Parent Information

Absences

If your child is absent from school it is most important that the school is notified. This can be done by:

Writing a short note to the class teacher explaining the absence/s, indicating the date and day/s the child was/is to be away.
Completing an Attendance note via the school Compass app
Leaving a phone message on the school absence hotline.

If students are away two days without notice a phone call will be made home.

When collecting a child early from school the parent/guardian will need to sign out the child using the iPad, located at the General Office.

Lateness

All students who arrive late should be signed in at the front office. Students then hand their teacher a ‘late card’ so their attendance is updated on the attendance roll.

Note: Gates to the school are locked from 9:00am. Entry to the school is through the office after this time.

Our strategy focuses on;

The importance of regular school attendance
What student absence is
What your responsibilities are as parents/caregivers
What help you can get from the school to ensure your child attends regularly

Student absence fits into the following categories:

Illness/injury
Truancy – your child is absent from school without your knowledge
Explained Absence – your child does not attend school with your permission, e.g. family holidays, baby-sitting, helping parents at home

You can help by making sure:

Your child attends school on ALL school days
Your child is on time every day
The school is provided with a written explanation for the absence
The school is contacted if your child does not want to go to school
Doctor and dentist appointments are made out of school hours, where possible
Personal shopping trips with your son/daughter or birthday celebrations are arranged out of school hours
Your child is not allowed to stay home for minor reasons.

We realise that some absences are impossible to avoid but regular attendance is essential to make sure learning is not disrupted. Regular attendance ensures your child gains all of the building blocks for the future.

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life threatening. It must be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment and urgent medical attention.

Please click here to read our school’s Anaphylaxis Policy.

In accordance with DET guidelines and our school Anaphylaxis policy individual management plan will be reviewed, in consultation with the student’s parents/carers:

Annually, and as applicable
If the student’s condition changes
Immediately after a student has had an anaphylactic reaction at school

Asthma Friendly School

Stockdale Road is an Asthma Friendly School. As a result we have the following processes:

Asthma records are kept for each student with asthma.
Asthma first aid posters are on display.
Students who have their own Asthma medication must be kept in the classroom for safe keeping, and a medication proforma form must be filled in by the parent. Spacer device(s) must also be provided.
A plan is in place for managing asthma during school sporting activities, excursions or camps.
Asthma education offered to parents/carers within the school.
Asthma education provided for all school staff
Asthma education program in the school health curriculum
Potential asthma triggers minimised within the school environment

Please click here to read our school’s Asthma Policy.

Behaviour Guidance Process

The Behaviour Guidance Process is noted in our Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy and Inclusion and Diversity Policy

Bicycles, Skateboards and Scooters

Children riding bikes, skateboards or scooters to school must have the appropriate safety equipment. They are not to be ridden in the school grounds. Students must walk their bikes/skateboards/scooters through the back gate to the bike shed. The bike shed is locked during the school day, however, no responsibility can be taken for their supervision, loss or damage.

In order to ride bikes, skateboards or scooters to school, students should:

Be in at least Year 4 – unless accompanied by a responsible adult
Wear full protective gear to be worn whilst riding (i.e. helmet, kneepads, elbow pads, gloves/wrist guards)
Not use the items inside the school grounds
Use a security chain and lock
Store the item safely, sensibly and responsibly.

Book Club

Book Club is offered to students on a monthly basis from Scholastic. Pamphlets for Book Club orders are sent home with children. Orders are then returned to school in an envelope with money, cheque or credit card receipt details enclosed. The envelope should be marked clearly with the student’s name and grade so the books can be given out when they arrive. All orders should be returned by the advertised date. No late orders will be accepted. All cheques should be made payable to Scholastic.

Camps, Excursions and Visiting Performances

These are an integral and essential part of the school program. Camps, Excursions and Visiting Performances provide direct and real life learning experiences, which are followed up in the classroom.

Camps, Excursions and Visiting Performances are planned well in advance and parents are notified via Compass and notices sent home. Costs for all these activities are kept to a minimum.

Car parking

There are a number of areas to park around the school, with access through a number of gates.

Apex Oval behind the school has ample parking and would be the recommended area. There is a pull in bay at the front of the school in Stockdale Road, this area is only for quick drop-offs and pick-ups.

