A - Z of Useful Information for Parents

 

 

                              

 

 

Ambulance Cover

It is strongly recommended that families take out Ambulance Cover. If a child requires urgent medical care, an ambulance will be called, irrespective of whether they are insured or not. The Department of Education and Training advises the following:

• parents/guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs; and
• parents/guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers.

Anaphylaxis

The school has a significant number of students with anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Parents are required by law to inform schools of their children’s allergies and all schools are required to implement strategies to prevent these students’ exposure to allergens.

Allergens can include eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (e.g. cashews), cow's milk, fish and shellfish, wheat and other grasses, soy, certain insect stings, animal hair and medications. Shared food and food brought from home can unwittingly pose a risk. It is critical that the school community understands that contact with or ingesting these allergens could be life-threatening for some of our students.

 

For these reasons, parents should not provide birthday food treats for their children to share. it is recommended to use non-food treats or none at all. 

 

We try to reduce the risks by asking for your support in a number of ways. Firstly, we ask that you do not provide your child with peanut butter or Nutella sandwiches or snacks with nut products in them.

Parents of students with anaphylaxis are asked to provide their students with their own special treats to have when celebrating a special occasion. All students are asked not to share food and to only eat food that their family has prepared for them.

 

Our school is ‘allergy aware’ and, by reducing the risks and developing the strategies suggested by Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia as outlined in our school Anaphylaxis Management Policy, we aim to educate all students about caring for themselves and others. 

                                                                                                                                                  

Art Smocks and Library Bags

All children require an Art Smock for painting and other art based activities. They will also need a library bag for library borrowing.

 

Assembly

Assembly is held in the school hall, usually at 2:45 pm on Fridays. It is an opportunity to hear about school events and celebrate the achievements of the children. Parents are most welcome to attend Assembly, although we do ask that visitors stand at the rear of the hall to minimise congestion.

 

Assembly begins with an an acknowledgment of country, the school oath and ''Advance Australia Fair'' [see below]. This is followed by important news items, presentations by individuals, classes or the choir, celebrations of achievement by students receiving class awards and sharing of sporting results and house points.  Our student leaders play an active role in its delivery.  

 

Advance Australia Fair

 

Australians all let us rejoice,                                    Beneath our radiant Southern Cross

For we are one and free,                                      We'll toil with hearts and hands

We've golden soil and wealth for toil;                        To make this Commonwealth of ours

Our home is girt by sea;                                          Renowned of all the lands;

Our land abounds in nature's gifts                            For those who've come across the seas

Of beauty rich and rare;                                          We've boundless plains to share,

In history's page, let every stage                             With courage let us all combine

Advance Australia Fair.                                             To Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,                               In joyful strains then let us sing,

Advance Australia Fair.                                              Advance Australia Fair.

 

 

Attendance and Absences

Laburnum Primary School believes all students should attend school all day, every day when the school is open for instruction and is committed to working with its school community to encourage and support full school attendance.

Our Attendance Policy outlines the school's legal responsibility to promote and check attendance. All DET schools follow set policies and guidelines to maximise student attendance and follow up unexplained absences. 

 

School hours are from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. It is important that your child arrives at school on time. However, we understand that on occasion being late is unavoidable. If your child arrives after 9:00 am, an adult needs to sign your child in at the school office and collect a slip to give to the class teacher.

Children are not permitted to leave the school before 3:30 pm, unless collected by a parent or adult authorised by the parent/guardian.

 

An early dismissal form must be completed at the office and given to the child’s class teacher.

 

If a child is absent from school, parents are required to provide a written explanation by completing a box on Sentral. Hard copy notes can also be sent to teachers if necessary. If your child is absent on any day, please enter their absence online via Sentral. We send SMS messages to parents after roll-marking if children are not accounted for. To avoid unnecessary inconvenience to parents and costs to the school, please register absences by 9:00 am.

