Parent Handbook
A-Z for Parents
Absences
A note is required for all short or long term absences including illness. This should be sent to your CHILD’S TEACHER. Please let the teacher know in writing, if you are going to take holidays during the term.
After School Care Program
Although we do not presently have an on-site program we have a very convenient service provided by Avondale Heights Out of School Hours Service. The program operates out of the St. Martin de Porres Hall at 158 Military Rd. Avondale Heights. Children are picked-up for after school care at 3:30pm. It runs each school day from 3.30 - 6.00 p.m.
Parents can ring the program during these times on 9325 4433 or 0406 131 703. Special arrangements are made for pupil free days (Curriculum Days) subject to demand.
Assemblies
School assemblies are held once a week on Monday morning. Assembly is held on the asphalt in front of the flagpole. It provides an opportunity for the school to celebrate student successes.
Asthma file
All Department of Education schools are required to have an individual asthma plan for students with asthma. This means that every child identified with asthma attending the school should have a written asthma management plan. A form will be sent home at the beginning of the year for parents to complete in consultation with their doctor.
Bank
Children can bank through the Commonwealth Bank on Tuesday mornings.
Books should be brought to your child’s classroom. For every deposit made through the school, the school receives a small commission.
Bicycles
Riding bicycles to school is encouraged and helmets must be worn. Bicycles are locked in the bike shed before school each morning.
Book Club
Parent helpers organise book club. Book Club order forms are sent home once a term.
Book club orders can only be accepted on or before the due date.
Camps
The school has a camping program for Years 3 to 6. As planning occurs for these parents will be notified through letters from classroom teachers and the Newsletter.
Car Park
For safety reasons the car park is for staff only. Parents and carers must not use this area for dropping off and picking up students. Parking is available in the streets surrounding the school. Please observe all parking signs.
Communicating with your child’s teacher
We value the opportunity to be able to discuss issues relating to your child. To ensure that there is adequate time for discussion please make an appointment.
Curriculum Days/Pupil Free Days
The Department of Education & Early Childhood Development grants the school four Pupil Free Days per year. These days are set aside for staff professional development and planning.
Educational Maintenance Allowance
If you are a holder of a government concession card you are entitled to an EMA allowance. If you wish to apply for EMA please visit the school office who will assist you with your application.
Emergency Information Form
It is important that these forms are kept up to date. Please inform the school office immediately of any change in address, telephone numbers or emergency contact names. This information is vital in the case of illness, accident and injury. Even for short-term changes the school needs to be notified.
Emergency Plan
The school has a Displan that is used in case of an emergency. Your child will practise evacuation procedures throughout the year.
Excursions and School Activities
The school considers excursions to be an integral part of the curriculum. Information and permission forms for excursions will be sent home at the appropriate time. No child will be able to participate in an excursion until the permission form is signed and returned to school.
Excursion costs are kept to a minimum, but if you are unable to meet the cost of any excursion, please contact the Principal. Families who are eligible for the Education Maintenance Allowance can contact the Business Manager to assist with these payments.
Children should wear school uniform on excursions unless advised otherwise.
Family Court Orders/Access Restrictions
See also Permission to Leave School Grounds.
All information will be kept confidential; please discuss any matters with the Principal. A copy of Family Court Orders must be kept at the school if access restrictions are to be enforced.
Head Lice
Please inspect your child’s hair regularly. If your child has head lice please give appropriate treatment and inform the school so that the school can alert other parents of the outbreak. The school employs a nurse to check students hair twice a year.
Home/School Support Group Meetings
Home School Support Group meetings are convened for students who are deemed to require additional assistance in school programs. Parents will be informed of meetings by letter.
Homework
Children in different grades are set different amounts of homework. Homework is designed to reinforce work that is being covered in the classroom. Homework guidelines are set by the department. Please contact your teachers if you have concerns regarding your child’s homework.
