TRIABUNNA DISTRICT SCHOOL PARENT HANDBOOK 2020

WELCOME

On behalf of our staff, students and wider school community I extend our warmest welcome.

Triabunna District School is situated in spacious grounds at the gateway to the township of Triabunna. The school has a combination of modern and historic buildings overlooking beautiful Spring Bay and majestic in the distance.

Our school has a long history; the Triabunna State School being continuously open since 1863. With many modifications over the years, the school now provides a co-educational facility for K- 6 students and a Birth to 4 program for children from our township and for 7-12 students from across our Municipality including Swansea, , Triabunna, Orford and Buckland.

There are approximately 155 students in the school, equally divided across the Primary and Secondary sections. Our K–12 facility provides a unique context where whole school approaches have been adopted to ensure the best learning opportunities to meet the educational needs of all students.

Our vision is underpinned by the Department Of Education values of Aspiration, Growth, Resilience and Courage as well as our school values of Respect, Resilience and Growth. We encourage creative thinking and work to develop problem solving skills. We strive to develop preparedness for life-long learning that fosters a positive attitude by valuing and celebrating achievement in its many forms.

These aims and objectives can only be achieved by establishing close, three-way partnerships between parents, staff and students. As such, we welcome our new students and their whole family to our school community and look forward to our ongoing collaborative work that ensures that learners are first – connected and inspired.

Tanya Britton ACTING PRINCIPAL

TERM DATES - 2020 Term 1 First day of term: Wednesday 5th February Last day of term: Thursday 9th April (Easter: Friday 10th April – Tuesday 14th April) Term 2 First day of term: Monday 27th April Last day of term: Friday 3rd July Term 3 First day of term: Monday 20th July Last day of term: Friday 25th September Term 4 First day of term: Monday 12th October Last day of term: Thursday 17th December

School Hours Teaching staff on duty at 8.30 am

Home Group: 8.45 am – 9.00 am

Period 1: 9.00 am - 9.50 am

Period 2: 9.50 am - 10.40 am

Recess: 10.40 am -11.00 am

Period 3: 11.00 am - 12.00 pm

Period 4: 12.00 pm - 1.00 pm

Lunch: 1.00 pm - 1.35 pm

Period 5: 1.35 pm - 2.35 pm (Primary School)

1.35 pm - 2.55 pm (High School)

Home Group: 2.55 pm – 3.00 pm

Primary Classes dismissed at 2.35 pm Secondary Classes dismissed at 3.00 pm

KINDERGARTEN Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 8.45 am – 2.35 pm

ASSEMBLIES Weekly assemblies are held in the Primary School and Whole School assemblies are held once a term. Assemblies provide students with the opportunity to share work they have produced and receive recognition for their efforts across many school activities. Students are involved in the hosting of assemblies, taking part in presentations of musical and other items and receiving Certificates of Recognition. We also hold additional assemblies to celebrate specific events including ANZAC Day, Book Week, NAIDOC Week etc. Prior to each Whole School assembly, parents of students receiving certificates are notified. All parents and members of our extended school community are warmly invited to attend all whole school assemblies and the morning or afternoon tea that follows.

ATTENDANCE To achieve the best possible outcomes from school it is essential for students to have regular and punctual attendance. Roll call is taken at the beginning of the school day. All absences must be explained by parents with a note, telephone call to the office or in person to the class teacher. All unexplained absences will be followed up by a phone call to the parent/carer. If contact cannot be made, a follow up letter will be sent. Students arriving late for school should also sign the Late Book in the front office. This allows the daily attendance register to be corrected. Extended absence due to sickness will need to be verified with a medical certificate. Continual absences are automatically referred to the school’s Social Worker. We have a Duty of Care for our students, so they are expected to remain on school grounds during the times of supervision. If it is necessary for a student to leave during the school day, they must be signed out by a responsible adult and collected from the school’s front office and signed in again upon their return. Unexplained absences will result in a phone call to the parent for verification.