 

Reasons for absences can be done online through Sentral and this is the school’s preferred method for absence notification. This is the most convenient option for parents. Alternatively, parents can send a signed note explaining the absence when their child returns to school. Please do not phone the office when your child is absent, as we do not have the resources to manage this in a school as large as Laburnum.

 

Reasons for Absences:

Principals can consider the excuse given for an absence and use their discretion to decide if the parent has a reasonable excuse for not meeting their legal obligations ('excused absence') or does not have a reasonable excuse ('unexcused absence'). For example, the principal may excuse an absence for a family holiday where the parent notifies the school in advance.

In the event that a child needs to attend regular appointments during school time, parents should email the Principal to seek approval. As per DET policy, the process for making a decision about student absences involves a principal:

• considering a request from a parent to approve an absence
• exercising their discretion as to whether or not to excuse or not excuse the absence
• notifying the parent if the absences have not been excused. 

 

Before School

Students can enter the school grounds from 8:45 a.m. and can enter the corridors or classrooms after the 8:50 a.m. bell. Interviews with teachers should be by appointment, as teachers are usually preparing for their class before school.

 

Bell Times                       

8.50am	Students can access classrooms and get ready for the day
9.00am	School Commences
9.00-10.00am	Session 1
10.00-11.00am	Session 2
11.00-11.45am	Lunchtime Break
11.45-12.00pm	Lunch (Eating time in classrooms, supervised by teachers)
12.00pm-1.00pm	Session 3
1.00-2.00pm	Session 4
2.00pm-2.30pm	Afternoon Recess
2.30-3.30pm	Session 5
3.30pm	School Dismissal
3.45pm	OSHClub bell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dismissal for the last day of terms 1, 2 and 3 will be 2.30 pm.

Dismissal for the last day of term 4 will be 1.30 pm.

 

Buddies

Our Buddies program includes all students across the school. Our older students will learn about the responsibilities needed to be an effective buddy, whilst the younger students will develop relationships with older students in the school.

As students move through the school, they will keep the same buddy for three years, providing a great opportunity to build strong and connected relationships across year levels. The following year groups are partnered together:

• Prep and Year 4
• Year 1 and Year 5
• Year 2 and Year 6

Year 3 students will work in House groups with their teachers and Specialist teachers to develop a range of skills to support them to become great buddies once they are in Year 4. They will be ‘Buddies in Training’!

 

Bullying

Our school policy promotes positive interaction between students in and out of the classroom.  Bullying is not tolerated. Teachers supervise students in the playground during lunch and recess and proactive learning in the classroom encourages students to be aware of how they are treating others.

Remember that the occasional conflict or harsh word is not defined as “bullying” but rather, inappropriate behaviour that needs to be addressed. See our Bullying Prevention Policy and Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy (on our website) for further details.

 

Calendar

All school events are listed on our online Event Calendar, found under the 'News' tab on our website. It can also be accessed through our fortnightly LPS eNews.

 

Child Safe

All schools are legally required to have policies and practices in place to promote child safety. Laburnum P.S. is a child safe school and all staff, visitors and volunteers are expected to play an important role in ensuring a child safe environment. The school’s child safety practices, including the child safety Code of Conduct, can be found on the school website under Our School/Planning and Policies, or by contacting our office.

 

All visitors, including parents who are here after 9:15 am or before 3:15 pm (except for assembly) are required to sign in at the office.

 

Volunteers are required to have a currrent Working with Children Check (see details on page 24) and provide this to the office.

 

Class Placement

Each year the teachers will place children in classes for the following year, taking into consideration the needs of the children and a balance in each class. During November, each child will be asked to list some children that they would like to be with the following year. Teachers will then place each child with at least one of these children. An important part of this class allocation process is ensuring your child has some different students in their class each year and learns to develop new friendships.

 

Class Parent Scheme

Each class has a volunteer Parent Representative whose responsibilities range from organising social activities for the parents and children of a class, to organising parent help. This is usually at the request of the class teacher.

