Handbook

Dear Parents and Carers,

We welcome you and your child to St Nicholas of Myra Primary School.

At St Nicholas, we believe that the Gospel values are essential for our school to be an effective place of quality learning for each individual and therefore, we rely on you to support us in strengthening our Catholic beliefs through both words and actions. Our five core values are Respect, Responsibility, Cooperation, Compassion and Justice. Our school motto is ‘Truth Through Learning’.

Your input into your child's school life is invaluable. Together, we will be able to assist your child to grow spiritually, academically, emotionally, and socially. Our joint priorities are to ensure your child is able to grow in a secure, yet challenging environment.

This booklet will provide you with some information about the educational program and general procedures of our school. The information contained is relevant to 2018.

We look forward to working with you this year. Any further questions you may have about the school will be readily answered by staff members.

Yours Sincerely,

Anita Knezevic 
School Principal

School term dates and holidays are generally the same as government schools.

The school office is open from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm for general enquiries, phone messages, etc. Payment of fees can be accepted within those times, but receipts will not be issued until the following day.

Supervision of the playground begins at 8:30 am each school day. No games are to be played before the supervising teacher arrives. Arrangements should be made for your child to arrive at or after this time. If they walk it is best to have them leave home to arrive between 8:30 am and 8:50 am. Before school care arrangements should be made for children arriving before 8:30 am, for their safety.

If your child arrives late to school, a parent must go to the office with the child to sign the late arrival book. Please hand any notes to the office staff at this time.

If you need to withdraw your child early from school, please send a note to the class teacher. You are asked to go to the office first so that the early departure book can be signed.

Students waiting for school buses after school are supervised on the playground by staff members. All other children must leave the school grounds with a parent/guardian after classes are dismissed, as teachers are not rostered to supervise the yard at this time. To assist with the safe, orderly movement of children we ask for your cooperation. Children who are to be picked up by parents, must wait at the gate in Higgins Street with the teacher on duty.

Children are not permitted to go out to waiting cars or the council car park on their own.

No child should be picked up from the Lethbridge Street or High Street sites as these areas are busy with buses coming at reasonably close intervals

If for some reason you are unable to pick up your child on a certain day and you are having your child collected by another person, it is essential for parents or carers to contact the office to let us know who the person is, or send in a note notifying the teacher.

At St Nicholas, we are lucky to have the end of Higgins Street as a safe area to drop off and pick up children from ‘Kiss and Drive’. 

• Children are to be picked up from the ‘Kiss and Drive’ by car where the teacher on duty supervises them.

• Cars are not to enter the ‘Kiss and Drive’ area before 3:10 pm, as police can book you for parking in a ‘No Standing’ zone.

• Parents are asked not to turn off or leave their car in the pick-up area to collect the children. Parking needs to be found elsewhere.

• Children are not to wait for their parents outside the school gate and therefore are not to be asked to walk down Higgins Street to meet you halfway up the street.

• If a parent has parked their car, they are asked to walk over to ‘Kiss and Drive’ and collect their children. Children are not to be called over to the council car park by parents. 

• Higgins Street is not a double parking zone, and parking police do patrol the area.

• Be calm and patient as you wait your turn to reach the gate, and remember the safety of the children.

• There are a number of private car parks belonging to local businesses in the vicinity of the school. It is requested that they are not used for parking in order to pick up children from school. This causes great inconvenience to these businesses.

Other safety points to remember:

• Bus zones are not pick-up zones.

• Lethbridge Street is not a pick-up area, it is a bus stop and a teacher on duty supervises children waiting for the bus.

• Children are not to be picked up in Castlereagh Street, as there is no supervision.

• The private car park in O’Farrell’s Lane is not for our use.

These guidelines are in place to ensure the children’s safety.

If grandparents or friends are collecting your child, please inform them of these procedures to ensure student safety.

This is offered on site in the school hall.

When your child is absent, on his/her return to school please send a note, complete Skoolbag App or email explaining the reason, so that the official State Attendance Rolls can be marked accurately. It is a requirement of roll marking that all absences, both whole day and part day, are explained by a parent/carer. These notes should be received by the school within seven days or the absence is recorded as unjustified. The date of the absence and the reason for the absence should be clearly shown. Absences are also recorded on school reports at the end of each year.

Please ensure that calls and messages to children are only of an emergency nature. These must be received by the office staff in adequate time to relay the message to the classroom before the bell rings at 3:10 pm.

No matter is too trivial if it affects the health or educational wellbeing of your child. Please contact the school office to make an appointment with the class teacher. We ask that you do not discuss issues with class teachers when they have duty of care with the children, e.g. at morning assembly, or on the way to class. We recommend that the first port of call is the class teacher who deals directly with your child.

From time-to-time details change when people move from work or home. It is really important to advise the school of any change of contact phone numbers or addresses so the school is always able to contact you in an emergency. Any alteration to information supplied on the enrolment form, including medication, should be given to the school office as soon as possible after the change.

Newsletters are sent out every second week on Thursday with the eldest child in the family. Be sure to read them so as to be informed of what is happening. Extra copies of these and other notes are kept in the reception area of the office and are archived on the school website.

Whenever possible, notes will go home on Thursdays. Please check the ‘Mailbox’ section of the newsletter to make sure you have received your appropriate notes.

Staff Development Days usually take place on four days spread throughout the year. These are pupil free days, and are set aside for the professional development of teachers. It is important for parents to organise care for the children on these days. You will be notified of Staff Development Days through the school newsletter and on the school website.

These are held at 2:30 pm on Fridays, three times a term, in the School Hall. Dates of assemblies are posted in the school newsletter and parent calendar.

All parents and carers are very welcome to attend.

The school banking day for students is every Tuesday. The children can open a Youthsaver account with the Commonwealth Bank. Application forms are available at the school office.

