1. What is the school uniform?

The school uniform has two categories; Academic and Sports.

Academic Uniform

• Cheltenham SC blue check dress.
• Cheltenham SC navy blue skirt.
• Cheltenham SC short or long sleeved blue check shirt or blouse.
• Navy blue tailored or pleated shorts.
• Navy blue tailored or pleated trousers.
• Navy blue socks (with no visible branding) OR navy blue tights.
• Black polishable hard leather lace-up school shoes with black laces (NO RUNNERS).
• Belts must be plain black (leather or vinyl) and not oversized.
• Cheltenham SC beanie (optional).
• When outdoors, all students are encouraged to wear the Cheltenham SC cap OR any other generic (no logoed or brand-named) navy blue sun hat.
• Navy blue (generic) scarf.

When required for warmth, one of the following jackets is to be worn:

• Cheltenham SC softshell jacket.
• Cheltenham SC polar fleece jacket.
• Cheltenham SC puffer jacket.

Sport Uniform

• Cheltenham SC black leggings (no other leggings accepted).
• Cheltenham SC black shorts (no other shorts accepted).
• Cheltenham SC black tracksuit pants (optional and no other tracksuit pants accepted).
• Cheltenham SC PE polo.
• White sports socks.
• Lace-up runners or cross-trainers (no skate shoes or volley/dress shoes).
• When outdoors, all students are encouraged to wear the Cheltenham SC cap OR any other generic (no logoed or brand-named) navy blue sun hat.
• Cheltenham SC jackets (as listed above) are the only outerwear options to be worn with the PE uniform.
• The College strongly recommends the use of mouth guards fitted by a dentist for high-risk PE and sport/physical activities.

2. Can students wear black runners as part of their academic uniform? No. Students must wear black polishable, hard leather lace-up shoes with all versions of the academic uniform. 

3. Do students wear their PE uniform for the whole school day? No. Students must wear their academic uniform to school each day. They are then required to bring their PE uniform to get changed into.  If their timetabled PE class is in Period 6, they are able to wear their PE uniform home.

4. Purchasing the uniform?  Uniforms are to be purchased/ordered from Bob Stewart Mentone.

Cheltenham Secondary College uses Compass for school management, i.e. student timetables, student absences, payments, camp and excursion consent and communications.

1. When will parents/guardians receive their Compass account/login details? All Compass information, including login details and a manual on how to navigate the program, will be sent to parents/guardians towards the end of November.

2. When will students receive their Compass account/login details? Students will receive their Compass login details on the first day of the school year. At this time students will participate in a lesson teaching them how to use the system effectively.

3. Will support be provided to parents/guardians in the use of Compass? Yes. A range of hands-on workshops will be offered to parents/guardians at the beginning of the school year, including how to use Compass effectively.

1. How are form groups created? A range of factors are taken into consideration when creating form groups:

• Student input
• Feedback from the primary schools
• Maintaining connections from primary school
• EAL 

2. When will students find out which form group they are in? Students will learn about their form group on Orientation Day held annually in December.

3. How many students are in each form group? We aim to have no more than 25 students in each form group to enable quality teaching and learning in Year 7.

What if my student needs support or has learning difficulties? Cheltenham Secondary College is an inclusive school with programs available to assist students who have additional academic needs.  Please contact Naomi O'Brien-D'Ambra, Director of Junior School at obr@cheltsec.vic.edu.au to help us understand how to support your student.

Are English and Math classes streamed? No. The curriculum at Cheltenham Secondary College is designed to personalise learning for students and to meet their diverse academic, social and emotional needs regardless of the form group they are placed in. Based on our shared belief that all students can learn and grow, we provide opportunities for each student to be challenged and succeed without the need for streaming.  Cheltenham Secondary College offers two enhancement forms for academically advanced students.

1. What programs are in place to assist my child in making friends? All Year 7 students will participate in a number of activities on Orientation Day and across the Transition Program (start of the school year) that are focused on creating, developing and maintaining friendships. In addition, the Year 7 Pastoral Care Program in Term 1 is highly focused on connection: peers, teachers and College values, which will support students in the making of new friends. 

All students at Cheltenham Secondary College are encouraged to get involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities and opportunities available to them in order to connect with like-minded students These include, but are not limited to:

• Music
• Interschool sports
• Productions
• Student Leadership
• Lunchtime clubs

2. When do the students get to meet their Peer Buddies/Leaders? Students will be introduced to the Peer Buddies/Leaders on Orientation Day. The Peer Leaders will be there to show students around the College, play a range of games and answer any questions.

3. Who do parents/guardians contact if they have any questions or are in need of support? Parents/guardians first point of contact will be the Junior School Coordination Team. They are contactable via email and by phoning the College (please follow the recorded directions to Junior School).

4. Who do parents/guardians contact if their child needs wellbeing support? Please contact Kerri Haworth (Director of Wellbeing): haw@cheltsec.vic.edu.au or a member of the Junior School Team.

1. When is Orientation Day? The statewide Orientation Day takes place on a Tuesday in early/mid December. We ask that students arrive at the Auditorium at the front of the College at 8.40am for an 8.50am start. 

2. What do students need to bring to Orientation Day?

• Pens
• Writing book
• Packed lunch (please note that the canteen will not be open)
• Water bottle

3. What do students wear to Orientation Day? Students are encouraged to wear their primary school PE uniform where possible. They should also bring along a hat to wear while participating in any outdoor activities.