ACCIDENTS & ILLNESS Students who become ill at school or who suffer accidents are attended to in the first instance by staff that have qualifications in First Aid. Minor matters are treated at school and where necessary parents will be notified by telephone or by note. Serious cases are referred to the local medical centre, hospital or ambulance and parents are notified as soon as possible depending on the circumstances. Students who are unwell should not attend school.

ASSESSMENT & REPORTING Teachers provide current and accurate information to parents regarding their child’s progress. A variety of means is used to achieve this aim, including Information Evenings, Parent/Teacher conversations as well as Interim, Mid-Year and End of Year reports. However, we have an open door policy that encourages parents to talk to their child’s teacher at any time regarding concerns they may have. As it is often difficult to speak with parents during school hours, we ask you to make an appointment for a confidential talk with the teacher. There will be three written reports and at least one formal meeting with parents in each academic year. The written reports will include comments from your child’s teachers and assessments against the Australian Curriculum. Children in Kindergarten are assessed against the Kindergarten Development Check (KDC) for early identification of specific learning needs prior to their full-time schooling. Children in Prep complete the Performance Indicators in Primary Schools (PIPS) at the beginning and end of the year to provide baseline assessment for their learning in comparison to their peers. The school has a regime of regular testing, particularly for literacy and numeracy outcomes that allows for data collection, analysis and learning review. Students in Grades 3, 5, 7 and 9 are involved each year in NAPLAN testing in areas of literacy and numeracy. This provides the school and teachers with data to inform our planning.

SCHOOL BANKING Students are invited to open a Commonwealth or Bendigo Bank Account through the school. Bank day is Wednesday. Students hand their bankbook and their money to their class teacher before school on that day and it will be returned when our co-ordinator has finalised the banking.

BICYCLES Students are encouraged to ride bicycles to school but must wear an approved safety helmet. Bikes must not be ridden within the school grounds. Students Bicycle racks are located behind the music room.

BREAKFAST PROGRAM The school, in conjunction with community volunteers, conduct a Breakfast Program. This program is available to all students every morning, Monday to Friday. Toast, cereal, yoghurt, fresh fruit and hot chocolate are served from 8:30am in the Foods Room. BUSES Bus services are currently contracted to East Coast Coaches (Pyke’s) (Buckland, Spring Beach and Orford) and (Little Swanport and Swansea). Buckland, Orford, Spring Beach: 8.09 am Pyke’s Departs Buckland Shop School (8.25 am) and stops at Scorchers (8:30 am) to meet Pyke’s connecting bus. 8:30 am Pyke’s departs Scorchers to Alma Road bus shelter, Barton Avenue and arrives at TDS between 8.40 am – 8.45 am. 3.05 pm Departs TDS, stops at Barton Avenue, East Coaster corner, Orford Roadhouse and Scorchers. Swansea, Little Swanport: 7.25 am Departs depot and collects students from various stops along Maria Street, outside Morris’s Store and the corner of and Julia Street. 7.50 am Various stops collecting students roadside along the Tasman Highway, as organised. Arrives TDS 8.30 am. 3.05 pm Departs TDS, arriving Swansea approximately 4.00 pm. On rare occasions buses may be running late due to road works, traffic or school excursions. The school apologises for any inconvenience this may cause. BUS – TRIABUNNA SCHOOL The school have two 12 seater buses that are used to provide transport for a wide range of school programs and excursions. Students are expected to meet all regular school behavioural expectations whilst travelling as passengers on these buses. CANTEEN Our School Canteen achieved Tasmanian Canteen Association Gold Accreditation in 2018. In 2019, the school canteen was awarded winners of ‘The Minister for Education’s Award for Best Whole School Approach to Healthy Eating’, ‘Canteen Manager of the Year Award’, Co-Winner of the ‘Environmentally Friendly Canteen Award’ and ‘Canteen Volunteer of the Year Award’. The canteen is managed by Tamara Butcher with the support from volunteer Fiona Hutchins and is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday selling a wide range of nutritious lunches, healthy snacks and drinks. The canteen menu is updated fortnightly and added into the school newsletter and on the school Facebook page. Students can place their order on the day.

