Information Booklet

Index

School Organisation

School Times

School commences at 9.20am and school concludes at 3.25pm.
Recess is from 10.50am — 11.10am.
Lunch is from 1.10pm — 2.00pm.

Supervision

Children are under supervision from 9.00am until 3.30pm. There is no supervision of children before 9.00am. If children arrive before 9.00am, they are to be seated in the Quadrangle area outside the staffroom.

Dismissal Time

At 3.25pm children are dismissed from three different places:

Bus Lines—Those children catching buses line up adjacent to the music room for bus no. 84, or outside the staffroom for bus no. 66. A teacher then supervises the loading of children onto the bus via the Top Gate (main entry to the school).
Walkers/children who are collected—There are two gates from which these children leave; Middle Gate (children who will travel north east along The Round Drive) and Bottom Gate (children who travel south along The Round Drive).

Middle Gate — Children are to wait at this gate until the duty teacher dismisses them. Parents should wait on the path near this gate keeping congestion away from where the buses are loading.

Bottom Gate— Children walk to the gate and wait for duty teacher before leaving. Kindergarten children are walked to the basketball court, where parents meet and collect them. Bike Riders leave through a separate gate. No child is to leave before the duty teacher arrives. Parents are encouraged to meet their children inside the school gates to lessen congestion on the footpath.

Safety on Departure

Safety of our children when leaving the school grounds is paramount. Parents are asked to park their cars, then cross the road if necessary, to meet your child at either—middle gate (children who are travelling north-east along The Round Drive) or bottom gate (children who are travelling south along The Round Drive).

Please do not ask your child to leave via the teacher’s car park or beckon them across the road. The teacher’s car park is for staff use only.

Parents MUST NOT park in the bus bay between 8.30am—9.30am OR between 3.00pm—4.00pm.

All children and parents are asked to use the supervised crossing when crossing the road.

All children are escorted to a school gate or onto a bus.

School Newsletter

A weekly newsletter will be sent home on Monday with the youngest member of each family as a regular means of communication between school and home. Please check that you receive your “Monday Newsletter” and read it carefully.

Weekly Assembly

K-6 Assemblies are held every Friday at 12.20pm. These assemblies provide the opportunity for children to receive public recognition for their efforts and achievements, foster school spirit and present aspects of classwork. Parents are always welcome to attend Assemblies.

Canteen

A school canteen is available for children to purchase lunch and morning tea. Lunch and recess orders should be left at the office before school (in a paper bag). Parent volunteers are rostered to help once or twice a term. See our Canteen page for the price list and more information on our school canteen.

Library

A well-stocked library is available for the children’s use. Each class will have a weekly lesson. In addition, children may borrow during lunch times.

In order to protect the books children are asked to provide a cloth bag.

Scripture

Scripture involves children K-6 on Thursday mornings. A number of clergy and lay teachers visit the school to give religious instruction. Where possible, all pupils have a 30 minute lesson with the exception of those whose religion is not catered for or those whose parents request an exemption in writing due to personal beliefs..

Teacher Interviews

Parents may seek an interview with a teacher at any time by phoning the school and asking for an appointment. After this interview, an interview with your child’s stage supervisor should be arranged if there are still matters of concern. Appointments with the school counsellor are made through the Principal.

Student Records

Parents are asked to keep the school informed of any changes of address or telephone numbers. It is sometimes necessary to contact parents in the event of accident or illness, and so we need to keep information current. A name and phone number of two relatives or friends who will accept responsibility should you be unavailable, is required. Work contact and mobile phone numbers are very important.

Custody

Parents who have sole custody of their children should make this known to the Principal. Any change of custodial arrangement should be notified immediately. Copies of court orders should be made available to the school office where custody orders or AVO’s apply to children.

Absences

Should your child be absent from school because of illness or any other reason, a written explanation including specific details of your child’s illness etc. is required within two days. This is a legal requirement of the DET.

Late Arrival

Students arriving late must first go to the school office and obtain a “Late Arrival Slip”. They then proceed to their classroom.

Collection of Children During School Hours

Should this be necessary, parents are required to send a note to the child’s teacher and then sign their child/ren out in the Early Leavers Book at the front office. One of the office staff will write you out an “Early Leavers Slip” to take to their child/ren’s classroom. Upon receiving this slip, the teacher will release the child/ren from the class.