There is a staff car park at the rear of the school, which is restricted to staff and parents with a child with a disability. This is to ensure the safety of all children in and around that area.

Computers

Computers are a key aspect of the school program. The school is well equipped with computers and iPads available for all year levels to use, and a computer lab we call the DigiHub.

The school is committed to maintaining, upgrading and expanding hardware systems and software.

The school has a number of Promethean Screens in Years 3-6 and Interactive Whiteboards throughout Prep-2. All staff are trained to use these devices.

Communication

Contact between the school and families is an aspect of school life that we strongly promote. Please feel free to keep in close contact with your child’s teacher and other relevant staff members on an informal basis. There are also formal opportunities for school/family communications.

These include:-

Communication Boards located outside every classroom P-2 classroom and inside every 3-6 classroom
Fortnightly newsletters that are uploaded to the school website
Information evenigns and discussion groups
Interviews held each March and June
Written reports handed out each half year
Notes and phone calls
Social events and excursions
The Stockdale Road Compass App

Your child’s teacher needs to know if any problems exist, either in classrooms, playground or at home, that may affect school work. It is also nice to share in the good things that happen too.

Your Principal/Assistant Principal’s welcome you at any time, to talk about your child/children, your concerns and ideas for the school, or any other matters. Call first to make an appointment to ensure the Principal/Assistant Principals are available. Urgent needs will always be dealt with.

Early Literacy & Home Reading

All junior students entering our school will have daily reading and writing sessions personalised to their needs.

This is a strategic and comprehensive approach to language learning with the goal of successful literacy achievement for all students by the end of their third year of schooling.

We are partners in your child’s learning. Helping your child learn to read is important and fun for everyone. Here are some helpful suggestions:

Help your child develop a love of reading by reading aloud to them. Reading aloud is valuable even when students can read on their own.
When you read aloud to your child:
Stop part way through the story and ask your child to predict what will happen next.
Ask your child how the story made him/her feel
After reading the story, ask your child to suggest a different way thte story could have ended
When you go through your mail, let your child open and read advertising mail you do not want
When travelling read highway sign aloud with your child
Let your child help you read and prepare a recipe. At the Library, look for special cookbooks for children
Take books along in the car when travelling on errands or holidays
Help your child get a library card
Encourage your child to set aside a time for reading each day

Home Reading is an integral part of the school reading program and is implemented at all year levels.

Children select their reading material for each night’s reading from the classroom or the library. Teachers guide the children in their selection of books.

Emergency Information

It is extremely important that the school is notified immediately with any changes to the following: –

Home address
Telephone numbers
Emergency contacts
On-going medical problems
Family status

Please do not wait until an emergency arises before remembering to tell us that you have a new home or work phone number.

Equal Opportunity

Our school is an Equal Opportunity workplace abiding by the requirements of the Equal Opportunity Act 1995.

Our curriculum, facilities and work practices strive to achieve gender inclusiveness, equity and equal opportunity in addition to eliminating unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment.

First Aid

If your child suffers a minor injury at school qualified first aid staff will attend to the injury.

If the injury is of a more serious nature, you or your nominated emergency contact will be notified.

In an emergency situation the staff will call an ambulance and contact you. The school is not insured for student injuries.

Please click here to read our First Aid Policy.

Head Lice

For the many families and teachers of school aged children, head lice can cause concern and frustration. While it is known that head lice do not carry an infectious disease, the Principal, teaching staff and School Council at Stockdale Road have developed a head lice program to assist the school community to manage head lice effectively.

The community program has members who co-ordinate a head checking program. Children found to have head lice are sent home and checked again before re-entry.

An essential part of this community head lice program is that parents notify the school if head lice is detected and that parents take the responsibility of treating their child’s hair, prior to re-entry to the school.

The Education Department has a headlice policy that all schools follow.

Illness

If a child becomes ill at school, the school will phone the parents or emergency contact person.

Children who become ill at home should not be sent to school until the child has recovered.

Children suffering from an infectious disease should be excluded from school for the period of time stated in the Infectious Diseases Table.

Infectious Diseases – Exclusion Table

A child must be excluded from school if suffering from the following diseases.

