Last Update: July 16, 2012
CRICOS Registration Number : 00643J
Class rolls are kept in accordance with Departmental Policy. All pupil absences should be reported to the school in writing. When the absence is to be of one or two days only, a note should be sent when the child returns to school. A phone call to the front office will also suffice. If the absence is likely to be more prolonged, a phone call to the school would be appreciated. A note should still be sent upon return to school. If a child needs to leave the school between 9:00am and 3:00pm a note should be sent to the child’s teacher.
Due to severe allergic responses to these two products amongst our community Miles Franklin is a peanut and honey aware school. We ask that no peanut, peanut butter, peanut oil or honey products be brought into the school.
Communication between school and home is highly valued. Important and useful information is often shared at the beginning and end of the school day. Please be mindful that staff need to be ready to teach at 9.00am as well as supervising children leaving school in the afternoon. Staff also have meeting commitments in the afternoons commencing at 3.15pm. We would greatly appreciate appointments being made for discussions which require more than a few moments.
Please ensure children arrive at school in time to commence lessons at 9.00am. A late arrival means that your child may miss important announcements or introductions to learning. Children should not arrive before 8.30am as there is no staff supervision.
A whole school assembly is held fortnightly each Term on Fridays at 12.00pm. The assemblies are organised and conducted by unit classes in turn and are an opportunity for students to showcase work and perform items such as plays, dances and instrumental/choral items. Parents and family members are encouraged to attend. Assembly dates and presenting classes are published in the Newsletter and the Term Calendar at the start of each Term.
The school canteen is run by a subcommittee of the P&C for the purpose of providing a healthy and nutritional food for students at the school. The school canteen operates 5 days per week and is open at recess and lunch time. Children place lunch orders into a class basket which is delivered to the canteen by 9.15am and returned to the unit at lunchtime. Children may make over the counter purchases at recess and lunchtime. Volunteers assist the canteen manageress and new recruits to the roster are always welcome. Canteen price lists are published in the school newsletter or are available for the canteen or front office.
Contact numbers and addresses need to be kept up to date with the front office personnel. Children can be distressed unnecessarily when sickness or illness occurs and the contact number is out of date.
Each teacher is responsible for the education and pastoral care of a class group. Students are placed in classes according to age and individual need. Miles Franklin supports a multi-age structure from years 1 – 6. As students develop at different stages all classes have a range of developmental levels and abilities. Teachers are trained to work with multi-age groupings. Careful consideration is given to the placement of students in classes.
To facilitate speedy contact with parents in an emergency, any change in home or work phone numbers, home address, place of employment or name of emergency contact should be notified immediately. Student information sheets are sent home regularly to gather parent contact information for ready reference and should be returned promptly to the Class Teacher.
The school draws enrolments from a priority enrolment area in Evatt. Out of area enrolments may be accepted if places are available and after consideration of any special circumstances. For further information go to the Departmental policy on Enrolment in Primary Schools.
The school has an equity fund that is used to assist students attending camps and excursions if needed. Parents who require assistance from this fund should approach the Principal or Office Manager for confidential assistance.
For the safety of all those within the school buildings and boundaries it is Departmental requirement that both these drills be practised twice a year to ensure all are familiar with the routines. Please obey all procedures if visiting the school during these drills.
Educational excursions including camps are regarded as an integral part of the learning process and a fundamental part of children’s education. Written advice on each excursion will be given to parents.
Please discuss any special circumstances with the Principal and lodge copies of these orders/arrangements with the front office. They are treated confidentially.
Miles Franklin Primary School is a feeder primary school for Melba-Copland Secondary School (MCSS). A liaison and orientation program is run with MCSS throughout the year.
Study and research habits developed at primary school stand students in good stead for future studies. Students are not expected to learn new work at home. However, assignments requiring exploration, discovery, observing, recording and process thinking may be set. Homework may include practising tables; spelling or reading; discussing stories, pictures or news; research; or sharing activities with the family.
Classes commence at 9.00am and conclude at 3.00pm. Recess is from 11.00-11.30am. Lunch is from 12.50-1.40pm. In the first ten minutes students eat their lunch with teacher supervision.
In the event of a child becoming ill during the day or having an accident, every attempt will be made to contact the parent or the emergency contact person nominated by the parents. If this is not possible staff will seek professional medical assistance when necessary.
The ACT Department of Health advises that all children entering school in the ACT should be immunised against a range of infectious illnesses. ACT Public Health regulations require schools to request proof of up to date immunisation when enrolling. Failure to provide this may result in your child being excluded from school should an outbreak of an infectious disease occur.