Variation of Routine

If normal “going home” arrangements are to change, even for a day, please send a note to your child’s teacher informing him/her of the change.

Medication at School

If it is necessary for your child to have medication during school hours, a letter addressed to the Principal giving detailed instructions must be provided. All medication is to be kept and administered in the school office. Asthma puffers for chronic sufferers should be carried by the child and a management plan registered at the office.

Collection of Money

From time to time children are required to bring money to school as payment for excursions, purchases of books etc. Parents are requested to send money in the specially printed envelopes provided by the school, clearly marked with the child’s name, class and the purpose for the money and handed to the class teacher. These envelopes are provided to each family early in Term 1 and are available throughout the year from the school office.

Lost Property

Parents are requested to label all articles of clothing. Lunch boxes etc. Lost property is kept in the school for one term, it is then sent to charity. Lost property is located in a large red box outside the office adjacent to the staffroom.

Mufti Days

In order to raise funds for the charities supported by this school, “Mufti Days” are sometimes held. On “Mufti Days” the children are permitted to wear play clothes and are fined a gold coin for not wearing their uniform. No thongs, singlets or bare midriffs are allowed. A hat is still compulsory.

Bicycles

Children in the Primary classes who are 10 years or older are permitted to ride their bicycle to and from school. No bicycle may be ridden in the school grounds. Children who break this rule will not be allowed to continue riding. Children must wear a bicycle helmet. Before children are allowed to ride bikes to school they must obtain a school bike licence by bringing a permission note from parents to the office.

Reports

Written reports are prepared for all classes in December. Student led conferences will be available in June. These conferences are an opportunity for the child, teacher and parent to celebrate each child’s progress. A short social skills/Welfare Report is sent home early in term one. Parents should contact the school if any concerns are felt regarding school programs or their child’s development.

Dangerous Items

No child is permitted to bring an item in a glass container to school. Knives, pocket-knives, screwdrivers and tools are also prohibited.

Sun Hats

The high incidence of skin cancer in this country makes it essential that the children wear a suitable hat whilst in the playground. A wide-brimmed hat is part of our school uniform and may be purchased from the school uniform shop. All children are expected to wear a hat in the playground every day.

Dogs at School

Dogs at school are a nuisance and a threat to the safety of the children. Dogs frequenting the school grounds are impounded—transferred to the local dog pound. Parents can be fined up to $75 for letting their dogs enter the school grounds.

Safety Warning

It is suggested you don’t put your child’s name on the outside of his/her school bag. This is an open invitation to a stranger to engage in conversation using his/her name. Write your child’s name on the inside of the bag.

Stage Classes

Stage classes are made up of children from 2 different grades (e.g. Years 3 & 4—stage 2; Years 5 & 6—stage 3). At Avoca Beach Public School children are arranged in Stage Classes from Year 3 onwards. This allows children to more easily work towards achieving the expected outcomes for their stage of development. The outcomes for each subject area, are set out by the NSW Department of Education, these outcomes are expected to take approximately 2 years to achieve.

Wet Weather

Your children should be prepared for wet weather every day. Please ensure they have a raincoat in their bags. Umbrellas create a safety hazard and are not encouraged.

If it is raining at 3.25pm when the bell goes, all children are directed to wait under shelter until being picked up. On these days you should come into the school grounds to pick up your child. Bus children will be supervised to their bus.

Bus Travel

There are three school buses which transport the children to and from school. Parents should contact the bus company (Busways—phone 4368 2277) at the start of the school year to arrange this. All Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2 children are eligible for free bus travel irrespective of the distance travelled. Children travelling by bus need to apply for a bus pass, the forms for which are available at the school office.

Years 3-6 children are ineligible for free bus travel unless they reside more than 2.3km walking distance from school. For these children to obtain free travel on the grounds of safety or health etc., parents must first write to The Department of Transport, P.O. Box 871, Newcastle, 2300. When approval for a bus pass is granted from the Department, parents may obtain a bus pass application form from the school office.

Our bus drivers have requested that all children boarding the buses (morning and afternoon) have their passes ready or the bus fare available for collection—checks are being made by inspectors from Urban Transit authority.

