Mr Patrick Brennan, Deputy Principal - Student & Staff Wellbeing
Read more: Important vaping law changes, teenage drinking in the Eastern Suburbs, uniform and appearance, Health Centre accepting copies of your son’s vaccination status.
Important Vaping Law Changes
The College works closely with the NSW Police in particular our Police School Liaison Officer. With COVID-19 restrictions easing, the School Liaison Police Program is up and running, including our local PCYC club. In a recent discussion with the College, our Liaison Officer Senior Constable Danny McManus, outlined changes that occurred in October to vaping laws in NSW, particularly around the supply and possession of vapes.
In brief, all nicotine vaping products are now regulated under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 as Schedule 4 (prescription only) medicines in the Poison Standard. A prescription will be required from a medical practitioner to purchase nicotine vaping products from a pharmacy or when importing from overseas websites.
As this is a Schedule 4 drug, the College has reviewed our policy regarding vaping (and vapes) to reflect the changes to the law. I will be reminding students that the consequences for consuming or selling vapes on campus will therefore increase to reflect changes in their classification.
Teenage Drinking in the Eastern Suburbs
Over the last two to three weeks, both Eastern Suburbs and Eastern Beaches Police Area Commands have seen an enormous amount of alcohol-related incidents, (some very serious), involving young people in the area aged between 13 and 18. Older siblings, brothers and sisters of friends (including random strangers) supply alcohol to these minors.
Young people have also taken alcohol from home to drink in public places and alcohol-free zones, committing a range of public place offences, causing general havoc and mayhem, and consuming police resources unnecessarily. What surprises police the most, is the lack of supervision of young people late at night.
The Police Commander requests that the College remind our community of the dangers of teenage binge drinking. This comes in the same week that drug and alcohol expert Paul Dillon presented to students, staff and parents at the College. Our local police have serious concerns and encourage parents to have a chat with their sons about drugs and alcohol to establish safe boundaries. Parents are encouraged to use the resource below as a starting point for dialogue with their sons.
>>> Click here to view the Alcohol Drinking and Teenagers resource from REACHOUT.
This is a timely reminder that Waverley College students will be held accountable for incidents that bring the College name into disrepute outside of school hours.
Uniform and Appearance
I thank all students and their families who attended College this week wearing the correct academic uniform and whose appearance was neat and tidy. A small number of students were asked to adjust COVID hairstyles and remove facial hair. At all times, students are expected to be clean-shaven. I thank those parents who supported this fair and reasonable request.
Health Centre Now Accepting Copies of Your Son’s Vaccination Status
Congratulations to the hundreds of eligible Waverley College students who received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.
To provide our community with the best possible protection, we encourage all students over the age of 12 to follow the health advice from NSW Health, by getting their COVID-19 vaccination. This will not only protect them, but everyone else, as it appears likely that a single COVID-19 transmission at our College will still trigger a chain of casual and close contacts. The implications of this are considerable and anything we can do to reduce the likelihood is worthwhile.
The Health Centre is now accepting copies of your son’s vaccination status. Please send copies of your son’s vaccination status to healthcentre@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This data will be added to the immunisation history entered at the time of his enrolment.
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal – Staff and Student Wellbeing
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