Labelling your child’s clothing and other possessions will help ensure that anything that is lost is returned. Lost property is collected in each Unit. Items are sorted each term and where possible returned. Items not claimed are either donated to the school pre-loved uniform shop or donated to charity.
Parents need to inform teachers and front office staff, of the medication students are taking. Medication needs to be clearly labelled (name, dose, times for administering). Written authority is required from parent/guardian for a member of staff to administer prescription medication. A written statement is also required from the student’s doctor for prescription medications. Medications are stored securely by the front office staff. Responsibility for collecting medication rests with the student. For further information go to the departmental policy on Administering Medication - www.det.act.gov.au
Parents bringing messages, lunches or materials, to school during the day, should leave them at the front office with the school office staff who will ensure that they get to the appropriate class.
All payments for school activities such as excursions, camps, or sports days, need to be brought to school in a sealed envelope with the students name clearly marked.
All monies sent to school should be handed to the classroom teacher in the envelope provided with your child’s name, activity details and amount clearly marked on the outside of the envelope. A receipt is issued for amounts over $10.00. Eftpos facilities are available for amounts over $10.00.
The Miles Franklin Music Scheme, organised by a sub committee of the P&C Association provides individual professional tuition in a range of instruments including piano, keyboard, recorder and guitar. Group singing and musician classes are also offered. Each year the Miles Franklin Music Festival is run attracting over 300 entries from students in the surrounding region.
The Miles Franklin newsletter is sent home every second Thursday with the youngest child in the family. On the alternate Thursday a shorter notes bulletin is sent home. It contains up-to-date news of the school. Parents are encouraged to read the newsletter and notes Bulletin, and respond to requests for information. The school aims to send all supplementary notes home on Thursdays as well.
Miles Franklin Primary has an Out of Hours School Care Program which runs before and after school daily during the school term and a vacation program which runs each school holidays. The program is available for students K-Yr 6. Further information is available by contacting the Director on (02) 6258 0977
The P&C promotes community participation in the activities of the school. All parents and guardians of students at the school are members and other interested individuals may become members. The P&C contributes in many ways including promoting the interests of the school, providing a forum for discussion on school goals and policies, fundraising activities, and the election of parent members to the School Board. The P&C’s sub committees include the canteen, out of school hours care, the music scheme and the preschool.
Children are discouraged from bringing large sums of money or expensive items to school unless prior arrangements have been made with the class teacher.
The playground is supervised from 8.30am and during recess and lunchtime. All children eat lunch with class teachers. Children are expected to leave the school grounds at 3.00pm unless they are attending the care program. In wet weather students are supervised within the school buildings.
Miles Franklin Primary believes that communicating student achievement in the most effective way possible is essential. Methods of communicating include ‘Getting to Know You’ interviews, School rich reports twice a year, A-E reports twice a year, a learning journey and student portfolios. Interviews are available on request at any time.
The school has the services of a counsellor 1 day a week who provides a range of services from discussion about issues of concern to isometric testing. Contact with the counsellor can be on the initiation of the parent or from the school through the special needs team. Close contact is maintained with parents in all circumstances.
The School Board endorses the wearing of a uniform as it is part of the school ethos of helping to create a sense of belonging and pride in the school and so engender a positive school spirit.
Parents can buy school uniforms from the school uniform shop which operates out of the canteen each Friday from 8.45-9.15am and the first Wednesday of each term.
Members of the school community run the student banking program on a voluntary basis. Banking is conducted through the Commonwealth Bank. Bank books are collected from the classrooms once a week and returned via the classroom teacher.
Miles Franklin follows the sun protection guidelines for schools – no hat no play. Students are required to wear hats which protect the face, neck and ears whenever they are outside. Students without suitable hats are not allowed to play outside at recess or lunch, ort participate in classroom physical education activities.
Early each term an overview is sent home by class teachers. This term overview outlines the educational program to be covered in your child's class during the term as well as including details of planned excursions, camps, class routines and calls for parental assistance and involvement. A term calendar is also sent home with the Newsletter of Week 2 detailing important dates and events for the term.
As per the ACT Education Department policy all parents/carers who volunteer in classrooms, at school events and activities should complete a volunteer form in available from the front office. All visitors to the school should enter via the front office and sign in and out.
If students ride bicycles to school they must wear a helmet. Bicycles must be place in the bicycle compound which is out of bounds during the day. For the safety of all students no wheeled devices (including skateboards, in-line skates and scooters) are to be ridden in the school playground at any time. The school will not accept responsibility for the care of any wheeled device or associated equipment.