CAR PARKING We encourage students to walk to school wherever possible as this provides them with exercise and reduces potentially dangerous traffic in the streets around the school. However, if students are to be dropped off and collected, parents and visitors are reminded of the school zones in Melbourne Street and Vicary Street. Please ensure you do not park within the school crossing zones and are particularly careful of younger children around the bus zone. It is always the best idea to leave your vehicle and move to the school side to assist younger children to safely cross the road.

CARE OF PROPERTY Each secondary student will be allocated a personal locker for the safe storage of their school books and personal property and it is expected that these lockers are secured. A combination lock is available to purchase for $15 per annum or students can provide their own lock.

CHILD PROTECTION It is law that the Principal and all staff are mandatory reporters of suspected physical, emotional or sexual maltreatment and neglect of children. As such, these cases are referred to Safe Homes, Safe Families Services for further investigation.

CURRICULUM All areas of the Australian curriculum are valued and important. The use of its structure and assessment frameworks will include English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Health and Physical Education, The Arts and Technologies, and Work Studies.

The Department of Education continues to specify minimum requirements for curriculum provision to satisfy national educational agreements and state reporting commitments.

English, Mathematics, Science, History, Health & Wellbeing and Geography are mandated in all years of schooling. Work Studies is delivered directly to Grade 9 and 10, and My Education is embedded into the curriculum for other grades. Students receive reports with written comments and moderated assessment against the current Curriculum frameworks in these learning areas. We also report against the Art, Music and Technologies curriculum.

All curriculum areas emphasise the development of knowledge, skills and understanding; and the importance of inquiry literacy, numeracy, thinking critically and ICT.

The curriculum provides a sound basis for students’ personal growth, further learning and work, and preparation for the opportunities and challenges of living in a complex world.

Primary Curriculum The learning areas of the Primary curriculum are provided by both regular classroom teachers and specialist teachers from the Secondary section. Primary students participate in specialist Art, Physical Education and Music lessons on a weekly timetable. Also, Kitchen Garden sessions are on a rotation basis. Primary students also have the opportunity to access specialist musical tuition, sing in the school choir and perform at school assemblies and in school productions.

Secondary Curriculum All secondary students have an allocation of ‘core’ subjects that include English, Maths, Science, History and Health and Wellbeing. They are encouraged through all these lessons to become proficient users of Information Technologies and to become inquiring, independent and reflective thinkers. In addition to their core subjects, Secondary students will also have the opportunity to select options that suit their own personal interests and talents. These vary from year to year depending on interest and ability to provide qualified teachers and have included subjects such as MDT, Art, Design and Digital Media, Music, Physical Education, Foods, Explore the Coast, Child Studies, Outdoor Education, Tech Time, Maths Extended, Athlete Development, Girls Power, World Football and Science Extended.

FACEBOOK Triabunna School operates a Facebook page to allow a wider and more diverse interaction with our community. Photos and items from our school’s programs are regularly posted. The site is publicly available. Administrators closely monitor the site for any inappropriate activity.

HARVEST FESTIVAL Our biannual Harvest Festival is the school’s celebration of our year’s successes and an opportunity to showcase the produce from both our Explore the Coast and Agriculture programs. We provide a collection of entertainment, kids’ rides and activities to our community free-of-charge. A selection of local food and wine, incorporating our own produce, is available for purchase and enjoyment. The event is held toward the end of Term 4 and, with the help of our wider community, provides additional fund-raising opportunities for our school. In 2018 the Harvest Festival was cancelled due to inclement weather and it was decided to amalgamate with the Flower and Craft Show in 2019.