 

Clothing and Belongings

Please clearly mark ALL clothing and any other items brought to school. Please write your child’s full name (e.g. John Smith or J. Smith) as our Lost Property area is full of unnamed items.  It is also a good idea from time to time to check that the name has not been washed away. Lost Property is located in the office foyer.

 

Collecting Children
Prep children will be dismissed from the area outside the hall, near the canteen. If making arrangements with others to collect your child, please make sure these are clear and inform the classroom teacher. It is expected that all children will be collected by the 3:45 pm bell. After this time there will not be supervision by a Yard Duty teacher. 

 

Any students remaining in the play ground after 3:45 pm will be taken to Out of School Hours Care, for which there will be a charge. If you are unavoidably held up, please contact the school office so that arrangements can be made.

Communication
Effective communication is an important part of the school community. The school newsletter, LPS eNews, is published fortnightly. It is emailed to families and is available on the school website under the 'News' tab. We urge all parents to read LPS eNews, as it is the main communication platform for essential information you may need to know about learning and school events.  The newsletter can be translated online into many languages, and is mobile-phone friendly.

 

Parents can email teachers via Sentral mailboxes to request meetings, phone calls or for non-urgent matters. As there is usually a 24-48 hour response time for teacher emails, please phone or email the school office for urgent matters. 

Dogs in the School
With around 800 students and staff in our school, our priority is to keep the school safe. We ask all families to leave their dogs either at home or secured at a safe distance from the school entrances and students who may be walking past. Thank you for your understanding.

Emergency and Contact Information
Emergency information is contained on the enrolment forms at the school office. You can check the accuracy of this information on your Sentral Parent App. Please notify the school office if you change your address, phone number, work address and work phone number, emergency contact person, doctor or if there are any other details that we may need to include in our records. It is also important that the school has copies of any Court Order Information.

Emergency Evacuation
Early in the year teachers discuss and practise the procedure for evacuating the school in an emergency. We practise these each term.

 

Extracurricular Activities
We offer a range of extracurricular activities before during lunchtime, recess and after school. They are mostly organised by our teachers, as well as some external providers who charge a fee to run these classes. A full list is available on our website and we advertise each term’s activities in our newsletter. Participation is purely by choice.

Excursions
From time to time, the students will go on excursions so that they have direct experiences related to their classroom studies. These excursions are an integral part of your child’s education and as such we would hope that all children attend excursions. Your written permission, either in hard copy or on Sentral, is required for any excursion, as is payment.

 

Therefore, permission slips MUST be completed and received by the school before a student will be allowed to attend. A copy of the LPS Confidential Medical Information Form for Excursions, which should be updated for any excursion, can be found on our Forms page.

 

We try to limit excursions/incursions or swimming to one event per term, to ensure all families can afford these experiences. If you wish to help on excursions or with the school swimming program, you MUST have a current Working with Children Check (see further information under Working with Children Check).

 

House System 
Our houses are named in honour of famous Australian artists: Conder, McCubbin, Roberts and Streeton. Each of the four houses has a ‘house colour’:

• Conder [blue]
• McCubbin [yellow/gold]
• Roberts [red]
• Streeton [green]

Injured or Unwell Children
School is no place for a child who is unwell. Please keep your child at home if they have any symptoms of illness including COVID-19 symptoms:

• fever
• chills or sweats
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• runny nose
• loss or change in sense of smell or taste

Children who become unwell during school time will be sent home. Parents are asked to call at the office before taking their child. If your child attends the sick bay for any treatment they will receive a treatment form to be taken home. Parents will be contacted in the event of any head injury.

 

The school has a supply of clothing kept in the sick bay to change children if they become wet or soiled. Parents are asked to wash and return these clothes for further use. For Prep children it is often a good idea to keep a spare pair of underwear in the bottom of their schoolbag.

