Latest news with #SarahsDay
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Leave not approved': Aussie parents baffled by a wild new school rule
When I was a child, my parents pulled me out of school for a two-week holiday in February. The back-to-school photos were just snapped, and I barely knew my teacher's name, when we'd ditch class for the NSW coast. Craving a beach holiday, my country-based parents saved their money and any disruption of the festive schedule by taking a summer holiday in term. Every single year. Mum didn't ask the principal for permission. A handwritten note was put in my lunch box, with hopes it would reach my teacher. The 90s were a simpler time. For almost everything, including attitudes towards missing school for holidays. Just ask Aussie vlogger Sarah Stevenson. The influencer, known as Sarah's Day, was at the airport heading off on a Fiji holiday when she received an email from her six-year-old son Fox's school. The NSW primary school informed the cookbook author her kindergartener's five-day absence had not been 'approved'. Sarah took to Instagram and vented to her 1.2 million followers about the school policy – including the need to show the principal proof of flights. 'He's only missing five days of school. Anyway, day one of the trip I get an email back… it says Fox's leave hasn't been approved,' she says in a clip posted by Outspoken the Podcast. 'Yes, I want him to learn how to read and write and be in a classroom, but I haven't pulled him out of school for a month. Anyway, whatever. Love school.' Outspoken the Podcast asked followers if it was OK to take kids out of school for holidays, with most Instagram comments in support of Sarah. Former MAFS bride Alyssa Barmonde wrote. 'Honestly, restricting when kids can and can't go on a holiday is ridiculous. Travelling and being cultured is a way better life experience than missing a week of ABCs.' Another mum said, 'I'm all for taking your kids out for holidays, real-life experiences AND family time'. A second parent admitted, 'we have to apply for approval at our primary school, but I would still go even if it wasn't approved.' So, what are the rules around skipping school for holidays? State and territories have different 'exemptions' for attendance, but the law is the same – parents must send compulsory school-aged children to school every day. In NSW, both state and independent schools do not consider travel during term time as a 'justified' reason for absence. The NSW Education Department's 'justified' exemptions include health concerns, religious holidays and competing in elite arts and sport. If a principal declines a parent's reason for an absence, it's recorded as 'unjustified'. Students in Victorian schools need to get principal approval and obtain a Student Learning Absence Plan if they want an extended holiday. The Catholic Education Office and Education Queensland do consider holidaying a 'reasonable' excuse for absence. Are holidays in school time beneficial? It's an open secret at the school gate that many parents purposely book trips outside school holiday periods to beat crowds and inflated accommodation and flight costs. Dates during the term can also be more convenient to visit loved ones overseas. Charles Darwin University lecturer and former primary school teacher, Khushi Chauhan, pulled her son out of preschool to visit grandparents and plans to do the same in school. 'I'm all for experiential and incidental learning. Kids gain so much more during their travels,' she said 'Younger children learn more when they're out and about. The teacher in me never leaves, I'm always trying to make it a learning experience.' Timing of trips is important, Ms Chauhan explained, as disrupting the start of a school year can unsettle young kids, and older students might not want to miss social and academic events. The end of the year is a more relaxed time to miss a few days, as 'not much learning is going on' once grades are in, and kids can feel Christmas. Do students suffer by missing school? There's a reason schools are vigilant about attendance. Nationally, attendance levels are on a downward trend, and studies show students fall behind when they miss class. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership reports that lower attendance, even missing one day a fortnight, can negatively affect academic achievement. In the last five years, the numbers of students attending 90 per cent or more of school days in government, catholic, and independent schools has declined significantly. According to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), the 2024 attendance levels were 59.8 per cent – a sharp drop from 74.9 per cent in 2019. President of the Australian Primary Principals Association Angela Falkenberg says attendance 'directly improves a child's future life outcomes'. 'School leaders understand the well-researched benefits of regular attendance,' she said. 'We do not wish to dilute the clear message that every day matters.' Ms Falkenberg encourages families to take holidays during designated school breaks. 'A holiday is often in addition to time away for illness, family events or even birthdays - further disrupting the continuity of learning,' she said. If a child is already anxious about school and testing or has school refusal tendencies, a mid-term break could also reinforce behaviour and mental health challenges. Should we feel bad if we have a holiday in term? If you've planned a trip outside of school holidays - don't feel bad. Parenting educator Genevieve Muir acknowledges term time might be the only dates that work for families because of finances, location or work leave. 'Especially in the early primary years, kids get so much out of shared family experiences like travel. It's not just the break from the norm… it's the connection, the exposure to different environments, and the chance to slow down together,' she says. 'Don't feel guilty if you've made a thoughtful decision to take your child out of school once in a while, especially in the early years. Just be open to working with your school and recognising that they're managing a lot too.' As a mum of four boys, Ms Muir understands why schools must enforce boundaries. 'The scrutiny around holiday absences is less about punishing families and more about trying to support learning and keep things equitable for staff and students,' the author said. While putting in leave requests for young students might feel tedious, or even nerve- wracking, it's important to keep an open dialogue with schools. 'The expectation that parents complete an exemption for reasons such as family travel … is part of government or system policy and a requirement for school principals to enact,' Ms Falkenberg assured. Ms Muir agrees parents need to follow school protocol. 'Sometimes schools need to deny a request for leave outside term as part of policy. This is to stop an avalanche of parents taking holidays consistently in term time. 'This doesn't mean you can't go; it's just marked as an unapproved absence.'
