The people and places featured in the campaign are local to Greater Shepparton and comprise a series of short, sharp video clips for social media.
From the mayor to the head coach of Goulburn Valley Suns, from a classroom teacher to primary school students, the videos reinforce the importance of attendance to keep up not only with studies, but friendships and engagement with school.
“I like going to school every day because it’s a chance to see my friends and also to meet new people,” Year 9 student Maddie Ryan said.
Year 9 classmate Maddie Beare said missing a day here and there could quickly add up.
“Sometimes you don’t realise how much school you’ve actually missed,” she said.
“It might not seem like a big deal at the time, but it can affect you down the track if an employer sees that your school attendance record isn’t great, they might believe you will not be reliable at work.”
For Temperance Thu, in Year 8, missing school means missing out.
“I like to think of the bigger picture with attending school every day,” Temperance said.
“Learning new things and being able to do so many different subjects means there’s more options for me in the future.
“When you miss a day, you never know what you will be behind on.”
Watch out for both Maddies and Temperence, plus many others, in the campaign.
The Victorian Education Department advises there are no safe number of days for missing school.
Every day missed can put a student behind – with their studies, with their friends and with their connection to school.
Schools always want to positively work in partnership with their families.
The department encourages parents and carers with attendance concerns to contact their child’s school and ask for advice and support.