Kindergarten children are asked not to catch the bus in term 1.

School Bus Routes

Mornings

Bus No. 69—8.40am	Ridgway Rd., Avoca Theatre, The Round Drive
Bus No. 55—8.50am	Oberton St. & Melville St., Kincumber, Hillside Rd.,Moores Rd., Cheswick St., Walder Cres., The Round Drive

Afternoons

Bus No. 84—3.33pm	The Round Dve., Cape Three Points Rd., Avoca Dve, The Round Dve., Karani Ave., Hillside Rd., Moores Rd., Cheswick St., Walder Cres., The Round Dve., Avoca Dve to Kincumber
Bus No. 66—3.35pm	The Round Dve, Cape Three Points Rd., Avoca Dve around Hunter Park, back along Avoca Dve., Cape Three Points Rd., to Copacabana, Chico St., Del Mar Dve, Del Rio Dve, Del Monte Pl., Pampas Ave., up Copacabana Dve., left Cullens Rd., right Empire Bay Dve., left Avoca Drive to Gosford.

Homework

Homework is designed to foster the development of the school—home partnership in the education of the child and also to meet the needs of each child’s learning potential. We aim to provide purposeful, creative learning experiences, which consolidate, extend and enrich the school’s program.

Homework refers to formal, written and research assignments as well as more informal activities such as oral reading, listening to parents read and discussing the day at school generally.

The class homework policy will be communicated to parents at the beginning of each year in a class newsletter. Generally, all pupils are expected to complete homework. However, if a parent communicates an objection to homework in principle, then that expectation will be waived. Their objection must be made annually in writing. Unless parents support the concept of homework then the school is unable to provide a homework program, which positively benefits pupils.

All completed activities will come under teacher observation without it becoming the focus of the day’s schoolwork. The parents of pupils who regularly fail to complete homework will be informed of the situation.

Reading with parent participation should be encouraged as an extra and enjoyable experience undertaken in the child’s own time.

K-2

Homework set at the correct level of difficulty and appropriate in quantity, helps the child establish a routine in which homework has a place. It serves to consolidate skills etc. done during lessons. Because of the vast difference in development levels of young children considerable variation will occur in homework expectations.

Homework in K-2 classes basically consists of oral reading (Home Reading Scheme).
In addition to this, Kindergarten may be asked to perform optional, informal activities (eg. collect pictures of objects beginning with a particular sound).
More formal activities will be introduced in Year 1 and Year 2
e.g.

(a) finding words that belong to a particular word family;
(b) writing sentences using specific words;
(c) simple research and projects also be given;

Homework is given no more than four nights a week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
Anticipated time would be:

Kindergarten - up to 10 minutes
Years 1 & 2 - up to 15 minutes.

Years 3-6

Homework each night (Monday to Thursday) should not exceed 30 minutes for Years 3 and 4 and 40 minutes for Years 5 and 6.

Role of Parents

Parents are not expected to complete homework for students. They can help by:

providing a dedicated place for homework;
ensuring that the home environment is conducive to study at homework time (e.g. turning off the television set, occupying toddlers in another room);
setting regular homework time and routine;
encouraging the child as they do their work;
showing interest in the child’s work when it has been completed and acknowledging their effort;
communicating with teachers about any concerns with homework or their child’s approach to homework.

Professional Development of Teachers

The continual professional development of the school’s executive, teaching and clerical staff is the major responsibility of the Principal.

At Avoca Beach there is no artificial line drawn between learning and teaching. To teach is to learn.
The single most important factor in education is the teacher and the quality of the interaction between the teacher and the learner.

Without a sympathetic and skilful teacher, most efforts at improving are doomed to failure.
At Avoca Beach teachers are supported in a number of ways—in-service training, workshops, individual consultant help and the opportunity to visit and discuss other programs. Weekly staff development programs of 1-hour duration are held at the school after hours in addition to grade level, team or committee meetings.

A whole team approach is vital for the successful functioning of a school, therefore, the first day of terms 1, 2 and 3 are days when staff are involved in professional development activities. On these days, school is closed to students.

