Quick reference.
Assemblies
Parents are warmly invited to attend our weekly assemblies on Monday afternoon at 2:15pm in the school hall. Each class takes a turn in running the assembly and presenting an item and students’ efforts and achievements are acknowledged across a broad range of curricula and extra curricula areas.
Attendance
The Dept of Education requires staff to record all absences, whole day or partial. After any absence an email, a phone call or a note must be sent within a week to school and be signed and dated by parents. Notes must state the date of the absence and the reason for the absence. A Home School Liaison Officer (HSLO) examines school records regularly and follows up unexplained absences. Absences are recorded on pupil reports. The school should be contacted if your child is going to be away for two days or more. For absences of more than fifteen school days, where you are taking your child out of school for reasons such as a family emergency, visiting family overseas or having a family holiday, approval needs to be granted by the school Principal. At least two weeks prior to your departure, you will need to complete an 'Exemption from Attendance' form which is available from the school office.
It is important that children arrive at school in time to commence the day’s activities. This enables them to be well prepared for the day and doesn’t disrupt the learning of others. All parents/caregivers must ensure that their children arrive at school on time. A 'get ready' song is played at 8:55am and all children should be lined up in their class lines by 9:00am. Important information is provided to students each morning at lines.
Parents bringing children to school after the commencement of the teaching program are asked to go via the office and fill in a late pass, which is then handed to the classroom teacher. This will ensure that your child is not marked absent.
If an occasion occurs when you need to take your child early, it is required that you sign the 'Early Departure Book' at the office before collecting your child.
Please note: If a person other than a parent is calling for the child, the school must be notified in writing prior to collection. (If an emergency arises, a telephone call from the parent to the school prior to collection of the child will be acceptable).
Bell times
School start time: 9am
School finish time: 3pm
Office hours: 8:30am - 3:30pm
School starts at 9am and finishes at 3pm for all children, including Kindergarten.
Other school times
Lunch: 11:10am - 12pm
Afternoon Recess: 1:35pm - 2pm
Children should not be left in the playground prior to 8:30am or after 3pm. If at any time you are delayed in picking your child up, please phone the school office so that arrangements for their safety can be made.
Preschool children must be dropped off in the Preschool room no earlier than 9am and picked up no later than 3pm by an authorised adult. Students in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 must be picked up at 3pm from their child's teacher by an authorised person or collected by After School Hours (OSHClub) staff. Students in Years 3-6 are dismissed by their class teacher to go directly home or to OSHClub.
Any students in Kindergarten, Year 1 or Year 2 who have not been collected in reasonable time will be taken to the office by their teacher and supervised by office staff, the Principal or Deputy Principal until collection.
Before and after school care
OSHClub works in partnership with Rozelle Public School to provide Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services to the school commuity. OSHClub provide a range of activities including arts and crafts, games, sports, drama, board games, dress ups, cooking activities and fun social time with friends. On request from parents children can also participate in Homework Club. The service provides breakfast at Before School Care and afternoon tea at After School Care. Vacation Care is also available.
The OSHClub service is located on site at Rozelle Public School. An oline OSHClub enrolment form must be completed via oshclub.com.au. Once enrolled with OSHClub you will be required to log into your account and book the sessions you require.
For more information visit oshclub.com.au or email rozelle@oshclub.com.au
Camp
Each year students from Stage 2 (Years 4 only) and Stage 3 (Years 5 and 6) attend separate overnight excursions, referred to as a camp. The camps are very enjoyable and assist in building relationships, developing problem solving skills and support students’ learning in a range of Key Learning Areas.
Canteen
The School Canteen operates as an order-only service five days per week. All orders are made on-line through the Spriggy Schools app and delivered to the school in time for students to enjoy at lunchtime and recess. Orders need to be placed by 7:30am on the day or can be placed weekly in advance. Families will need to download the Spriggy Schools app and create a profile for their child. If you need assistance visit spriggyschools.com.au.
Communication between staff and parents/carers
Effective communication between staff, parents, and students is vital to student wellbeing and success at school. Teachers of younger students usually send out a weekly email to all parents informing them of important activities involving the class. Teachers of older students may do this less frequently as it is important that we help students develop some responsibility for remembering class and school activities. These class emails complement the school website, Newsletter and Audiri App. If teachers know that parents are not contactable via email they will ensure that paper copies of all information are provided. In addition, each class has one or two parent representatives who assist the teacher to keep parents/carers informed.
To download the free Audiri app, go to the App Store on your apple or android phone and search for “Audiri”. Install the app, create an account and search for Rozelle Public School.
If you wish to discuss an issue with your child’s teacher, it is best to make an appointment so that they can give you the necessary time. Please do not speak to them for any great length of time when they are in charge of their class or at lines.
You can phone the office and leave a message asking the teacher to contact you. You may email your child’s teacher directly, if they provide you with their email address. Please be considerate of the number of emails you send and the fact that teachers are teaching during school hours and will not be able to respond immediately.
Early in Term 1, a Parent Information Evening is held so that parents/carers have the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher and hear about the class program and organisation for the year. At the end of Term 1 parents are given the opportunity to engage in an interview with their child's teacher. At the end of Term 2 your child will receive a detailed, written mid-year report. This report will indicate outcomes achieved and areas for improvement. Another written report will be sent home with your child towards the end of Term 4. Parents are able to make an appointment to meet with their child’s teacher at any time during the year to discuss their child’s academic progress and achievement and social and emotional wellbeing.
