HATTON VALE STATE SCHOOL PREP INFORMATION HANDBOOK Believe and you will dare to become! Hannant Road Hatton Vale QLD 4341 School Office: 07 5460 4333 School Fax: 07 5460 4300 Student Absence Line: 5460 4360 Email: [email protected] Website: www.hattvaless.eq.edu.au Believe and you will dare to become Welcome to Hatton Vale Welcome to our Prep students and their families. We are delighted that you have chosen to join our Hatton Vale School Community. At Hatton Vale, we believe learning should be fun, exciting and challenging. We aim to build upon the skills and knowledge your child brings with them to Prep. We have a caring and committed teaching and support staff who will assist your child from Prep to Year 6. We work together to ensure your child experiences school as a happy and safe sanctuary for learning. We have a very supportive parent community with an active P&C who raise valuable funds for our children. The P&C have been providing resources to our children for years including airconditioning in every classroom, digital cameras, scanners and microphones, printers and excursion subsides. Please consider volunteering some of your time to help our wonderful P&C. We look forward to working with you as your child grows and develops throughout the year. Enjoy your first year of school and welcome to the Hatton Vale community. Ashley Lawless Janet Smith Principal Deputy Principal Believe and you will dare to become School Day Before School All children in Prep are to be dropped off and signed in by a parent/carer or responsible adult. When you arrive at school, please wait in the covered area at the front of the Prep classrooms. Children are not allowed to play on the Prep playground at this time as they are not supervised by teaching staff. SCHOOL WEEK - MONDAY to FRIDAY School day commences 8:40 am Classroom instruction commences 8:45 am First break for all classes 11:00am ---11:45am Eating time in Prep outdoor area 11.00am – 11.20am Second break for all classes 1:15 pm ---1.45 pm Eating time in Prep outdoor area 1:15pm – 1:30 School day concludes 2:.45 pm After School All children in Prep are to be collected and signed out daily from the Prep classrooms by a parent/carer or responsible adult. Wait in the same area where you gather before school. You will be invited into the classroom to collect your child. No child is allowed to leave the room so ensure you arrange to come and collect your child or advise the teachers of the person coming in the afternoon. This is for the safety of all of our Prep children. Important Note If your child is catching one of our three buses, the teachers must be advised. If your child is attending our Outside School Hours Care Program or a neighbouring centre, they will be collected from the Prep classroom. If a different person is collecting your child, the teaching staff must be advised. Believe and you will dare to become Important Dates Queensland term dates – 2018 Queensland term dates - 2018 Term Dates Length Term 1 Monday 22 January – Friday 29 March 10 weeks Term 2 Tuesday 17 April – Friday 29 June 11 weeks Term 3 Monday 16 July – Friday 21 September 10 weeks Term 4 Tuesday 8 October – Friday 14 December 10 weeks Public Holidays for 2017 • Australia Day – Thursday 26th January 2018 • Good Friday – Friday 30th of March 2018 • Easter Monday – Monday 2nd of April 2018 • ANZAC Day – Tuesday 25th April 2018 • Labour Day – Monday 7th May 2018 • Royal Queensland Show Holiday Monday 13th August 2018 • Queen’s Birthday – Monday 1st October 2018 Student Free Days 2017 • 18th and 19th of Janurary 2018 • 11th, 12th, 13th and 16th of April 2018 • 22nd of October 2018 Believe and you will dare to become About Hatton Vale Hatton Vale originated from an initiative by our earliest settlers eager for education for their children. On the 6th September 1880 a school was established in the private residence of Joseph Steffan. On the 1st January 1881 a school was opened under the administration of the Department of Public Instruction being school no 390 in the State of Queensland. Mr Williams was the first teacher. With a growing enrolment and minimum space and a road that was impassable in wet weather, it became necessary to move the school to a different location. The school was moved and reopened, on what is now the old location on the Warrego Highway opposite Summerholm Road. It opened on 1 September 1905. In 1995, construction commenced on the present site of Hatton Vale State School of a new $5.5 million school. The school moved from the Warrego Highway site with 120 students and started the new year (1996) with 220 students at the current site. We currently have an enrolment of just under 440 students. The school now boasts a kindergarten, three