Chickenpox	Until fully recovered, or at least one week after the eruption first appears. Some remaining scabs are not an indication for continued exclusion.
Conjunctivitis	Until discharge from eyes has ceased
Diphtheria	Until receipt of a medical certificate of recovery from infection
Head Lice	Until treatment has commenced. A medical clearance may be asked for
Hepatitis A	Until a medical certificate of recovery is produced after symptoms disappear.
Hepatitis B	Until recovered from an acute attack
Impetigo (school sores)	Until sores have fully healed. The child may be allowed to return provided that appropriate treatment is being applied. Exposed surfaces such as scalp, face hands and legs must be fully covered with a waterproof dressing,
Measles	Until at least seven days from the appearance of rash or until receipt of a medical certificate of recovery from infection
Meningococcal	Until a medical certificate of recovery is produced.
Mumps	Until fully recovered
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)	For two weeks or until a medical certificate of recovery is produced.
Ringworm	Until appropriate treatment has commenced, supported when requested by a medical certificate.
Rubella	Until fully recovered or at least 5 days after onset of rash.
Scabies	Until appropriate treatment has commenced.
Slap Cheek	Pregnant women plus anyone who is immune suppressed, or has chronic haemolytic disorders should avoid contact with infected persons. Doctor’s advice should be sought.
Streptococcal (Scarlet Fever)	Until a medical certificate of recovery is produced.
Tuberculosis	Until a medical certificate is produced stating that the patient is no longer infectious.
Typhoid Fever Paratyphoid Fever	Until receipt of a Medical Certificate of recovery from infection.

Leaving the School

From their time of arrival at school no child may leave the school ground during school hours without written permission from the parent or guardian.

If your child is required to leave school for an appointment during the school day you must:-

Send a note with the child notifying the grade teacher

Sign the child out on the iPad at the office

For safety reasons children cannot be sent home or allowed to meet parents in the streets around the school.

Library

The school has a library technician and all students visit the Library once a week.

The library is well resourced with books and other audio visual materials. Children are welcome to borrow and return in their library sessions.

If a library book is lost or damaged please notify the class teacher or the library teacher.

Lost Property

In order to reduce the amount of lost property at school please ensure your child’s school clothing, school bags, lunch boxes and drink bottles are clearly named.

Any garments found at school that are labelled are returned to the classroom. Garments that are not labelled are placed in Lost Property. This is located in the school sick bay.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Teacher’s conduct “Getting to Know You” interviews early in Term 1. These interviews are designed for sharing of information relevant to each individual child’s needs.

All students receive two written reports per year. A teacher or parent may request interviews at any given time of year if/when required.

Report 1: Mid-year (end of term 2) detailed report identifying individual achievements and/or areas of improvement in relation to the standards set by the Education Department. This report is also discussed at a parent/teacher interview.

Report 2: End of year detailed report also identifying individual achievements and/or areas of improvement, in relation to the standards set by the Education Department, interviews may be requested at this time of year, however they are not compulsory.

Quite often your involvement in school activities can be the stimulus your child needs to progress in school.

It is School Council Policy along with the Department of Education and Training that all parents who are volunteers have a Working With Children Check (WWC).

Payments to School

All payments should be sent directly to the General Office and posted in the letter box (found under the counter) in a clearly marked envelope or ziplock bag stating, child’s name, grade, amount and which activity.

All requests for money are made in writing and will be made on coloured paper clearly stating the activity, cost involved and closure date for payment. School Policy states that payment must be made in full by the closure date or the child will not be permitted to attend.

When sending money to school for camps, excursions, swimming, visiting performances, fundraising etc. we request that you:

Use an envelope or plastic ziplock bag to enclose the permission forms and cash/cheque. Ensure loose change is wrapped so it does not slide out
Write the child’s name, class, amount of money and activity on the front of the envelope/ziplock bag. If you paid by BPay, state this on the permission form
Send the envelope/ziplock bag to school with your child
If you have more than one child at school, you can send the total via the eldest child. Please indicate this on your envelope/ziplock bag
Post all envelopes/ziplock bags in the letter box slot found under the counter at the office

Money will be receipted every day with the receipt being given to your child’s teacher to hand out. Please keep all receipts.