From time-to-time, photographs of the children will be included in the newsletter or on the website. If you do not wish for your child’s photograph to be used, please notify the school office.

See our Privacy Statement

The children take part in one day excursions associated with a topic being studied. In recent years the senior classes have participated in extended excursions which require overnight accommodation.

Excursions are a very important part of the children's education and are a compulsory part of the curriculum. They are not a social outing and they usually culminate in a unit of work. If not attending the excursion, children are still expected to attend school.

The children also take part in incursions. These take place at school and also incur a cost.

Please ensure that you have money for excursions, etc. and the permission slip enclosed in an envelope clearly marked with your child’s name, class, amount enclosed and what the money is for. These will be collected by the class teacher and sent to the office in a ‘message bag’. 

All Infant children are entitled to free bus travel. Primary children who live 1.6 km or more from the school centre are also eligible for free travel.

Application forms for a bus pass are available from the school office.

If a pass is lost a new one can only be obtained by applying directly to the bus company. This carries a covering charge of $10.00 (subject to change). Forms for pass replacements are obtainable from the bus driver.

Children are expected to behave themselves at all times while travelling on public transport. Parents are asked to reinforce this expectation. The bus company has the right to withdraw travel privileges due to poor behaviour.

When teachers are absent due to in-service, illness or family matters, qualified relief staff are employed to teach children. The relief teacher will normally follow the program of the class teacher. These teachers have undergone child protection screening before being employed.

Our family counsellor is at school every Monday and Thursday to support families and children experiencing family difficulties. Please contact the Principal via the school email if you feel support is required.

Now and then, the school holds mufti days for the children, usually as a way of fundraising. On these days, the children wear sensible clothes (no strapless tops), hats and shoes appropriate for playing on the playground. (No thongs or high heels.)

We believe that parents who enrol their child at St Nicholas, do so because they want their child to be educated in the Catholic faith and will be supportive of our policies.

We encourage parents to be supportive of the teachers and to become involved in school activities. This can be demonstrated in a positive way by contributing time and physical help to the school in some of the following activities:

• participating in the Parent group
• fundraising
• assisting at social events
• assisting in specific learning programs, e.g. reading helpers
• assisting at excursions
• assisting at sport carnivals
• assisting in the school canteen 
• attending parent education workshops
• attending student led conferences
• attending whole school assemblies 
• attending whole school events, e.g. Book parade, Easter hat Parade 
• attending Masses and Liturgies

Parent Group
All parents who wish to be involved must first complete the Building Child Safe Communities Course and declaration first.

The Parent Group is the representative group of all families in the school. All parents are welcome to be part of the group and are invited to attend meetings once per term.

These meetings are an opportunity for parents to discuss fundraising initiatives, listen to input from the school leadership team and help make decisions about our school community.

The Parent Group committee includes a chairperson and a class parent representative from each stage.

Working with Children
Building Child Safe Communities – Undertakings for contractors and volunteers - New procedures for all schools, COSHCs and CELCs.

CEDP recognises that volunteers and contractors provide enhanced opportunities for students.

As such, all volunteers and contractors are required to complete an online undertaking form confirming their agreement to behave in a manner that is appropriate for a Catholic school, COSHC or CELC setting. This form also seeks to determine the suitability of volunteers and contractors by requiring confirmation that they do not have a criminal history involving children. These forms are available on the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta website.

• All contractors and volunteers need to complete a 
  Building Child Safe Communities - Undertaking for Volunteers

Grade liturgies, liturgies of the Word, prayer celebrations and Reconciliation are held throughout the year. Dates of such events are included in the school newsletter and on our school website. Parents and families are very welcome to join us on these occasions.

The school also participates in, and supports, the parish-based sacramental program.

Uniforms are available from:

Lowes Penrith
Shop 106, Westfields Penrith
4721 4340

A price list is available from the school office.

Sports uniform is to be worn on the following days:

• Kindergarten, Years 1 and 2: Tuesdays and Thursdays     
• Years 3 and 4: Tuesdays and Wednesdays     
• Years 5 and 6: Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Wearing a school hat during recess and lunch is compulsory - "No School Hat, No Play"

Our school hat must be worn each day - no other hats or caps will be allowed, even on a temporary basis.

Please ensure your child applies sunscreen before school each day.

School Bags
A St Nicholas of Myra School Bag is compulsory for all years. No other bags are acceptable.

Accessories

Children are expected to be in full uniform at all times. Nail polish is not allowed at school.

Hair is to be clean and neatly cut off the collar, of natural colour, of even grade and extremes of fashion avoided. The following hairstyles are not permitted:

• Shaved, stepped, ringed, undercut, steps, lines
• Short cuts less than a number 2
• Streaks, colour, dyes or excessive gel or hair spray
• Longhair that covers the collar, the ears, or the eyes when brushed forward
• This list is not exhaustive. If there is any doubt, the Principal’s judgment is final

Jewellery
The only jewellery allowed are watches, plain studs or sleepers.

The clothing pool is open during the following hours.

Please keep money for clothing pool, hats and fundraising separate from other payments.

Under the Public Health Act and Department of Education Regulations, some common infectious diseases require children to be kept from school to prevent the spread of infection. The following periods of exclusion must be observed.

If your child has a serious accident we inform you by telephoning your home, work or emergency contact number. If time does not permit or you are not contactable, the Principal assumes responsibility and seeks medical or hospital treatment immediately.  It is important to keep your contact phone numbers and the emergency contact details updated for this reason.

It is asked that children receive their medication before school, after school and before bed. This enables the parent to ensure correct dosage at regular times occurs.

The only medication allowed in the classroom, bag or with the student are asthma puffers.

No medication will be administered at school.