General Information
TERM DATES FOR 2023
Term 1: 27 January (teachers start) to 6 April
Term 2: 24 April to 23 June
Term 3: 10 July to 15 September
Term 4: 2 October to 20 December
School Zone
To confirm your zoned school the Department of Education and Training has a website for you to check: findmyschool.vic.gov.au
Schools' Privacy Policy
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
ALBERT PARK PRIMARY PRIVACY STATEMENT Privacy Statement-APPS
For more information about privacy, see: Schools’ Privacy Policy – information for parents. This information also available in nine community languages.
School Routine
All children are expected to be at school and for the school day to begin at 9.00am. Children are encouraged to arrive at the school between 8.45am and 8.57am.
Music plays for 3 minutes from 8.50am as a cue for children and parents to say goodbye and for students to enter their classroom and be ready for the taking of the roll at 9.00am.
Teachers supervise the playground from 8.45am - 9.00am, during all recesses and after school from 3.30pm - 3.45pm.
LUNCH: 11.00 - 11.50 RECESS: 2.00 - 2.30
Transition
Beginning school is like beginning an adventure. We know that there are many challenges for parents and children as they adapt to new routines and expectations. Each year of Primary School is different as we foster the progressions of learning from one day to the next and from one year to the next. Our aim is to inform you about the changes in, for example, our sports program between grade 2 and grade 3, or the ways in which we communicate to you, for example, via a diary in most grades. Please look under the Curriculum and Students tabbed areas on this website for more information about the changes that you can expect as your child moves through our school.
Attendance
If your child is absent, it is important to notify the school by entering the absence into Compass or via a phone call or written note. This is kept as an official school record. Similarly, if you are late arriving at school parents must enter their late arrival or early departure at school via the Compass Kiosk in the school office foyer or send their child to report to the office to obtain a late slip via the Kiosk to give to their teacher. If you are collecting your child early please call the office to arrange for your child to meet at the office at the arranged time when they will be signed out via the Compass Kiosk.
Parents of children who are not present for the taking of the morning roll at 9.00am will receive an SMS notifying that their child is 'absent from school without a reason'. Teachers do not interrupt their instruction time to amend the roll if your child arrives moments after 9.00am.
Repeated lateness will be followed up via contact with the family. Under new legislation since 2014, parents can be fined when there are unexplained absences.
If your child is absent at the marking of the roll at 9.00am your child is considered absent without reason and parents will receive an SMS.
Assembly
Assembly is held most Fridays at 3.00pm and is a celebration of learning. It is held either outside (weather permitting) or in the school hall. Parents are welcome to attend. Assembly is not held when the year 6 students are on a sports gala day. On the last day of terms 1, 2 and 3 assembly is held at 2.00pm. Term 4 assembly is held at 1.00pm for a 1.30 finish on the last day of the school year.
Sun Smart Policy
From AUGUST TO MAY there is a "No hat - No play" policy within the school. It is necessary for your chid to have a bucket or broad brimmed hat every day at school months of high UV. Clothing that protects the shoulders from the sun must be worn and appropriate footwear is essential.
Extreme Weather Days
During recesses too wet/hot for play outdoors, teachers are rostered to supervise indoors. Should it start to rain while already at play, the school bell is sounded and an announcement made to call students back indoors and appropriate activities are organised within classrooms.
Sustainable Transport
The school encourages children to come to school on foot, by bike, scooter or by tram. Racks are provided to store bikes and scooters during the day. Bike and scooter riding is not permitted in the school yard. Please ask your child to dismount and wheel their bike or scooter to the bike enclosure. Please remember that helmets must be worn when riding a bike or scooter. Importantly, do not leave bikes and scooters at the school overnight as they are not safe from theft from the general public.
Medication
Medication will be administered by the school nurse, if it is necessary that your child take medication at school. Label medication clearly with your child’s name, the correct dose, the time the medication is to be given, and provide written permission for the medicine to be administered. Form can be downloaded via this link: Medication Authority Form. The only medication that a child may have on them is for asthma. In these cases, parents are recommmended to provide an asthma management plan.
Head Lice
The Victorian Government Health Information website gives information on the treatment for headlice http://www.health.vic.gov.au/headlice/