HOMEWORK At Triabunna, we believe homework plays an important part in a student’s academic success. Homework provides students with an opportunity to develop self-discipline, independent work habits and good time management skills.

Homework in the Primary section will usually include such things as home reading programs and spelling practise. In the Secondary section, all students are expected to manage their school schedules and homework through the use of their school planner. Students are expected to have the planners viewed and signed by parents each week. Homework will usually form a logical extension to the work done in class or is required due to incomplete work during class time. If a student is unable to complete homework, please communicate with the teacher at the first available opportunity. Please contact us if there are any concerns regarding homework.

HOUSES Each student is placed in one of the school’s House Teams – Freycinet (Yellow), Maria (Green) or Rheban (White). Senior Secondary and Upper Primary students have the opportunity to nominate for the positions of House Captain each year.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES Our school prides itself on ensuring our learning programs encompass all modes of delivery; keeping pace with Information Technologies. Triabunna is one of the first towns in connected to the NBN and our school endeavours to make the most of this technology for learning. Every Primary class has a fully interactive whiteboard, as do our core subject secondary classes. Our school is completely wireless capable, facilitating the use of our 3 mobile labs of 50 laptops. In recent times, IPAD technology has been used for both remedial and extension support.

LAUNCHING INTO LEARNING The State Government and Education Department jointly recognize the importance of providing pre- school learning opportunities and programs for children from Birth – 5 years. As a result of this additional funding Triabunna school runs three programs: Pre–Kinder, Li’l Tackers and Li’l Bundles. Pre-Kinder in 2020 will run on a Monday and is for children turning 4 years in 2020. Li’l Tackers will run on a Tuesday and is a Birth to 5 years program. Li’l Bundles is our Baby Group and will run on a monthy.

These Launching into Learning (LiL) Programs provide the younger children of our community with a variety of learning experiences and their parents with an opportunity to network and develop friendships with other mothers and fathers of young children in our community.

A brochure outlining the current LiL programs is available from the school office as well as East Coast Health and the Community Health Centre.

LEARNING IN FAMILIES TOGETHER (LIFT) Learning in Families Together (LIFT) is a Government initiative designed to support parents in sharing the learning of their school-aged early-learning children.

It will encourage family engagement, provide opportunities for parents to work alongside their children and develop their skills to help them support their children in learning.

In our school, this program reflects our belief that parents are the child’s first and most important teachers, and that working collaboratively we can increase outcomes in literacy, numeracy and learning development. LIFT sessions will be held during the year and include such activities as story- time, educational games and activities to involve parents.

LEARNING & STUDENT SUPPORT Learning support is available across the school. It offers a wide range of assistance for students who are having difficulties and may need some extra support both academically and socially at school. Learning Services provide our school with a Support Teacher, School Psychologist, Social Worker and Speech Pathologist. Teachers can refer students at any time during the year. Parents are asked to sign a permission form for some of these referrals.

During 2020 we will have additional resourcing to employ a Literacy Coach across the school to provide additional support for teachers.

LIBRARY Triabunna District School has a well-stocked library with a large collection of fiction and non-fiction books. All classes access the library for book borrowing and reference materials.

State-of-the-art teleconferencing technology is installed in our Library allowing additional, easy access to specialists, on-line learning and flexible delivery.

LOST PROPERTY Parents are strongly encouraged to clearly name all belongings to enable prompt return of lost property. If property cannot be located, please check the lost property collection that is held at the office. We are confident that students who locate unnamed clothing or valuables will hand them into classroom teachers or the school office.

MONA 24 CARROT GARDEN PROGRAM The MONA 24 Carrot Garden Program is about sowing seeds of lifelong learning as well as health and wellbeing, while supporting sustainable practices in school communities. The focus includes good nutrition and pleasurable eating through the growing, harvesting and preparing of Kitchen Garden produce in our school.