 

Instrumental Music
We have approximately 150 students in Years 1 - 6 who are involved in our optional instrumental music program, learning a range of instruments. To register for instrumental lessons, with a lesson fee payable to the Music tutor, please click on our Forms page here. 

 

These students can participate in our Laburnum Orchestra. As the orchestra is led by an external provider there will be a cost involved. If you would like to register your child for Orchestra, please register through our Forms page here and you will receive a confirmation message that includes payment information.

 

Infectious Diseases
To help prevent and control the transmission of infectious diseases in schools, a child must be excluded from school if he or she has any of the following:

• Gastro/Diarrhoea - until there has not been a loose bowel motion or any symptoms for 48 hours
• Chicken Pox - until fully recovered and blisters have dried
• Measles - at least 7 days
• German Measles - until fully recovered and at least 4 days from the onset of rash
• Whooping Cough - four weeks
• Hand, foot and mouth - until all blisters have dried
• Hepatitis - medical certificate needed
• Impetigo - until treatment has commenced and sores are healed
• Ringworm - until treatment has commenced. Medical certificate may be required.
• Mumps - until fully recovered
• Scabies - medical certificate needed

Importantly, children who have been vomiting should not attend school until 48 hours after the vomiting ceases.

 

While these are some common diseases, please refer to the Better Health School Excursion Table* for a comprehensive list and updated information. Please contact the office if your child contracts any of these. 
*See https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/school-exclusion/school-exclusion-table

 

Late Arrival
See Attendance

Leaving Early
See Attendance

Lost Property
Lost property is often returned in the foyer. Please collect any lost clothing from there. All items must be named. It is recommended that all jewelry and expensive toys remain at home as we are unable to follow up the loss of personal items.

Lunch Arrangements
Lunches are eaten in the classroom under the supervision of the class teacher. We strongly encourage families to support our Nude Food program by using as little disposable packaging as possible. Parents are asked to send water in plastic or eco-friendly bottles (no glass bottles or cans). We encourage your child to eat a healthy lunch and bring healthy snacks that can be eaten as needed. If your child needs a spoon or fork to eat their lunch, please provide one.

 

Medical
The Primary School Nursing Program conducts a health assessment for Prep children, as well as assessment and follow up of children referred to the school nurse in other years.

Medication
Medication cannot be given to children unless a parent or guardian has provided a note. The tablets or mixture must be clearly labelled in the original bottle with the child’s name, the dosage and the time this medication is to be given.

 

Although it is important that your child attends school regularly, if he or she is ill, home is the best place. When your child has been away from school you will need to provide a written explanation on Sentral to explain the reason for the absence. The Department of Education and Training requires these notes be retained for attendance records.

 

Parents may need to provide additional information for children who have recurring illnesses or conditions. Please see our Forms page for relevant documents.

Newsletter
See Communication

 

Nude Food
At Laburnum we encourage parents and students to think about healthy alternatives to pre-packaged food that limits waste. Reusable plastic containers are encouraged, as are fruit and other rubbish free snacks. Re-using, recycling and composting organic waste is promoted. We have a school vegetable garden to use our organic waste.

 

Out of School Hours Care
OSHClub, a provider of quality child care, is licensed by our School Council to provide before and after school and vacation care.

 

All students should be registered with OSHClub. Registration is free and available online here.

 

A Before and After School Care Program operates each day and we request and strongly recommend every family to register their child (at no charge) so the service can be used if needed, such as an unexpected delay in picking up your child.

 

A school holiday program is available each term and most of the January school holiday period. Program details and booking forms are available from the school office or website. Before School Care operates from 7.00 am - 8.45 am. After School Care operates from 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm. Care is available to all school aged children, either on a permanent or an occasional basis.

 

A schedule of fees is available from OSHClub via their website.

 

On student-free days, all day care is usually available from 7 am to 6 pm at a cost to parents. Students attending will be fully involved in an activities program.

