Parent Handbook

Please find below a link to the current Parent Handbook.

The school day official begins for staff at 8:15am with a devotion and a brief staff meeting.  The office and telephones are services from 8:30am until 4:00pm each day.  Children may begin arriving at school from 8:30am.  It is expected that the children use the time before school to organise themselves for the day's lessons.  There is playground supervision before school from 8:30am.

Day commences:   9:00am
Recess:                  11:00am - 11:30am
Lunch:                    1:00pm - 1:10pm (supervised in class groups)
Play:                       1:10pm - 1:40pm
Dismissal:               3:20pm

All breaks are supervised by teachers.  Lunch is normally eaten in class groups and supervised by class teachers.  This encourages all students to have a nourishing meal during the day.  On wet day or extreme heat days, students will be cared for during lunchtime in either the Activity Hall, classrooms or the Library.

By 3:45pm all children should have vacated the school unless prior arrangements have been made.

If a child is going to be absent for a day or part of a day, the school should be notified in either the following ways:

1. a phone call to the office in the morning before 9:30am;
2. a note to the teacher or front office by a brother or sister; or
3. by prior notification to the teacher (ie an appointment)

If the school has not been notified of an absence or lateness by 9:30am, the administration staff will contact families to ensure that the child is safe at home.

If you know in advance that your child will be absent for an extended period of time, please inform BOTH the child's class teacher and the front office.

If a student arrives late to school, they need to report to the front office to sign in prior to going to class.

Due to the school's accountability for all students attendance to the Non-Government Assessment Authority, high absenteeism will be addressed with parents by the Principal.

Please note that when collecting your child for an appointment, you must sign them out at the office.  This ensures we can account for all students' whereabouts.  If you have a planned appointment, please notify the class teacher via note in your child's diary or via the front office.

It is also important that the pickup takes place at the office.  The administration staff will arrange for the child to be prepared to go if they are aware of the appointment time.

A brief assembly is held on Monday morning at 8:50am where the National Anthem is sung, the Student of the Week Awards are presented and the events for the upcoming week are communicated to the children.  Parents are welcome to join us for this.

The school provides a bus service between Waikerie High School and our school.  This bus links with the Department of Education buses which bring students into town from outlying areas. Students may be eligible for transport on buses if they live in excess of 5km from the nearest state primary school, ie Waikerie Primary School.  Waikerie High School coordinates all students travelling on DECD buses.

If you think you are eligible and would like your child to utilise the Department of Education buses, please contact the office for the appropriate application forms.  Children travelling on these buses are expected to abide by the DECD bus transportation Code of Conduct.

Children who behave inappropriately will be banned from bus travel for a period of time or on a permanent basis.

If your child has a medical condition that the school should be aware of, please notify the school as soon as possible.  Early notification of a specific medical condition is of importance in helping teachers provide suitable support.

If your child requires medication to be administered at school, please ensure that the medication is presented to the school office and is clearly labelled.

All children when feeling unwell should remain home until symptoms cease.  The Department of Human Services recommend the following exclusion periods for infectious diseases:

Diarrhoea:  Until the diarrhoea stops
Chickenpox:  At least five days after first eruption and full recovered.  Remaining scabs are not a reason for exclusion.
Conjunctivitis:  Until discharge from the eye ceases.
Glandular Fever:  Exclusion is not necessary.
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease:  Until all blisters are dry.
Head Lice:  Until day after treatment and no live lice can be detected.
Cold Sores:  Not normally excluded but lesions should be covered by a dressing.
Influenza:  Until recovered.
Measles:  At least 4 days after onset of the rash.
Mumps:  Either nine days or after swelling goes down (whichever is sooner).
Ringworm/Tinea:  Until day after treatment commences.
Ross River Virus:  Exclusion is not necessary.
Rubella:  Until fully recovered and for at least four days after onset of rash.
School sores:  Until appropriate treatment has commenced.  Sores on exposed areas should be covered with watertight dressing.
Warts:  Exclusion is not necessary.
Worms:  Only if diarrhoea is present.

This list does not include all infectious diseases.  For further information, please consult your family doctor.

Should there be an outbreak of a notifiable disease, children who are not immunised against it will be asked to stay home until further notice.

Parents are asked to provide a copy of their child's immunisation record for the school files.

Guidelines for Years Foundation and Year 1

Children in these year levels will take home a reader and sight words to go through with their parents at home.  It is recommended that parents role model the reading process with their child, allowing them to "have a go".  The older the child gets, the more reading you can expect from them.  It is important at this age for parents to play with children or participate in some meaningful way i.e. bake a cake.  Children of this age are not usually expected to complete school work at home.

Guidelines for Years 2 to 7 Students

Aims: 

1. to develop regular study habits, the skill of learning, and self-discipline.
2. to bring some aspects of school life into the home, and give parents an opportunity of sharing in children's school interest.

Method:

Homework can not be completed to the satisfaction of teachers unless parents participate fully in its coorindation and time table it to fit with other family activities.

The supervision of homework should not lead to stressful situations.  That is, parents and children should not become agitated by the issue.  If you child is reluctant to complete homework at home, please communicate this to the teacher.  Provisions can be made during teh school day to complete work to your child's best ability.  Homework is not usually set on Friday evenings.

Suggested MAXIMUM times per night in one sitting:

Year 2:        10 to 20 minutes
Year 3:        10 to 20 minutes
Year 4:        20 to 30 minutes
Year 5:        20 to 30 minutes
Year 6:        30 to 40 minutes
Year 7:        30 to 40 minutes

If your child is spending excessive amounts of time on certain areas of study, please see the teacher.  This is the first step towards the discovery and correction of a learning difficulty.

It is important that your child has a place to do homework that is well lit and comfortable to do homework.  It should be reasonably free from distractions.

Good spots will depend on your family situation.  The kitchen table may suit at certain times of the day.  Some children will work best on a desk of their own.  The time of the day/evening will vary also.  However, it is best to try to maintain a routine.

Upon enrolment, children are placed in one of three house groups.  The houses are Bilbies (green), Echidnas (red) and Wallabies (blue). Various house events/competitions take place throughout the year where children collect points.  At the end of the year a house shield is presented to the House Captains of the winning house.

Money may be saved by children (and parents too) through LLL school banking.  The LLL (Lutheran Laypeople’s League) lends money to church and school groups at very reasonable interest rates, so any money deposited in this account will benefit our school.  Bank day is Tuesday.

A few points about the LLL.

1. The current interest rate is on the LLL website - www.lll.org.au.
2. All deposits are available at call for withdrawal.
3. ‘Deposits can be made through the school, by Reply Paid mail or by electronic transfer.  Withdrawals can be made by Reply Paid mail or by electronic transfer.  For more information visit www.lll.org.au.

The school has a part time chaplain who coordinates the care programs through the school.  This position entails providing support and encouragement to school staff and school families through a range of initiatives.  The terms of reference for this position are as follows:

• to develop a culture of love, care and practical support to all school families;
• to demonstrate a commitment to the mission focus of the school;
• to liaise with the Principal, Pastor and relevant organisations and or personnel, which enhance the care programs of the school;
• to administer and implement care programs within the school

Toys, electronic equipment and sporting equipment should not be brought to school unless special permission has been given.  Unfortunately, many children bring quite expensive items to school, which may be lost or damaged.  This school accepts no responsibility for private items being brought to school.