We are grateful for the generous support of MONA and the Graeme Wood Foundation for the provision of philanthropic funding to see the establishment of a purpose built kitchen garden here at Triabunna School.

Many hours of work have gone into the establishment of our wonderful garden, and all Kinder to Grade 6 students have the opportunity to work in the garden with Grades 3-6 having the opportunity to cook produce on a rotational basis.

PARENT AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION Being involved in your child's schooling adds richness to their experience and sends a clear message that their education is important to you. Your child will do much better in school if you are actively involved in their education and if you are as informed as possible about the education system.

Our school continues to strive for strong relationships between parents, staff and the wider community. There are a variety of ways to participate in the life of the school. We have an active School Association that regularly meets.

We also encourage parents to become involved in their child’s learning, this can be done by engaging in Parent Help for your child’s class, and we welcome assistance on excursions and at Sports Carnivals etc. Parents and community members involved in directly assisting students in class or on excursions must have a current Working with Vulnerable Persons (WWVP) card before commencing in these roles. School newsletters are a great way to find out about activities you can be involved in, as well as what is happening at the school. The newsletter can be sent home with the youngest enrolled child fortnightly on Tuesday, however we encourage families to register for a digital copy to be emailed directly to them. The school sign (located on Vicary Street) also provides parents and the community with information relevant to the school diary, as does the school Facebook Page. We invite community members to share their varied skills with our student group. We will strongly support the integration of community programs to provide our students with access to a variety of skills, mentors and learning opportunities.

SCHOOL ASSOCIATION Triabunna School has a School Association that meets approximately twice a term. The School Association focuses on providing a forum for parental contribution to policy and budgeting decisions. Nominations for these positions are called for in the school newsletter at the beginning of the year.

SPORT Students at Triabunna have many opportunities to develop their sporting interests and skills. Our curriculum ensures that every student has a scheduled Physical Education class during their week. They also have access to sports equipment and our grounds include active play equipment, open spaces, football field, cricket pitches, netball and basketball courts. Our Primary classes also participate in a Daily PE program organised by our senior primary classes. During the year we have Inter-house sports events that include Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming and Surf Carnivals. Students have the opportunity to participate in inter-school competitions including SPSSA and Inter-High Carnivals in Athletics, Cross Country, Swimming and Triathlon. Selected students are sent to trials for District Football and Netball teams. Our Secondary students are invited to participate in RecLink football games throughout the year. This is a positive team orientated opportunity. Each year Primary students in Grade 3-6 participate in a Water Safety and Swim program that is conducted in and all Kinder to Grade 6 students participate in a “Learn to Beach” program delivered at a local beach. Our Outdoor Education program allows Secondary students to participate in a variety of challenging sports including camping, bike riding, rock climbing, sailing, bushwalking, surfing and sailing. We also have close relationships with the local Triabunna Junior Football Club, Spring Bay Netball Association and Nippers Surf Life Saving Program that encourages our students to participate in organised team sports and rostered competitions.

SPORTING SCHOOLS The Sporting Schools Program is incorporated into our curriculum timetable with Health and Physical Education. It is delivered during school times. We endeavour to work with community sporting groups to offer a diverse and engaging selection of fun and healthy activities for students throughout the year. Previous sessions have included bike riding, surfing, soccer, sailing, lawn bowls, golf, cricket, tennis, football, basketball and gymnastics, just to name a few.

SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT At Triabunna District School there is an emphasis on creating and maintaining a supportive school environment. This involves encouraging all students to accept responsibility for their actions and making appropriate choices in relation to their behaviour. We want to provide a caring environment to ensure the physical and emotional safety that optimizes learning.

We want to build self-esteem and personal growth and to protect the rights of students and staff. As the majority of our students are very well behaved, work hard and treat each other with respect our preferred emphasis is on rewarding positive behaviour and contribution to our school. However, misbehaviour from one or two students can quickly distract the class and lead to the detriment of learning. For this reason we have a Positive Behaviour Policy that outlines the strategies and procedures that will be followed to manage these incidents.

