Daily Routines

Class times

Class times
8:20am Staff supervision
8:40am School commences (Session 1)
10:50am First Break (Main lunch time)
11:25am School resumes (Session 2)
1:25pm Second Break
1:50pm School resumes (Session 3)
2:55pm Final dismissal

Our school has a 27.5-hour teaching week which is 2.5 hours longer than Education Queensland. These extra hours allow us the freedom to integrate and develop Religious Education without detracting from other subject areas.

Supervision by the staff of the school is defined as being between 8:20am and 3:20pm.

Attendance

Regular attendance is compulsory by law and is necessary if pupils are to gain the greatest possible benefit from school activities.

Absentees

If a student is absent for whatever reason, parents are asked to contact the school by 9am. It is school procedure to follow up on student absences which are unexplained. A courtesy text is sent at approximately 9:30am each day, if students have not been marked present on the roll by this time.

A note is also required if a student is unable to participate in any aspect of the school program (eg sports, physical education, etc).

Arrivals & Departures

As classes commence at 8:40am it is not necessary for students to be at school any earlier than 8:30am. It is important that students arrive at school before classes commence. Official supervision on school grounds does not begin until 8:20am and so parents are discouraged from leaving students on school grounds before this time. Students arriving early must sit in the undercover area and wait for the rostered teacher to commence duty.

Students who arrive to school after the 8:40am bell are required to be signed in by their parents and collect a late slip from the Office and hand this to the class teacher. They will then have their attendance marked. Regular late arrivals seriously hinder students’ learning and ability to develop regular routines and organisational skills.

Students are obliged to leave the school grounds immediately upon dismissal, unless waiting for the arrival of parents or buses. Students waiting to be collected by parents are required to wait beside the bus shelter in Alice St, or in front of the Office on Jack St. All students should be collected by 3:20pm at the latest. If parents are unavoidably detained, they should notify the school office.

Our duty of care prohibits us from allowing students to wait in any other areas. Play equipment and sandpits, etc. are also prohibited for this reason.

If, at any time, your child’s normal routine for departure is interrupted (e.g. has to be picked up by a neighbour or relative, or has to walk to someone’s place), please ensure that the school is aware of these changes.

Leaving School Ground

Children are not permitted to leave the school grounds during school hours including first break and/or second break.

Early Departures: For those students who need to be released prior to the close of school at 2:55pm, the Early Release Register, located in the School Office will need to be filled in giving details of time and reason for leaving early.

Medical Information

Accidents and Illnesses

When your child is enrolled at St Joseph’s’, we will seek information from you which will enable us to act, as far as possible, in accordance with your wishes in instances of an accident or illnesses involving your child. Should there be any changes to a student’s health details, please contact the school office so that our records can be kept up-to-date.

The school supplies First Aid Kits for teachers to deal with minor accidents which occur in the playground. In cases of severe accidents or sudden illness, the school will endeavour to contact parents, then the local Ambulance. If a parent is unavailable, the school will take steps to have the Ambulance transport the child to hospital if necessary.

Medication

Medication at school cannot be administered to any child without the correct parental consent forms being completed. All medication will be stored in a locked cupboard in the school office. Medication must have attached to it a sticker (original label) from a chemist with the individual child’s name, instructions for administering medicine, use by date, doctor’s name, phone number, pharmacy name and phone number. Non-prescribed medications should not be brought to school and will not be administered by school staff.

Exclusive Diseases

The following is a list of exclusion periods for infectious diseases for children and staff of day care facilities, schools and preschools published by the Tropical Public Health Unit – Queensland Department of Health.

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/426820/timeout_poster.pdf