Immunisation Certificate
All children should be fully immunised prior to school entry. Immunisation certificates are available from the Health Department of your Local Council. In case of an outbreak of a particular disease, the Municipal Health Officer will be notified and those not holding certificates will not be allowed to attend school for the period recommended by the Health Department.
Infectious Diseases
During your child’s school life it is possible that common childhood diseases will be contracted. Some infectious diseases require children to be absent from school.
Junior School Council (J.S.C.)
Each class from Years 3 - 6 elects two representatives for the J.S.C. This council meets regularly, under the direction of a staff member. This provides an opportunity for all students to contribute to school life.
Library Books
Children have opportunities to borrow books regularly from the Library. They should be encouraged to take the responsibility of looking after their library books and returning them on time. All children need a clearly named library bag.
Lost Property
If your child has lost property, please check the Lost Property Shelves located in the centre of the main corridor. At the end of each term any unclaimed items are distributed to charity.
- Please label all items of clothing and other possessions (eg lunch boxes) clearly with your child’s name.
Lunches
Children are supervised while eating their lunch. Lunches should not include anything in glass bottles.
Medical Identification Form
This form is required for those children who have specific health/ medical conditions such as allergies, reactions to bee stings, epilepsy and diabetes etc.
Medication
When children need to take medication at school a written authorisation needs to be sent to the classroom teacher stipulating the type of medication, dosage and the time of administration. All medication needs to be clearly labelled and given to the office at the beginning of the day. Please make sure that any long-term medication is on the Student Information Form.
Children should not have medication, except for asthma puffers, in their possession because of the risk of other children using it.
Newsletter
A School Newsletter is sent home every Wednesday with the youngest child in the family. This provides information to parents about the school operations and activities. Please read each Newsletter carefully. Newsletters are also available from the school website.
Parent Participation
We recognise and value the importance of the home/school partnership and the role parents can play in their children’s education. Parents can be involved in many different ways depending on their interests, skills and time commitment.
These include:
- Monitoring- monitoring progress of your child/children e.g. Parent/Teacher Interviews
- Spectator- attend special days/events to watch and help
- Organiser- help organise special events or activities e.g. Bookclub, join the Parents’ Club, help as a fundraiser
- Classroom helper
- Learner- acquire skills by attending education programs offered
- Decision maker- school council member, committee member e.g. Parents’ Club, Curriculum Committee
Parent Programs
Classroom Helpers
Classroom Helpers are an integral part of the Early Years Program. Courses designed to support the work of parents, helpers and aides who assist in classrooms are offered by the school. The focus is on literacy and numeracy learning in the classroom context.
Reporting To Parents
- Parent-Teacher Interviews
Formal Parent Teacher Interviews are offered twice per year. These provide opportunity for a three-way discussion about the progress of your child. Parents are notified through the school bulletin of dates for these interviews. At any other time during the year, a parent or teacher may initiate an interview regarding a child’s progress.
- Reports
Parents receive two written reports during the year, at the end of semester 1 and semester 2.
Permission to Leave School Grounds
For your child’s safety, Parents or caregivers must go to the office before collecting children from the classroom. Parents are required to sign a Release Form, which is available from the office. This form must be presented to the classroom teacher before the child will be allowed to leave. Children will only be released to an authorised adult, that is; the adult whose name appears on the Student’s Emergency Information Form or on presentation of a letter or notification by phone call.
Punctuality
Children are expected to be at school on time. The morning session commences promptly at 9.00 a.m. Children arriving late at school are at a disadvantage and cause a disruption to the class program. Children who are late must go to the office for a late pass before entering their classrooms. Children with an excessive number of late passes may be required to attend detention.
School Council
The School Council meets at least twice a term and consists of elected parents, staff and co-opted people from the wider community. Council elections are held before the 31st March and are announced at the Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.) The Committees of School Council are: Curriculum, Resources, Environment and Parents’ Club.
