Lalor North Primary School Foundation 2021 Parent Handbook
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Lalor North Primary School
Foundation 2021
Parent Handbook
Phone: 9465 4922
www.lalornorthps.vic.edu.au
E-mail: lalor.north.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Contents
2021 Term Dates……………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Daily Timetable………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Start/End of Day………………………………………………………………………………... 5
What your Child needs to bring to school……………………………………………… 6
Preparing your child for school…………………………………………………………….. 6
Food at School…………………………………………………………………………………… 7
School Uniform…………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Absences…………………………………………………………………………………………… 9
Medication……………………………………………………………………………………..… 10
Safety & Security………………………………………………………………………….…… 11
How the school keeps you informed…………………………………………..… 12—13
School Contributions………………………………………………………………..……….. 14
Student Wellbeing…………………………………………………………………….… 14—15
Homework/Curriculum………………………………………………..…………………….. 15
Languages……………………………………………………………………………………….. 16
2
Welcome to the Lalor North Primary School community.
We are delighted that you have chosen to enrol your child at
our school. We look forward to getting to know you and your
child. The relationship between school and home is vital in
ensuring the best possible learning outcomes for students. We
aim to communicate with you on a regular basis, building a
cooperative, honest relationship in order to support your child,
talk about issues that are important to you, celebrate successes
and solve any problems that may arise.
Our school vision is to create lifelong learners who are
committed to achieving their personal best and are respectful
and responsible citizens who care about one another and the
world they live in.
We aim to empower students to be literate, numerate, curious
and caring individuals who effectively contribute to society and
an ever-changing world.
Our school values are: Respect, Honesty, Unity, Success and
Resilience
You can support these values by modelling them to your child,
demonstrating them in your interactions with members of the
school community, celebrating your child’s successes with us
and by working with us to build a positive attitude towards
learning and school.
David Williams
Principal
3
Term Dates For 2021
Start date End date
Term 1 Friday 29th January Thursday 1st April
(To be Confirmed)
Term 2 Monday 19th April Friday 25th June
Term 3 Monday 12th July Friday 17th September
Term 4 Monday 4th October Friday 17th December
In 2021, Foundation students will not attend school on Wednesdays for
the month of February. Beginning school can be very tiring, and this allows
students time to adjust. On one of these Wednesdays, your child’s class
teacher will ask you to bring your child for a short individual appointment. At
this appointment they will complete an assessment of your child’s Literacy
and Numeracy skills. This will help the teachers to design appropriate
learning activities for your child. From the week beginning Monday 1st
March, Foundation students will attend every day.
Daily Timetable
8:50am School day begins and the first session starts. Students
complete Session 1 and 2
10:30am Morning recess - outside
10:55am Students complete Session 3 and 4
12:35pm Children eat lunch in the classroom
12:55pm Lunch recess - outside
1:35pm Students complete Session 5 and 6
3:15pm School day ends
4
The Beginning of the Day
School starts at 8.50am each day. Students must be at school and ready to
start learning at this time. Some teachers are on duty in the yard from
8.35am each morning. It is important that children do not arrive before this
time as there is no one available to look after them.
On your the first day, you will walk in with your child and briefly settle them
in before leaving. It is important that you don’t stay outside the room.
Experienced teachers and enjoyable classroom activities help children focus
on having fun, talking, learning and becoming involved in what they are
doing.
Encourage your child to carry their own bag and as this builds their
independence and helps them to learn school routines, as they unpack their
bag, organise their home reader, put in any lunch orders etc. The teacher
will support them to do this.
Class teachers are in their rooms from 8.40am and are available if you wish
to speak to them briefly. After 8.50am they will be busy working with the
children.
The End of the Day
Foundation children must be picked up by a parent or a person approved by
the parent. Both the teacher and child must know who is collecting them.
Teachers will bring children outside to meet you in a designated area. Please
wait outside the school buildings.
If you are going to be late, please call the school to notify us. Your child will
be supervised until you arrive.