When a student is finding it difficult to engage in the learning program, conversations will be held with the student, and parents if necessary, to determine if there are other underlying educational, emotional or social issues that may need the assistance of other school services, such as the Social Worker or School Psychologist, to help the student with support and counselling. The school has Anti-Bullying and Anti-Harassment Policies, as well as student computer usage, BYOD and mobile phone usage policies. Our influence on students may be great but cannot be compared with the importance of their parents, carers and family. We expect that home will reinforce our expectations of behaviour and support management decisions that are necessary when school rules are not followed. We hope that families will work closely with the school to achieve the best outcomes for our students. Our agreed new School Values are:

 RESPECT - We value ourselves and others We care about our surroundings and our community

 GROWTH - We aspire to do our best We understand that learning is a lifelong process

 RESILIENCE - We persist when things become difficult We accept and adapt to change

THE ARTS Triabunna District School has a commitment to ensure students enjoy and express themselves using the Arts. All Primary classes have one specialist Music lesson and one specialist Visual Art lesson a week. They have the opportunity to share the facilities, expertise and equipment of the Secondary section of the school.

Our Music room allows for the provision of individual rehearsal rooms and the ongoing purchase of equipment means we have considerable amounts of instruments and modern recording and performing equipment.

Secondary students have the option of Music and Visual Art classes. Over the years we have had a collection of bands, choirs and drama teams that have performed publicly at assemblies, school productions and local community events.

TRANSITION FROM GRADE 10 The staff and management of our school are passionate about providing our young adults with learning experiences that will assist them to make a smooth transition from Grade 10 to further education, training or employment. We encourage them to consider their future pathways and work with the programs we provide to help them succeed in whichever area they choose.

At Triabunna we offer programs that encompass: • Work Experience • Ongoing work placements • Transition visits to Rosny College and • UTAS • Simulated job interviews • School based traineeships/apprenticeships • First Aid Courses • City Orientation Programs

Triabunna District School is a part of the teggana collective, a group of schools working together to improve retention rates and academic outcomes for students in years 11 and 12. As a member of this coalition we are committed to the following: • Ensuring that there is a strong and supportive transition program for students looking to enrol at Triabunna District School, Rosny College or one of the collective schools. • Case manage the enrolment of students for year 11 and 12 at Triabunna District School. This can include supporting students to achieve their TCE while undertaking a school based traineeship or apprenticeship.

UNIFORM In 2020, a new style uniform will be introduced. The School Association encourages all students to wear complete, recommended school uniform. We will do everything possible to assist families in achieving this goal. Most uniform items can be ordered from the school office. A supply of good, second-hand uniform items are available at the school by contacting the office.

The school is happy to accept second-hand uniforms in suitable condition from school leavers and students who have outgrown their uniforms. When students are unable to wear uniform a note should be presented to the class teacher.

Uniform items consist of the following: • New style bottle green/yellow polo top with embroidered logo • New style sports shirt • New style bottle green/yellow hoodie with embroidered logo • Polar fleece bottle green ½ zip jumper with embroidered logo • Green softshell jacket • Girl’s summer school dress • Trousers, sport track pants, shorts, ¾ length trousers to be plain black in colour • Shoes of black or white colour – fully enclosed • Hats – black bucket hat

Jewellery, including body piercing, is to be kept to a minimum and must be unobtrusive due to Occupational Health and Safety issues.

Adherence to the School’s uniform policy relies on the goodwill and support of parents.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Triabunna District School 15 Melbourne Street Triabunna TAS 7190

Telephone: 03 6257 3199 Email: [email protected] Acting Principal: Mrs Tanya Britton School Business Manager: Mrs Noelene Spencer Administration Clerks: Mrs Annette Miezitis Miss Tiarni Wrigley