Additional information can be obtained by contacting the School Council President or the Office. Visitors are welcome at meetings.
School Crossings
The school crossings on North Rd. and Glamis Drive are controlled by school crossing flags. Please set a good example by using the crossing when the flags are displayed.
School Levies
Education is a partnership between parents and schools. Although we endeavour to keep costs to parents to a minimum we do need your financial support to ensure that we are able to provide sufficient resources and high quality facilities to support your child’s learning.
All materials required by students to participate in school programs are bulk purchased GST free by the school and are distributed to students as shared supplies. The School Council sets a compulsory Booklist Levy and a Voluntary Levy each year.
An Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available to parents who hold a Health Card or Pension Card. This allowance assists parents with school expenses. Further information about these allowances can be obtained from the Office or your local Community Services Office.
School Nurse
The Child and Family Health Program offer all Victorian children a health assessment in their first year of schooling. The assessment (with parental consent) includes:
- testing of vision and hearing;
- information from the teacher where there are school concerns;
- clinical observations and examinations as indicated, and
- information provided by parents/guardians.
The service also:
- accepts referrals, from teachers and parents, in subsequent years;
- provides a follow up service for children with additional needs, and
- provides health promotion and resource activities.
School Policies
School policies clearly state our intended direction. Policies cover curriculum and other areas such as finance and welfare. Copies of all school policies are kept in the office and are available for parents at anytime. Committees, which include parents and staff, regularly review these policies. As each policy is reviewed, or when new policies are written parents are informed through the Bulletin. It is intended to place all new or reviewed policies on the school website as they occur.
Sick/Injured Children
First aid is dealt with at the school by Level 2 qualified First Aid staff. If there is a serious accident or illness every attempt will be made to contact parents immediately. If parents and/or emergency contacts are unable to be contacted, appropriate medical attention will be sought. Parents will be notified as soon as possible.
- Parents should take time to inform the class teacher about individual medical problems.
- Sick children who are unwell should be kept at home.
Social Service
Throughout the year we have specific social service fundraising activities. Parents are made aware of these through the newsletter.
Student Dress Code
The wearing of school uniform is compulsory. There are a range of options available. Uniforms and bags are available from the Parents’ Club Uniform Shop.
Please clearly label all clothing and property.
Student Welfare
The school has developed a Student Welfare Policy based on Department of Education & Early Childhood Development directives and in consultation with staff, parents and students. Rules have been established to create a supportive and safe environment for all students. Please support the school by reinforcing these rules. The school is committed to the “Friendly Kids” education program which supports students to achieve to the best of their ability and experience positive social-emotional well-being in school, work and the world of tomorrow.
Student Wellbeing
The school is committed to ensuring the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of every student. We are allocated a psychologist and a speech pathologist that are shared amongst a number of other schools. If you have issues about your child’s welfare please make an appointment to see the Principal.
Sun Smart
We are a “Sunsmart” school and have a policy of “NO HAT, NO PLAY”.
Children are required to wear a navy blue school hat for all outside activities during Terms One and Four. If children forget their hats, they must sit in the shade under staff supervision.
N.B. Navy Broad brimmed school hats (with brim close to 7 cm) and legionnaire hats are the only accepted Sun Smart hats.
Supervision
Children are supervised in the school ground between the hours of 8:45 am and 3:45pm. Do not drop your child at school before 8:45 am. If children are not collected by 3:45 pm they are sent to the office for supervision.
Visitors
In the interest of security and safety, all visitors to the school (eg parents, tradesmen and business people) who will be in the school for a period of time must report to the office to obtain a visitors pass. This includes parents helping in the classroom or canteen, or attending a meeting.
Volunteers
Under government guidelines all volunteers must obtain a Working With Children check. See the office on how to apply for a WWC check.
Weather
On wet days and exceptionally hot days children are supervised at all recess breaks in their classrooms according to our Wet Day Timetable. Please note that all classrooms have heating and air conditioning.