5
What Your Child Needs to Bring to School
A large school bag, big enough to hold their lunchbox, reading folder,
jumper, hat and library book
A lunchbox that can be easily opened and closed
A plastic drink bottle
A spare pair of underpants, socks and trousers in a clearly labelled
plastic bag, in case of an accident
A school hat and personal sunscreen
All clothing and property should be clearly marked with the child’s name.
This makes finding lost clothing easier, and saves you spending money on
new items. Personal items are not insured by the school and the school is
not responsible for compensating any loss. We advise students to keep
valuable items at home. Mobile phones, games, jewellery etc. should not be
brought to school.
Please ensure that we have you current contact details (name, address,
phone numbers), and those of friends or family members who can take care
of your child if you are not available, in case of an accident or emergency. It
is vital that you update us every time there is a change to these details.
Preparing Your Child for School
Using the toilet
Please make sure that your child can go to the toilet by him or herself, use it
correctly and flush it properly. Boys should be familiar with the urinal.
Remind your child that it is important to wash and dry their hands after each
visit to the toilet.
Practise opening and closing their lunchbox and filling up their water
bottle
Practise taking their jumper on and off
Practise packing and unpacking their bag
6
Food at School
At Lalor North Primary we have a ‘no food sharing’ policy. Children are
taught that they should only eat what you have provided. We do have
children in the school with anaphylaxis, which is a severe and life
threatening allergy. Some foods may trigger a reaction. For this reason we
ask that you do not provide foods containing nuts. This includes spreads.
On occasion children participate in cooking activities and use foods for
Science, or as part of celebrations. At these times we will ask you for
permission for your child to share food. Please do not provide foods such as
cake when it is your child’s birthday.
Lunches from Home
Your child’s lunchbox and plastic drink bottle should be labelled with their
name. No glass bottles are allowed for safety reasons. Talk with your child
about the kinds of foods they like to eat and make sure that they have food
that they can finish at lunchtime. We encourage you to provide healthy
foods, low in sugar and fat. A sandwich, along with a piece of fruit and a
drink is enough for most children.
Recess Snack
Children need to have a snack at Recess as the
school day is long. A piece of fruit, carrot sticks,
sultanas, dry biscuits and cheese or a small
sandwich are good for recess time. Make sure
your child knows which food they should eat at
lunch and which at recess.
Canteen
Lunches may be ordered from the school canteen from Monday to Friday.
Menus and prices lists are distributed regularly, or are available on the
website.
Lunch orders should be written on a paper bag at home and should show the
child’s name, grade and room number. This should be done before the child
arrives at school. Where possible the correct money should be provided and
wrapped or placed in the lunch bag. If paper bags are not provided 20 cents
is added to the cost of the purchase. Children can also buy some items at
morning recess. Lunch orders are placed in a tub in your child’s classroom at
the start of each day.
7
School Uniform
School uniform is compulsory at Lalor North Primary School. The uniform can
be brought from the school’s uniform shop provider; Northern Regional
Uniforms, which is located at Shop 21/8 Oleander Drive, South Morang. The
price list and opening times are available from the office.
The School Uniform Consists of:
Full length black trousers and black shorts or skorts.
A long sleeve and short sleeve dark green polo top with black, green
and gold stripes on the collar with the school logo.
A bottle green windcheater with black, green and gold stripes and the
school logo on the left chest front.
A bottle green bomber jacket with black, green and gold stripes on the
waist band and the school logo on the left chest front.
A dark, bottle green bucket, slouch or legionnaire’s hat for summer
and a dark green beanie for winter with the school logo.
A green and white checked summer dress for girls.
Foundation and Year 6 students wear a special coloured t- shirt. The
colour is decided by the school each year.
Footwear:
Black/white runners or sturdy shoes/boots for general daywear.
These should be flat, enclosed and comfortable enough to play, jump
and run in when outdoors. Open sandals and thongs should not be
worn to school.
Hair:
It is recommended that long hair is tied back to minimise the transfer
of nits or lice and to keep hair out of eyes.
Head bands or hair ties in solid colours – bottle green, black or yellow
(our school colours).
Where students need to wear a hijab, it should be in the school
colours- black, white or bottle green.
In terms 1 and 4 all students must wear a green school hat with the school
logo outside. This is to protect them from the sun.