 

Parent Involvement
Parent involvement is welcomed, encouraged and desirable in a climate where the notion of home/school, parent/teacher partnership is positively promoted. Laburnum is proud of, and enjoys, a supportive and enthusiastic parent community. There are many ways for you to become involved, which ultimately enriches school programs, improves the environment and facilities, and enhances your child's growth and learning.

 

Parents who wish to become involved may nominate for School Council in Term 1 or participate in the other school committees, including Parents Group.

 

At school level, there is the opportunity to become involved with classroom activities. Parents who wish to assist in classrooms are required to attend the Classroom Helpers Course, as it will:

• provide a background on how children learn to read
• provide information about how to support children in becoming strategic readers
• provide consistency and prevent confusions for children when working with different adults at school

Classroom teachers can only invite parents/helpers who have completed the training to assist in the classroom literacy program. Information about the Parent Helpers Course is communicated through eNews.

 

Parents Group
Parents Group is a group of parents/carers who work together to help enhance the community spirit of our school. They work closely with School Council, the school leadership team, teaching and office staff to run various events and activities throughout the year.

 

The role of Parents Group covers three key areas of school life: community, social and fundraising. A number of events are coordinated and run throughout the year: our Mother’s Day Stall, Fathers' Day Breakfast and Footy Day lunches, as well as Carols in Blacks Walk in December. Parents Group also run various drives and regular fund-raisers throughout the year to raise valuable funds for our school.

 

Over the years Parents Group have funded a number of improvements to the school, including playgrounds, sporting equipment, gardens, landscaping, educational resources and a fully resourced science/multipurpose room. Parents Group meeting minutes are uploaded to Sentral each month.

 

Laburnum is a large school and it is important for all of us to keep up a strong spirit of community amongst the children and their families. Parents Group and the school very much rely on parents being willing to contribute their time and ideas. Parents Group is also a great opportunity to be part of your child’s school journey, contribute in a very practical way, stay informed about what is happening at the school and to get to know other families.

 

So please give some thought to joining Parents Group. They usually meet on the first Tuesday of the month, as advertised in the school newsletter and calendar. You can give as much or as little of your time as is practical for you and your family, so we hope you will consider giving some of your time to help make our school the place we all want it to be.

 

Parking
Please observe all parking restrictions and obey traffic rules when dropping off and picking up your child. These are in place to maximise safety for everyone, including our students.

The school car park on Janet St is restricted to members of staff and has an automatic gate closer, which also locks the gate.

 

Janet St has parking restrictions and areas where cars cannot be left unattended during certain times.

There is a ‘2 minute parking’ zone located off Pakenham St. Please be aware that this area is for drop off or pick up only. Please do not park in the drive through area (there is parking available at the Bowls Club if you need to wait or leave your car).

Please ensure that traffic can keep moving in these areas and teach your child the safest way to enter and exit the car, from the passenger (not driver) side of the vehicle. There are other parking areas, including the Bowling Club car park, for parents who anticipate longer waiting times for their child.

Council parking officers regularly patrol the roads surrounding the school and fine offenders. 

 

‘No Parking’ Signage
If there is a 'No Parking' sign, you can stop for 2 minutes in that area if:

      o you are picking up or dropping off passengers or goods

      o you stay within 3 metres of your vehicle.

If you stop in, or partly in, an area showing a no parking sign and you are not picking up or dropping off passengers or goods, you are considered to be parked illegally and can be fined. This is the case even if you stay with your vehicle.

 

‘No Stopping’ Signage
If there is a 'No Stopping' sign, you are not allowed to stop or park your car in, or partly in, that area for any reason. Dropping off or picking up passengers or goods in a ‘No Stopping’ area is not permitted and you can be fined.

 

Parents are reminded that parking on driveways, parking on the nature strip, calling children into cars in traffic and U-turns in front of the school, are illegal.