Arrangements can be made to assist families to stagger school expenses over the school year.

Our preferred method of payments is BPay.

No EFTPOS facilities are available.

BPay

Stockdale Road Primary School continues to offer parents/guardians the opportunity to pay for Essential Educational Items, camps and excursions via BPay in addition to Cash or Cheque.

To use BPay you will need the Biller Code for Stockdale Road Primary School as well as your own UNIQUE Reference Number.

BPay transactions are not instant, therefore excursion payments will need to be made at least 48 hours prior to the event due date to ensure they are processed by the bank and reach the school in time for your child to attend the event.

Please indicate your method of payment on the permission notice so that payments through our bank can be correctly matched to your family account and be allocated to the correct item/s you are paying for. You can pay accounts for several students in your family with one payment. If you do not advise us what the BPay payment is for, we will credit it against the oldest outstanding debt for your family.

Please note: If you select BPay, it is important that you still return the event permission slip to school.

Camps – Payments for camps are made in instalments – a deposit and then the balance owing over a number of instalments depending on the cost of the camp.

Please keep your BPay details in a safe place for future reference.

You can find out more information about BPay from your own financial institution or by visiting www.bpay.com.au.

If you have any queries regarding BPay payments to the school, please contact the school’s office during school hours.

Excursions – This includes payment for trips to special venues, visiting performances, sporting activities and swimming. Parents are notified in advance of the activity and the cost.

Note – All of our school Camps and Excursions require a signed parent permission form for children to attend. A detailed medical form is also required for camps.

Click on parent payment policy to read the full policy.

Personal Belongings

Please be aware that if your child wishes to bring something special along to school (e.g., toys) it is the responsibility of your child to look after it.

The school cannot accept responsibility for any valuables brought to school.

If such items are to be brought to school for special occasions, permission from the class teacher must be sought and given.

When a child chooses to take the risk of bringing his/her special belongings to school please make sure the items are clearly labelled with the child’s name.

Personal Safety

It is important that your child has an understanding of all aspects of safety. To enhance this you are strongly encouraged to frequently talk about safety with your child to help them learn:

Their name, address and telephone number
Not to talk to people they feel unsafe with
To go to or from school a quickly as possible, by a route agreed to by you
Not to bring items to school, or play with items which may cause accidents
Not to bring “weapon” toys to school
Not to leave school without permission
To use the school crossing correctly

Pets

Family pets should not be brought to school unless written permission is first obtained.

Please ensure the pets do not follow children to school.

If walking your child to school and you wish to take your pet dog for a walk as well, please make sure your dog is securely restrained on a leash and does not enter the school grounds.

Playground Supervision

The school yard is supervised from 8.45am each day.

At recess and lunch time the yard is supervised by a minimum of 3 teachers.

Playground supervision begins at 8.45am and ends at 3.45pm.

On days of extreme weather students remain indoors and staff supervise suitable activities.

Pupil Free Days

In accordance with DET guidelines the first day of the school year is a pupil free day. In addition to this 3 further days are deemed student free days (to be set by school council).

Queries

At Stockdale Road Primary School we have an open door policy, whereby parents are welcome to discuss with teachers any concerns or ask for advice. Don’t feel that any issue is too small or too great, we will be happy to help in any way we can.

If however, it is an issue that may require an interview or lengthy discussion we strongly recommend you make an appointment with the appropriate teacher. Teachers often have after school meetings/commitments to attend and may find it difficult to discuss things with you before or after school at short notice.

Sunsmart School

Stockdale Road is a Sunsmart school and has a Sunsmart Policy, which is available upon request.

All students are required to wear broad brimmed hats in Terms 1 and 4, during outdoor activities.

Occasionally we have out of uniform days for special events. Please ensure that your children continue to use Safe Sun Smart practises on these days.

Parents are reminded that during the hot months it is advisable to put sunscreen on your child. On extreme days of heat children are encouraged to play in shaded areas and drink plenty of water.

Transfers

Before a child moves to another school, parents must inform the class teacher and the office. A Release of Student Information Form must be signed at the office so that a transfer note and pupil files can be prepared and forwarded to the new school.

All library books and class readers need to be returned.