8Attendance and Absence from School
Parents have a legal obligation to ensure that their child attends school on
time every day. Daily school attendance is important for all children to
succeed in their education. Children who do not attend school regularly fall
behind in their learning as well as in their social skills.
There is no safe number of days for missing school. Each missed day
contributes to progressively lower achievement in Numeracy, Reading and
Writing.
If your child is away from school, you must either send a note to your child’s
class teacher, or phone the office to inform them, for every day of the
absence. The reason for every absence must be recorded by the Principal.
Student absences can generally only be excused for illness, bereavement
or cultural observance. Medical and dental appointments should be made
outside of school hours whenever possible. If you are going on a family
holiday, and it is essential that this happens during school term, the school
must be notified in advance and a learning plan agreed for the time away.
Illness
If your child is sick, home is the best place for them to be.
When a child is sick at school, the child will be sent to the sickbay. A first aid
trained staff member will call you to let you know, using the emergency
contact details you have provided.
If your child has received first aid during the day you will receive a note.
Most visits to the sick bay mean minor treatment such as a rest or cleaning
of a cut or graze.
In the case of a serious accident, an ambulance will be called immediately
and your child will be taken to hospital where he or she can receive
appropriate treatment.
It is vital that the school is aware of any medical issues your child may have,
including such things as allergies and asthma. This enables us to respond in
case of emergency.
9Medication
Sometimes children need to take medication to help them recover from an
illness or injury. Our staff can administer necessary medication when parents
have given their written consent and completed the medication form at the
office. This should be handed in with the medication which will be labelled
and safely stored until it is finished or collected by an adult. Children are not
allowed to bring their own medication to school and take it themselves.
School Medical
All Foundation students will have the opportunity to have their sight and
hearing tested by a trained school nurse during their first year at school. You
will receive an envelope asking for your consent and information about your
child. This is a great opportunity to seek advice and pick up on any hearing/
vision issues.
10Safety and Security
Parking and Safety
If you are driving your child to and from school please observe the parking
regulations and drive carefully. Many children will be crossing the road near
the school and can be unpredictable. Make sure your child knows your pick
up and drop off point. Be mindful of our neighbours, and do not block their
driveways. There are two pedestrian entrances to the school, one in Monash
Street and one in Derna Crescent.
The school car park is for staff cars only. Please do not use this area to pick
up or drop off children as it is unsafe.
School Crossings
Children who need to cross Curtin Avenue, Monash St, Dalton Rd and Child’s
Rd are asked to use the crossings provided. The council employs supervisors
who will take them across the road safely and ensure that they walk along
the footpath. Please ensure that you and your child follow the instructions at
all times.
School Gates
School pedestrian gates, other than those leading to the office are closed at
9am and open again at 3pm. This is for the safety of the school community.
Visitors
All visitors to the school must sign in and get a visitors badge form the office
which is worn when in the school and returned at the end of the visit.
Parents cannot go into classrooms during the school day unless they are
volunteering or the visit has been prearranged. All volunteers require a
Working with Children Check in order to help. No visitors are permitted to
enter the school grounds during the recess or lunch break.
If you wish to talk to your child’s teacher, please ring the office and make an
appointment, or see them at 8.40am to make an appropriate time for a
longer discussion.
Picking up Children
We will only let adults authorised by the parent collect children from school.
If someone new is coming to pick up your child, please inform the office in
advance. Children should not be picked up early from school unless there are
exceptional circumstances.
11Keeping in Touch
There are a number of ways in which we keep you informed about what is
happening in school.
Letters/Notices
When an excursion or activity is planned, you may receive a notice
requiring a signature and sometimes a payment. We also send reminder
notices containing important information. Please check your child’s bag for
notices each night. Any payments should be put in a sealed envelope with
your child’s name and the activity written on the outside. Your child can then
give this to their teacher.
School Newsletter
The newsletter is published once a fortnight. This will keep you in touch with
news, celebrations and coming events.