 

Personal Property
The Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property. We therefore regret that we are unable to take any responsibility for lost, damaged or missing items, nor follow up such instances.

Please encourage your child to leave valuables or ‘special’ items at home.

 

Playground Areas
The Prep children are encouraged to play in the area between the Pakenham Street fence and the school library. This area is generally shared with the children in Years 1 and 2. During the first weeks of school, the Prep children will have staggered lunch and recess times to enable them to become used to the playground.

Playground Supervision
Supervision of the playground before school begins at 8.45 am and finishes after school at 3.45 pm.

Students should not arrive at school before 8.45 am and they need to be collected by 3.45 pm, unless attending OSHClub.

 

Policies

The school operates under the general policies and guidelines of the Department of Education and Training and must comply with DET directives. There are some areas in which government schools are also required to have local policies, which are approved by School Council. Parents should familiarise themselves with these. Many of our policies are available on the school website, under Our School/Planning and Policies, and include the following:

 

LPS Statement of Values and School Philosophy 

 

Administration of Medication Policy
Anaphylaxis Management Policy

Asthma Policy
Attendance Policy (2022)
Bullying Prevention Policy (2022)

CCTV Policy

Camps and Excursions Policy

Child Safety Policy (2022)
Child Safety Code of Conduct (2022)

Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedures (2022)

Concerns and Complaints Policy (2022)

Curriculum Framework: Teaching and Learning

Digital Learning Policy (2022)

Duty of Care Policy
First Aid Policy

Homework Policy

Inclusion and Diversity Policy

Individual Learning Plan Policy
Mobile Phone Policy
Personal Property Policy
Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy

Privacy Collection Statement

Refund Policy

Respect for School Staff Policy

Schools Privacy Policy

Student Health Care Needs Policy
Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy (2022)
Student Leadership Policy
SunSmart Policy
Visitors in School Policy (2022)

Volunteers Policy (2022)

Yard Duty and Supervision Policy (2022)

DET Parent Payments Policy - Overview

Standing Orders for Laburnum Primary School Council

 

 

Privacy

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s privacy collection notice, found on our website Planning and Policies page, or click here.

 

Reporting to Parents

We schedule 'formal' reporting to parents events each term, for Prep – Year 6 parents:

Term 1:
February - Information Session: outlining programs and procedures for the year.

February 'Meet the Teacher' appointments - This is an opportunity for parents to share information which may assist their child’s transition and progress at school.

Term 2:

June - Written report

Term 3:

July/August - Parent-teacher Meetings

Term 4:

December - Written report.

 

Parents are also welcome to meet with teachers at other times during the year, if needed, by mutual arrangement. Please email your child's teacher via the Sentral Parent Portal to arrange these meetings or phone calls.

 

School Information Portal: Sentral
Laburnum uses Sentral (a Learning Management System) as an information portal for parents. For example, we use Sentral for student attendance and student reports, so registration by parents is essential. You will receive a letter from our office with registration information and a unique password, which you can then change.

 

Parents can email teachers via Sentral mailboxes to request meetings or for non-urgent matters. 

 

Parents are advised of the following:

Laburnum Primary School uses online services, such as Sentral, to provide an easy way for parents to provide, and the school to obtain, information and/or consent. This will usually be through the use of an electronic signature, for example a ‘tick box’. Where an electronic signature is used through an online service to give parental consent, parents will represent that their consent is valid.

 

We are aware that children sometimes access their parents’ personal devices. If you are unsure whether your password is secure, please change your password. If you have concerns that your account is being used to provide consent without your permission, please contact the school. Please appreciate that for us to satisfy our legal obligations, we will rely upon an electronic signature as providing valid parental consent.

 

School Council
Laburnum Primary School Council is the legally formed body that oversees the governance of the school, within Department of Education and Training (DET) guidelines. Operational matters are the responsibility of the Principal.

