parental
INVOLVEMENT
Parent involvement is encouraged throughout all areas of our school. Your active role in your school and parish community enhances the education of each child in our care. Parents are always welcome in the school and any assistance is appreciated.
All those volunteering at the school are required to complete a volunteer and child safety induction. These are available from the school office. There are a number of means by which parents can become involved in their child’s schooling including:
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Reading
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Parent Meetings
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Library work
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Tuckshop
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Under 8’s Day
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Working Bees
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Committees
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Parent Information Sessions
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Sporting Events
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Social evenings
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Assemblies
School > Parent Communication
Because parents and teachers are partners in a child's education, the school seeks to establish clear lines of communication with the parents. Some of the ways this is achieved includes:
Newsletters
A fortnightly newsletter is emailed every Wednesday and deals with up-to-date happenings at the school. Classroom comments are included in the publication. The purpose of these comments is to inform parents and the wider community of the recent happenings in classrooms. Various community bodies who wish to communicate with parents should send the information to be communicated, in writing, to the school office before noon on Wednesday.
P&F Minutes
The minutes of the monthly Parents and Friends meeting are uploaded to Parent Lounge after the meeting.
Formal Report Cards
Formal report cards are issued each semester (end of Term 2 and end of Term 4). These reports provide Overall Achievement ratings for each Learning Area studied which the child’s academic achievement based on standard expectations in that Learning Area for that year level.
SMS Text Messages
SMS text messages are sent to communicate reminders, events, cancellations etc to the parent community.
Parent/Teacher Interviews
Formal Parent/Teacher interviews are offered to parents at the end of Term 1 and Term 3. In these meetings parents and teachers discuss educational goals for the year and outcomes achieved so far. Throughout the year parents are always welcomed and encouraged to make an appointment to discuss their child’s development with the child’s teacher. Teachers will keep parents informed of significant trends or occurrences with regards to their child’s development. Teachers also encourage parental assistance in the classroom when required.
Please note that teachers are not available for parent meetings on Tuesday afternoons due to our weekly staff meeting
Parent Information Evenings
At the commencement of the school year, parents will be invited to attend an information evening regarding Key Learning Areas and classroom procedures. At these events, the class teacher presents a summary of what presents can expect to see happening in the classroom during the year ahead.
Parent > School Communication
Parents are encouraged to remain in regular contact with the school and their child's teacher. This can be done through;
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Notes, emails or personal contact by phone to explain absences or inability to complete homework.
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Attendance at the Parents and Friends meeting and other school functions
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Viewing or signing homework and commenting in writing when they are aware their child is having difficulty in an area of work.
School Diaries
A School Diary is used in Year 5 and 6 as another communication tool between school and home. Within this diary, there is an area at the end of each day to record nightly reading. Teachers may use diaries in a variety of ways though their main purpose is as a source of communication between teachers, students and parents. Parents should check School Diaries each night for any homework or teacher comments. Parents are expected to communicate with the child and/or teacher by writing relevant comments in the School Diary; the student is to alert the teacher to any messages written at the commencement of each school day. Students in years 2 and 3 do not have a school diary but have a home reading log which also has space for communications.
School Calendar
At the beginning of the year, a calendar is set out and available online through the OLSH Google Calendar and via our website. The calendar contains all school events and will be updated whenever a change or addition is to be made. Additional dates will be added to the calendar as the term progresses. The calendar is another important communication tool between school and home.
