PRIMARY COORDINATOR

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone had a wonderful break and had the opportunity to commit to family time. This term promises to be both engaging and busy as we move towards the school concert, athletics carnival and Gr3/4 school camp and Parent-Teacher interviews.

Volunteers

I encourage anyone interested in volunteering to please come and have a discussion with myself or talk to their child’s teacher. We would like to see some parents help students with reading in their classrooms for 10-15 minutes in the morning. As with all schools, a current working with children check is a prerequisite to being involved in schools’ programs.

Late Arrival

We are writing to all families to emphasise the importance of being in school on time as there have been numerous incidents of some families routinely arriving at school at 9.00 a.m. or later and collecting their children at 3.35 p.m. or later. School starts at 8.55 a.m. every day. Children need to be in their class at 8.55 a.m. so that they can start their lessons promptly.

Children who arrive late are greatly disadvantaged because they miss starting the day with their peers and the beginning of lessons. When a child arrives late he/she misses the introduction to the lesson, when previous learning is revisited in preparation for the work to be covered that day and when objectives and activities are explained. The teacher cannot repeat the full introduction for the late-comer, but any time spent settling him/her to the set tasks means all the other children in the class are not getting the attention they deserve. It is essential that you ensure that your child arrives at school on time to prevent disruption to your child’s own learning and that of others.

It is also very important that children establish good routines and habits in preparation for the rest of their lives. Punctuality is a life skill that they need to develop whilst they are young.

We understand that there may be rare occasions when you are unavoidably late due to unforeseen circumstances. On these occasions, please make sure that you report to the school office before your child goes to class.

High levels of unauthorised absences or poor punctuality can result in a referral to the Educational Welfare Service or other agencies which have a duty to investigate further.

Looking forward to your continued support in all areas of your child’s education.

Yours sincerely,