Parent Teacher Meetings
There are whole school parent teacher meetings twice a year. The first is the
‘Meet the Teacher’ session in February. The second is our ‘Three Way
Conference’ day, late in term 2. There is also an option for you to meet the
teacher in December. Other than this, you can make an appointment at a
mutually suitable time to talk to your child’s teacher.
Assemblies
Assemblies take place every Monday morning at 8.50am in the hall. All
parents and family members are welcome and we enjoy the opportunity to
celebrate successes of the students and talk about the week ahead. This is
also a good time to meet other parents and have a cup of coffee afterwards.
School Reports
Twice a year your child will receive a formal school report that states
achievement and progress so far.
Parent Information Sessions
During the school year, parent information sessions are held. We would
encourage you to attend these sessions to meet other parents, find out what
the school is doing and gain information about specific programs.
12Becoming a Parent Helper
During the year, we will request for parent helpers to support in the
classrooms. All parents helpers require a Working With Children Check.
These can be applied for online via:
http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
We also welcome support and assistance in other roles throughout the year,
such as helping in the canteen, fundraising, becoming a school council
member, etc.
13School Essential Resources
Each year the School Council requests that each family pay a contribution
towards supplies and learning resources. In December you will receive
information about the cost and are asked to pay this at the beginning of the
school year. This covers classroom supplies such as paper, pens, pencils,
scissors, folders, exercise books etc., as well as art materials and access to
Mathletics, Reading Eggs and Sound Waves online programs. The school
council is very keen to offer the community the best possible value and to
keep the school contributions as low as possible.
Student Wellbeing
Our Student Wellbeing Officer is Sofie Kesis. She is available to see parents
when required and will make an appointment at a time that suits you. Her
role is to co-ordinate the support for students with any type of additional
need and to liaise with families and agencies.
Our student behaviour program is based on the School Wide Positive
Behaviour model. We teach the students about our school values and
reward positive behaviour linked to Honesty, Success, Respect, Resilience
and Unity.
We support the students to develop positive relationships with each other,
and to learn the social skills that they need to be responsible members of
society. We encourage them through recognising their efforts, either within
the class, or through our assembly awards.
When behavioural issues do occur, we develop behaviour support plans,
which include a range of strategies to help children manage their behaviour
more positively. We also have a very clear classroom management process,
where a staged approach is used, from reminders about the correct
behaviour, to verbal warnings, moving seats and Time Out in another room
where necessary. We work together with parents and carers to resolve any
issues of concern.
We have an anti bullying policy and strategies in place to address bullying if
it occurs. This includes an eSmart program, teaching students about being
safe and respectful online.
Where there are concerns about a child’s psychological wellbeing, referrals
can be made after discussion with and permission from parents, to a
psychologist.
If children have additional learning needs, we also have access to a speech
therapist and educational psychologist, who can help us to assess the needs
and provide appropriate support. Again, this happens in consultation with
parents and carers.
14Homework
Lalor North Primary has a school homework policy which is available on our
website. The focus for students in the Prep year is on reading at home each
night, and completing simple activities that reinforce the classroom learning,
such as learning words. This is not expected to take more than 15 minutes
each night and should be a positive and fun experience for you to share with
your child.
The Curriculum
At Lalor North Primary we plan student learning using The Victorian
Curriculum, which is the curriculum for all students in Victoria. An overview
of this curriculum is available on the website:
http://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/
In general, children will have Reading, Writing and Mathematics sessions
each day, along with Inquiry studies units covering more than one subject
area. These lessons are taught by their class teacher.
In addition, students have classes that are taught by specialist teachers.
All students have Music, Art, Physical education each week and (Italian in the
standard program). You will need to provide an art smock to cover and
protect uniforms. This can be an item such as an old shirt.
15Languages
Lalor North has an extensive and renowned languages program. All children
at Lalor North learn a language other than English.
Bilingual Programs
Lalor North has two bilingual immersion programs, the English-Greek
program, and the English-Macedonian program. Students in the bilingual
programs participate in the same curriculum as other students, but
instruction is given using either language. Students in these programs
become literate and fluent in either Greek or Macedonian as well as English.
Italian
Students who are not in the bilingual programs study Italian as an
additional language. They study one session per week, focusing on
developing speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, through hands on
activities.
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