purpose-built Prep learning areas, seven Years 1 to 3 learning areas, six Years 4 to 6 learning areas, a Student Services Support block with Special Education Facilities, a Cultural/Arts Centre, a stimulating new Resource Centre, an indoor Sports Complex along with outdoor play areas, a dam and a school oval in a natural bush setting. The school has a dedicated and professional staff, including a full-time Principal and Deputy Principal, Head of Curriculum, eighteen classroom teachers, specialist Health and Physical Education, Music, Instrumental, eLearning and Teacher Librarian. Our support staff include a Head of Special Education Services, a Guidance Officer, Support Teacher Literacy and Numeracy, Chaplain and a number of very experienced Special Education Teachers. We are extremely fortunate to have very experienced, highly-skilled teacher aides, a Business Services Manager who oversees all budget and facilities management and our administrative support staff; wonderful cleaners and an excellent school’s officer who keeps our grounds and school looking fantastic. Believe and you will dare to become Our School Pledge I pledge today to do my best In reading, math and all the rest. I promise to obey the rules, In my class and in our school. I’ll respect myself and others too, I’ll expect the best in all I do. I’m here to learn all I can, To try my best and be all I am. Believe and you will dare to become Our Hatton Vale Expectations Treat others as you want to be treated • Follow directions immediately • Speak kindly • Take care of yourself, property, others and spaces • Accept differences Think before you act • Use equipment properly • Move around the room carefully • Be in the right place at the right time • Consider your actions and the re-actions Do your best • Be prepared to learn • Give everything a go A Lear • Stay focused on the task • Be considerate of other’s learning Make good choices • Consider your actions and the re-actions • Take ownership of your choices • Accept rewards and consequences Believe and you will dare to become Our Code of School Behaviour Essential to effective learning is a safe, supportive and disciplined learning environment that respects: the rights of all students to learn; the rights of teachers to teach; and the rights of all to be safe. Our School provides a safe, supportive and disciplined learning environment through a consistent standard of behaviour inclusive of students, staff and parents. Our four expectations of ‘Being a Learner, Being Respectful, Being Responsible and Being Safe’ apply to both the classroom and the playground. Our staff model and practise fair, equitable, non-discriminatory language and behaviours and provide positive support to promote high standards of achievement and behaviour. Our Prep teachers work collaboratively with students and parents to maximise the educational and social outcomes of all students through identification and reduction of barriers to learning, especially for those vulnerable to marginalisation and exclusion. As part of our Code of School Behaviour, our Prep teachers have a buddy class. As part of the consequences for inappropriate behaviour, your child may be sent to their buddy class or to the Reflection Room. Parents will be advised if there are repeated referrals to a buddy class or for any referral to the Reflection Room. We have a zero tolerance on bullying and any incidents in the playground or classroom will be dealt with in a timely, efficient manner. Please refer to our school handout on our Hatton Vale State School Expectations and Management Plan or the full Code of School Behaviour on our school website. Rewards Day Students from Prep to Year 6 participate in a Rewards Day at the end of each term to recognise and reward those students following the school expectations of Being a Learner, Being Responsible, Being Respectful and Being Safe. This Rewards Day will usually occur in the last week of each term and will generally occur on the school premises. Examples include a movie show with popcorn, disco with drink, water slide, bike/cycle activity or visit from a special guest. Suspensions / Exclusions Similarly, inappropriate behaviours may result in a child being suspended or excluded from the school. In the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, Prep children are considered to be enrolled in a school and subsequently can be suspended or excluded even if the program is not compulsory. During a suspension children will be provided with suitable work from the Prep teacher. A re-entry meeting must be attended by the student and parent/carer on return from suspension. Believe and you will dare to become Getting Ready for Prep ü Name all your child’s school items.