Excursions and incursions
Excursions are activities occurring outside the school which are part of the planned learning program for students. Staff take great care with the organisation of excursions to ensure student safety and maximize enjoyment and learning. Incursions are those activities that occur at school involving visiting performers or experts. All excursions, and most incursions, require parents/carers to sign a permission note agreeing to their child’s attendance and providing details of any particular medical needs of their child. Payment is also required at this time. It is important that every child participates in these activities so parents/carers are urged to contact the Principal if they require assistance with payment.
First aid
If your child is ill, please keep them at home. Students who fall ill at school are sent to the office and then to Sick Bay. If necessary a parent is contacted and arrangements are made for the child to go home. If a child has been in Sick Bay or has been injured but is later able to return to class, a note is sent home with the child outlining what happened. Staff are permitted to wash an abrasion, apply a cold pack and a band aid if necessary. In the case of a serious accident the school will call an ambulance, contact the parent and write an accident report.
Food at school
Students are encouraged to bring nourishing foods to school each day. There are two times across the day where students have the opportunity to eat - lunch and recess. A sturdy lunchbox and water bottle, with your child's name clearly labelled, are essential. Our student centred Green Team regularly promote Nude Food lunches. On these days, students are encouraged to bring lunch and recess that are not wrapped in foil, plastic or commercial packaging.
In addition to recess and lunch, the two-hour morning session can be long, and classes have a 'Crunch n Sip' break. During this short lesson break, students may choose to crunch on a piece of fruit brought from home or sip some water.
Lost property
Please write your child's name on every item of school uniform and their drink bottle and lunch box. For any lost items, the lost property trolley is wheeled out into the Darling Street playground before and after school. After a period of time any clothing without names is washed and added to the second-hand clothing pool.
Medication
Only the school First Aid Officer is permitted to attend to medication, and it must be self-administered by the child under their supervision, following Public Service and Teachers’ Federation Guidelines.
Parents/carers should:
- Put medication into single doses if possible
- Write child’s name and directions clearly
- Hand medication in at the office
- Fill out the appropriate request form at the office
- Remind children to report to the office at recess/lunch for their medication.
Mobile phones
Most students will not require a mobile phone at school. Older students may have one if they walk to and from school on their own. If they do have a mobile phone at school it must be turned off when they are in the school grounds. If parents/carers need to contact their child during school hours they should do so through the school office. If students wish to contact their parents/carers for any reason during the day they should speak to their teacher or to the office. Mobile phones should remain, switched off and in a school bag.
Newsletters
A school newsletter is sent out each fortnight on a Friday. We report on important school events, notify the school community of upcoming activities and celebrate achievements. If possible we ask that parents receive the newsletter by email as one of our environmental sustainability strategies. Parents are asked to keep the school office informed of any changes to their email address. The newsletter is also uploaded to the school website and school app, and there are always copies available in the office.
Nut and other allergies
A number of students at Rozelle have been diagnosed as being at risk of a severe, and possibly life-threatening, allergic reaction to such things as nuts. While it is impossible to have a totally nut-free environment, we do ask that parents take this into consideration when planning their child’s food for school and consult with their child’s teacher when providing any food for special occasions. If possible, please do not send the following to school: any nuts or sesame seeds, peanut butter or Nutella sandwiches, chocolates containing nuts, muesli bars.
We will send a letter home specifically to those classes who have a student who is directly affected. We appreciate parents’/carers’ cooperation in ensuring that we provide a safe, caring environment for all of our students and support those families who are managing this difficult situation.
The school counsellor
The School Counsellor is available two days per week to support students with learning difficulties, disabilities, emotional trauma or psychological issues and work closely with their families and teachers. A parent may contact the School Counsellor through the school office or through their child’s teacher or a student may be referred to the Counsellor by the teacher or Learning Support team with parental permission.
School development days
Our school has five School Development Days per year. On these days, staff and parents are in-serviced in seminar/workshop situations on new policy and curricula. It is Department of Education policy that our school runs these days each year. OSHClub opens all day on School Development Days. The days are usually held on the first two days of Term 1, the first day of Terms 2 and 3 and the last day of Term 4.
Sun safety
The school community takes very seriously the issue of sun safety, and a school hat is part of the school uniform. The school hat is a broad brimmed cricket hat. Students in Years 5 and 6 have the option of wearing a school baseball cap. All teachers remind students to wear their hat when participating in any outside activity. During lunchtime and recess any child not wearing a hat will be asked to play under the covered area next to the assembly hall. In addition, our school play times have been designed to assist with sun safety. The slightly longer lunch break is held in the cooler part of the day from 11:10am to 12:00pm noon.
Toys at school
From time to time students may wish to bring a small and inexpensive toy to school. They need to be reminded that it should stay in their bag until they go out to play.
Uniform
The school’s policy is that all children wear their uniform every day including the school hat. The wearing of uniform encourages a sense of belonging, inclusivity and pride in our school and reduces costs for parents. It also enhances safety when on excursions outside the school as students can be quickly and easily identified by staff. Please make sure that all items of clothing are labelled with your child's name so that if items are lost, they can be returned promptly.
Uniforms can be purchased via Made For School Uniforms with deliveries direct to your home. https://www.madeforschool.com.au/store/rozelle-public-school
During the year, our P&C will operate second-hand uniform sales. On request, the office staff maybe able to provide students with second hand items - subject to availability. If you require assistance with paying for a uniform, please contact the Principal.
Valuables
All monies sent to school should be placed in a sealed envelope which is clearly marked with the child’s name, class, event and amount enclosed. Usually monies should be given to the classroom teacher. Larger amounts of money should be taken directly to the school office by you or your child on arrival at school. Students should not bring large amounts of money or items of any value to school as they can get lost.