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Aussie influencer unleashes after being axed by popular fragrance brand Who Is Elijah - and then is hit with an ominous warning: 'Tread carefully'
A famous Aussie influencer and popular Sydney-based brand are embroiled in an online feud after a planned collaboration turned sour - with both sides going public with their different version of events. Sarah Stevenson - better known as Sarah's Day - took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal that her much-anticipated collaboration with fragrance company Who Is Elijah had come to an unexpected end. 'Two years ago they reached out to me to make a fragrance with them and, as you know, I have documented the entire process,' she said in the viral clip. 'You guys have come along on the journey and we were all really excited. 'Unfortunately it's no longer happening and I'm sure you're asking why, and honestly we are asking the same question. We don't have the answers for you,' she said. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Sarah's fans poured into the comments section to support the mum-of-three, while also questioning what happened behind the scenes and if there was a contract in place. In response, the influencer claimed: 'Unfortunately I just started making content in good faith because I was so committed and excited.... contract is only really useful once the product was launched.' However, the online rant backfired when Who Is Elijah's CEO Adam Bouris hit back, calling Sarah's claims 'absolutely rubbish'. Adam claimed that Who Is Elijah offered for Sarah to continue the fragrance with her own brand, which he claimed she declined. 'I would tread carefully here,' he wrote. In response, Sarah and her husband Kurt Tilse attempted to put out the fire, saying that, although they believed the situation being handled badly, the mumfluencer hadn't 'said a bad thing'. 'Put yourself in my shoes,' Sarah addressed the CEO. She added: 'I've been promoting this and working on it for over 24 months. 'I would have really appreciated a call or even an email to me. Not an email to one of my team members after being ghosted,' she said, adding: 'My own team had to call me and tell me the news.' Her partner Kurt added, 'Sarah hasn't said a single thing bad … She has simply let her community know that it's not going ahead.' Who Is Elijah founder Raquel Bouris then also joined the online conversation surrounding the failed deal to explain her side of the story, branding some of Sarah's claims 'untrue'. 'We ended a contract well within the agreed terms, there was no breach … The idea that two years of work went into this is simply untrue,' she said in an Instagram video posted on Sunday. Raquel went on to say that the project only started in May 2024 and involved a minimal amount of hours that she could count 'on one, maybe two hands'. 'There's no scandal here, no villain. Just a strategic decision for the future of my business, one I fully stand by,' she added. Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Raquel said that she had seen a lot of online hate following Sarah's initial video. 'I received a lot of mean messages and negative comments across my socials and Who Is Elijah. 'This is not something we have experienced before,' she said, before adding that it 'hurt her soul'. 'It didn't need to be a scandal, it's sad the other party is fueling a negative story in the comments,' she said. 'I don't have an issue with the video she posted at all - but the comments we have seen from her on the post she did, plus old videos of her in our office to further fuel the negativity is not ok.' 'We are a growing business, and I made the decision to cease the collaboration as a business decision. No hate to Sarah, I wish her all the best.'
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Controversial influencer Sarah's Day slams her son's school after she was scolded for pulling the six-year-old out of classes for a family trip to Fiji
Sarah's Day has slammed her six-year-old son Fox's school after she pulled him out of classes for a family trip to Fiji. The lifestyle YouTuber, 32, whose real name is Sarah Stevenson, is currently on a lavish getaway for her mother's 60th birthday. But it seems things went awry on the first day of their holiday as the mother-of-three received an email from her son's school saying he 'wasn't approved' to go on leave. Sarah shared the ordeal with her followers as she posted a posting a photo of her boys Fox and Malakai, three, watching a performance in Fiji. 'When Foxy's school emails you and says his "leave hasn't been approved" and it's important for him to be at school learning,' she wrote in the caption. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. But Sarah's commentary on the matter didn't end there, as she later uploaded another series of videos calling out the school. 'A few weeks ago before we left for Fiji, I had to apply for leave [at the school] if you're going for more than three days, so I did that,' Sarah explained. 'I filled in this extended leave form. I talked to the receptionist and she said, "You just have to send us proof of your flights." So, I sent in proof of my flights. 'They responded via email saying "sweet we've got everything we need for this getaway." I said this is [Fox's] grandma's 60th trip. It's really important. 'He's only missing five days of school. Anyway, day one of the trip I get an email back. We're at the airport, and it says Fox's leave hasn't been approved. 'Yes, I want him to learn how to read and write and be in a classroom, but I haven't pulled him out of school for a month. 'Anyway, whatever. I responded and I was like, "Okay, well we're at the airport. Thanks I guess." Whatever. Love school.' Sarah and her husband Kurt Tilse welcomed their third child together last year. But it seems things went awry on the first day of their holiday as the mother-of-three received an email from her son's school saying he 'wasn't approved' to go on leave She shared photographs from her at-home labour on her Stories at the time, writing in the caption: 'And so it began.' In the Polaroid pictures, Sarah could be seen cradling her baby bump as she sat on an exercise ball and drank a hot beverage. Another picture showed her in labour at her home as she leaned on her couch while she was supported by a midwife. A final black-and-white picture featured her two older sons smiling as she documented her third baby boy's arrival. Sarah and Kurt named their third son Harlow Judah.