 

School Council usually meets on the third Tuesday of the month and meetings are included on the school calendar, also linked to LPS eNews.

 

To read more about the functions of a school council, click here.

 

The sub-committees for Laburnum Primary School Council are:

• Finance
• Education
• Buildings and Grounds

Parents Group also reports to School Council. All School Councillors are expected to play an active role in at least one sub-committee.

 

School Crossing
Please ensure your child knows how to use the school crossing correctly. Pakenham Street is only an operational crossing when the crossing flags are in place and a crossing supervisor is present.

 

Specialist Programs
Laburnum offers programs in Visual Arts, Library, Languages (Spanish), Music and Physical Education.

 

Statement of Values

The LPS Statement of Values and School Philosophy outlines the values of our school community and explains the vision and values of our school. 

 

Laburnum Primary School acknowledges that the behaviour of staff, parents, carers and students has an impact on our school community and culture. We acknowledge a shared responsibility to create a positive learning environment for the children and young people at our school.

 

Student Leadership
The school has a comprehensive Student Leadership program. Year 5 students have the opportunity to express and interest in leadership roles offered in Year 6, which may include School, House, STEM, Library, Spanish, Green Team, Art, Music and Wellbeing.
Our Junior School Council (JSC) is representative of students across the school from Years 1-6 and our Year 5 Peer Mediators assist students in the playground.

Our Student Leadership Policy is available on the school website.

 

Student of the Week Awards
At each Assembly, selected students are presented with a Student of the Week Award. There is usually one per class and these are chosen by class and specialist teachers. These awards are related to the school values of Curiosity, Respect, Integrity and Resilience.

 

SunSmart Policy
Broad brimmed or legionnaire hats must be worn each day from mid-August to end of April during recess, lunch and other outdoor activities such as Physical Education, sport and excursions. Children are also encouraged to wear hats when walking to and from school. It is also recommended that your child use SPF30+ sunscreen during the summer months. Children without appropriate protection will be required to play under covered areas.

 

Supervision of Children
Teachers are on Yard Duty in the playground before school from 8:45 - 9:00 am and after school from 3:30 - 3:45 pm. If a child arrives at school before 8.45 am or has not been collected by the 3:45 pm bell, they will be brought to the office, then placed in the Before/After School Care program (OSHClub). There is a charge for this facility.

 

At recess and lunchtime there are always teachers in the yard to supervise the children’s play. Children must play within the boundaries of the schoolyard. At the beginning of the year, Preps learn the areas where they can play and those that are out of bounds. Preps are not to go past the Library when playing in the middle area of the school, or past the office when playing at the front of the school. The children are not permitted to be in the classroom unless a teacher is with them, including before school, lunchtime, recess, and after school.

 

Swimming
Prep children participate in a nine day intensive swimming program in Term Three. For the program to run successfully we need the assistance of parents. Parent helpers MUST have a current Working with Children Check . Other year levels also have swimming, with levels staggered at various times throughout the year.

 

Take Home Books
Early in Term One the children will begin to bring home a book to share. These need to be returned to class each day, even if they have not been read at home. Online resources may also be used for home reading. 

 

Uniform Shop
The official school uniform is available from:
Spartan School World
66 Essex Rd, Mount Waverley Vic 3149

The Laburnum school uniform will be available for purchase at the Spartan store, and also via their online shop www.spartanschoolworld.com.au. The website can be translated into Chinese. Uniforms are delivered free to the school every Thursday or you can choose to collect your order from Spartan’s store in Mount Waverley.

 

The school also has a second hand uniform shop. Please enquire through the office, or look for opening hours in eNews or our online website calendar.

 

Visitors
Please see our Visitors in School Policy.

 

Working with Children Check 
All parent helpers in the school, as well as those attending excursions and swimming, are now required to have a current Volunteer Working with Children Check and provide the details to our office. The application process is available online. For more information, or to apply, click here.

Updated April 2023