Uniform

School uniform is compulsory at Avoca Beach Public School. On each day that your child is out of uniform, a separate note is required. Thongs, jewellery and make-up are not allowed at any time.

For more information on uniforms see the Uniform Shop.

Welfare

When parents enrol their children at Avoca Beach P.S. they enter into a partnership with the school staff. This partnership is based on shared responsibility in creating in children an understanding of appropriate public behaviour. It depends on mutual respect with each partner supporting the decisions and responsibilities exercised by the others.

These are our school rules:

Be Courteous	Listen to each other Speak politely to other children & teachers show good manners Show good manners
Be Considerate	Consider other’s feelings Respect other’s property Care for the school environment Be tolerant of individual differences Move carefully around the school
Be Cooperative	Be honest and truthful Be friendly—help each other Be involved in class & school activities Do your best in everything Take pride in our school and our uniform Always have correct classroom equipment

Shark Awards

Appropriate behaviour is rewarded by “Shark Spots”. Each child is given a card at the beginning of the year where their individual “Shark Spots” are recorded. Every teacher issues 5 “Shark Spots” each day to acknowledge and reward courteous, considerate and cooperative behaviour. As each child achieves 5 “Shark Spots” they are presented with a “Shark Award” at daily assemblies. Once 5 “Shark Awards” are achieved, children are then presented with a “Silver Shark Award”. This is a prestigious award which is presented to the child by their parents at a formal Friday Assembly. (Invitations are sent to parents) when their child has achieved this award.

Incident Reports

A child who repeatedly breaks school rules or is deliberately violent to another child or adult will be issued with an incident report from either an Assistant Principal or the Principal. This report is a written account of the misdemeanour and the withdrawal of privileges that the child has incurred as a consequence. (Usually time in the Planning Room at lunch where the child is counselled by an executive member of staff, and a plan is made to change the offending behaviour). A child may be put on a behaviour level and privileges such as excursions, sports representation etc. withdrawn. If the incident is of a serious nature, a child may be suspended from school for several days. The child is not permitted to return until his/her parents meet with the Principal and make a plan on how to change the offending behaviour.
Avoca Beach P.S.’s successful Welfare program is based on the principles of recognising effort and setting guidelines for their behaviour to assist students in developing self-control and acceptance of responsibility for their action.

Weekly Behaviour Cards

A weekly behaviour card is used in K-2 classes as a means of communicating with parents each week. This allows both teacher and parent to let each other know of any issues that are of concern, as well as giving ongoing feedback of each child’s social skills and behaviour.

Health

Immunisation

Good health is vital to school progress. Immunisation is a wonderful safeguard to health. Please contact your child’s doctor or the local council about having your child immunised against common diseases. All infant children enrolling at school need an immunisation certificate. Children without an immunisation certificate will be excluded from school during outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.

Infectious Diseases

It is probable at some time during your child’s schooling he/she will contact at least one of the common diseases of childhood.

Measles
Exclude for 7 days from the appearance of rash. Contacts not excluded.

German Measles
Exclude for 7 days from the appearance of rash. Contacts not excluded.

Chicken Pox
Exclude for 7 days after first spots appear. Contacts not excluded.

Mumps
Exclude for 7 days from the onset of swelling. Contacts not excluded.

Acute Conjunctivitis
Exclude until discharge from eyes has ceased. Contacts not excluded.

Impetigo (school sores)
Exclude if an exposed surface such as scalp, face, hands or legs. Allow to attend if a clean bandage covers sores. Contacts not excluded.

Pediculosis (head lice)
Exclude until hair has been treated. Contacts not excluded.

Community Participation

Parents’ and Citizens’ Association, fund raising and canteen meetings are held monthly. Reminder notices are included in the weekly newsletter and the school calendar.

Parents and Citizens

Meetings are held at 7.30pm in the staffroom on the 2nd Monday of each month, with some changes made due to holiday times. These are always communicated through the Monday Newsletter.

Parent Involvement

We acknowledge the dual role that parents and teachers take in educating children, and we welcome the involvement of parents in our school program. Teachers may invite parents to the school to assist in the classroom on an individual class basis. Parents are especially required to assist with reading. If your child’s teacher doesn’t need you to help with reading, your services would be appreciated in other classroom or with individual students, so please enquire at the office.