similar.
Junior School - students should give a note from a parent to their teacher.
Secondary School - students should visit the Director of Wellbeing (Dan Apin) before school, ideally with a note from a parent, to be given a one-day uniform pass.
Students go to Student Reception to sign in with a Late Note or a parent. They will be given a printout to take to their teacher.
Junior School - Parents should provide a note to the Class Teacher advising they will be collecting their child early from school. Students must sign out at Student Reception when leaving with the signed note or parent present. Alternatively, a parent can email admin@covenant.nsw.edu.au with student name, year and reason for leaving early.
Secondary School - Students must sign out at Student Reception and have a signed note or parent present. Alternatively, a parent can email admin@covenant.nsw.edu.au with student name, year and reason for leaving early.
Letters to parents can only be accessed via the Covie App > Links > Letters to parents.
Call the School Office on 8459 4200. Let the Office staff know:
- Name of child
- Year Group or Class
- Your message
Wherever possible, please try to send these messages to the Office before lunchtime. Please note that we cannot guarantee that messages received after 2.00pm will get to the student before the end of the day.
The Office team will endeavour to pass on the message to your child. Naturally this depends on sport, excursions and changes to location of classes.
In Junior School, if you have questions, concerns or suggestions regarding:
- your child or some general classroom practice, contact the class teacher
- a policy or practice in a section of the Junior School, contact the relevant coordinator (Stage 1 - Jenn Dykstra; Stage 2 - Cate Holman; Stage 3 - Mark Eatough) or the Deputy Principal Junior School (Wayne Morton)
- the curriculum from K-6, contact the Junior School Curriculum Coordinator (Heidi Stead)
- policy or practice in the whole Junior School, contact the Deputy Principal Junior School
- if the issue is of a highly sensitive nature contact the Principal
In Secondary School, if you have questions, concerns or suggestions regarding:
- your child’s general progress or welfare, contact the Home Class Teacher in the first instance
- your child’s progress in a particular subject or a question about classroom practice, contact the subject teacher concerned
- policy, practice or pastoral care in relation to a section of the Secondary School, contact the relevant Year 7–12 Pastoral Care Coordinator
- for questions about the Preliminary or HSC Courses contact the Deputy Principal Curriculum
- for policy or practice in a subject area in general, contact the Subject Coordinator
- for issues regarding Policy or Practice, or a group of children in the whole Secondary School contact the relevant Deputy Principal i.e. Curriculum or Pastoral Care
- If the issue is of a highly sensitive nature contact the Principal
Whole of school questions, concerns or suggestions can be directed to:
- general bus behaviour, contact the Director of Wellbeing (Dan Apin)
- for questions or enquiries about co-curricular activities, contact the Director of Co-Curricular (Silva Mekerdichian)
- discipline across a number of areas of the school, contact the Director of Wellbeing
- Pastoral Care Policy or enquiries about how the school prevents and manages harassment/bullying across the School, contact Director of Wellbeing
- for enquiries in the area of careers, contact the Deputy Principal Secondary School (Tim Hewitt)
- school curriculum approach and delivery, contact the Deputy Principal Secondary School (Tim Hewitt) or Deputy Principal Junior School (Wayne Morton)
- library and its resources, contact the relevant Teacher Librarian
- enrolments and related issues, contact the Registrar
- Parent Involvement Program, community relations or fundraising, contact the Office
- fees and other financial matters or maintenance of the buildings and grounds, contact the Business Manager
- General administrative matters (e.g. bus passes, book lists, etc.), contact the Office
- health and safety risks should be reported to any staff member, or can be raised with the relevant Deputy Principal if the matter is delicate or complex
- any concern or suggestion can be made using the feedback form on the school’s website
Students who require a new School Opal card or travel pass can apply online. A new application should be submitted if a student is applying for a school travel pass for the first time or requesting an additional pass as a result of a new shared parental responsibility situation (e.g. joint custody).
Students who have changed school/campus, changed address, repeated a year or received an expiry notification from Transport for NSW for their school travel entitlement should re-apply or update their details.
Where there is a change of distance eligibility based on a student’s grade, the system will automatically update a student’s entitlement if they meet the new criteria. If they do not meet the new eligibility criteria, they will receive an expiry notification via email.
Students must seek permission from a teacher to present to Sick Bay. If the Nurse decides the student needs to go home parents will be contacted by the school. The student will need to be signed out of school by the Nurse. Students should not SMS or call parents directly to pick them up.
The school asks parents not to send their child to school when they are infectious. In particular, NSW Health guidelines are that children be kept home until 48 hours after their last symptoms of gastroenteritis. This greatly helps us to stop the spread of infection and protect other students and staff.
Term dates, period times and assembly information can be viewed here: Term Dates and School Times
Information regarding the Uniform Shop can be found here.
Parents can park in Dell St, Waldon Rd or Bundaleer St.
Senior students can park in Waldon Road.
Visitors can use the four dedicated Visitor parking spots in the top car park (at the end of Dell St).
Visitors coming onto the school grounds, including parents helping at school (e.g. canteen, Cafe Covie, class reading groups), must sign-in at the School Office and wear the printout ID label.