What to do if you aren't here

Late Pass

If a student arrives late (after 9.00am) he is to report to Reception. A late pass will be stamped into the Student Diary and this must be shown to the teacher along with a satisfactory explanation or parental note before entry to the class is granted. Parents need to enter a note into the student’s diary with the reason he is late. Parents/Carers can enter this on PAM so when the student presents to reception the staff can see the notes on the system.

Day Pass

If a student must leave the school grounds during the day, parents can enter this on PAM and when the students presents to reception staff will see the authority on the system. Alternative a note from a parent/guardian must be brought to school or written in the student diary. Then the student can have a day pass filled out (collect them from College Reception). Normally such a pass is then signed by the Year Level Coordinator. The student retains a section of the day pass for identification. Students returning to the College must sign in at Reception. As far as possible, we ask that appointments be made out of school hours.

Absence from School

School attendance is a high priority at St Joseph’s. Our duty of care demands that we know where students are during school hours, therefore the College must be informed of student absences before 10:00am on the day the student is absent.

Notify of absence via SMS

Our preferred method of notification is by SMS to 0427 687 117. Text your son’s name, year level and reason for absence. 

This number can only be used for SMS messaging. It will not receive voice calls. Mobile numbers must be registered with us to use this system.

The College will notify parents by an SMS on their mobile phones if students are absent or late to school without reason. This occurs each day starting at approximately 11:00am. Please ensure the College has your current mobile telephone numbers.

If your son is away for an extended time (outside of normal school holidays) the College also requires an email to

[email protected]

Notify of absence via PAM

More recently the option to use your PAM account is available to enter absences. Login to your PAM account or use the app and enter the absence. This will enter the absence and reason directly onto your son’s roll at the College. This process can be used to enter partial absence, for example if your son has to leave at 2.30 for a medical appointment or won’t be arriving until 10.45 as he has an appointment.

Login to PAM

Students on Extended Leave

When students are absent on holiday during regular school term:
• parents need to write to the Principal providing details of why and when the student will be absent from school. This correspondence will be acknowledged by the College
• St Joseph’s College teaching staff will not provide work for students who are absent from class and miss teaching/learning due to holidays taken in term time, unless organised weeks in advance
• course outlines will be provided by the subject teacher and available through the school intranet if requested so that parents can deliver/arrange appropriate instruction through a tutor
• it will be the responsibility of the student to arrange alternative dates for assessment task completion prior to his departure
• if the student does not submit the assessment work prior to his departure, he may receive a grade NS (not submitted) for each task
• if the student is absent for a period longer than two weeks, the assessment of his work will be made on the tasks completed for the period of the semester he has been in attendance at school. These absences may have a detrimental effect in subject areas where sequential learning is important.

Sick Bay

If your son is unwell before leaving for school, we ask that he stays at home, the College does not have the facility to take care of unwell students long term in sick bay. If a student is unwell whilst at school, he should ask his class teacher for permission to go to the sick bay. Students are asked not to ring home direct if they are unwell. If the student is not well enough to return to class, a parent or the nominated emergency contact will be notified and asked to collect the student. The student will need to be signed out through the Sick Bay Register when collected. Please ensure you have notified the College of an emergency contact person in the event a parent cannot be contacted.