What You Will Find On This Page

School Uniform Shop - Now School Run

Year 7 2024 Book Packs

Student Services

Absences, Late Arrivals, Early Leavers, Unwell at School

Busways School Bus Services - School Bus Ready Information Guide

Transport NSW - School Student Travel - 2024 school travel applications are now open

BYOD Information - All Years

School Uniform Shop - Now School Run

Our school has recently taken over the running of the uniform shop from Alinta and have made changes to the operating hours.

Our new shop hours are detailed below. The shop is located in A Block and may be accessed through the main entry gate near the Administration Office. You are required to QR code in as a visitor.

We currently have no online ordering available on our website but if you would like our Uniform Shop Coordinator to organise an order and pay online, please either email us at francisgre-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au or ring 4964 1282.

Days of Week	Opening Hours
Monday	8:00 am to 9:30 am
Tuesday	1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Thursday	1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Friday	1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Year 7 2024 Book Packs

If you have submitted all of the Year 7 enrolment paperwork which includes the enrolment form, birth certificate, proof of address and immunisation but haven't received your book pack for students starting Year 7 in 2024, they are available for pick up at the Administration Office now.

If you are unsure if you have provided all the necessary paperwork, please contact us on 4964 1282 between 8:15 am and 3:00 pm.

Student Services

Student Services is incorporated into the Administration Office and we provide services to students in a multitude of areas such as late to school, injured, sick or to pay money for excursions or school fees.

Have Your Details Changed?

It is imperative that yours and your child’s information is kept up to date in our system. If they are not up to date, especially in an emergency, and we are unable to contact you, it may cause extra stress on your child. This includes change of phone numbers, home address, email and emergency contacts.

If you’re unsure if your details are up to date, please fill out the Change of Details Form below and return to the Front Office or email to: f rancisgre-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Thank you for your support in our effort to have up-to-date records.

Absences, Late Arrivals, Early Leavers, Unwell at School

Absences

The school must be notified either in writing, verbally or via the Parent Portal as to why a student is absent from school. This must occur within a 7 day period immediately following the absence as records cannot be changed after this period has lapsed. If your child has been recorded as absent and your correct mobile number is on record, you will receive an SMS notifying you of your child’s absence. You can respond to this SMS to notify the school of their absence.

Late Arrivals

When arriving late, students must first report to the Student Services Office where they are signed in. A satisfactory explanation for their late arrival will be considered. Being late or sleeping in is not considered a satisfactory explanation. This is recorded as Explained - Unjustified. If no explanation is provided, the absence will be recorded as Unexplained -Unjustified. Upon arrival at Student Services, your child will be issued with a late note, which is to be sighted by the teacher of their first lesson. You will receive an SMS notifying you that your child was late to school. You can respond to this SMS to notify the school of the reason why they were late. If a satisfactory explanation has not been provided, the note then needs to be taken home and signed by a parent/carer and an explanation provided. This note must be returned to Student Services within 7 days.

Early Leavers

Students who need to leave early must provide a written explanation, which is to be signed by a Deputy and then taken to Student Services. An official Department slip will be issued at this time and must be presented to police or department personnel on request. Parents/Carers are to collect students from the Administration Office. All notes must contain - the student's name, year, date, reason for the absence, parent/carers signature and must be returned within 7 days. Changes to your child’s attendance record cannot be made after 7 days. sho

Unwell at School

If your child becomes ill at school, the classroom teacher will provide them with a pass. They will then need to report to their Deputy Principal. The Deputy Principal will approve their pass and send them to Student Services, who will make contact with parents/carers. All students and parents/carers are advised that our clinic is a First Aid station only. We do not have a trained nurse on duty.

Busways - School Bus Services

Busways is the bus operator that runs our school’s bus services, safely transporting students between home and school each school day.

Starting at a new school is exciting, nerve-wracking and includes a lot of change – to make it easier Busways has a School Bus Ready Toolkit to help parents prepare their child to confidently catch the bus to school.

School Bus Ready Information Guide

This guide includes information on the following topics:

How to apply for school travel passes
The benefits of bus travel
Bus timetables and routes
Safety on and around buses
Lost property

Download and share our School Bus Ready information guide

You can also contact Busways directly if you are interested to know about school bus timetables and ticketing via their website, h ttps://www.busways.com.au/nsw or you can contact the Busways customer service team by phone 1300 692 929 or email infoline@busways.com.au.

Transport Information for 2024

Important information from Transport NSW for students requiring travel passes has been included below.

2024 School Travel Applications Are Now Open

Students who need a new or replacement school travel pass for 2024 can apply now. A new application will need to be submitted if they are applying for the first time, or if they are requesting an additional travel entitlement because of a new shared parental arrangement (e.g. joint custody).

Students who change address, school, campus location, have repeated a year or received an expiry notification for their school travel entitlement should renew or update their details before the end of term 4. This will ensure that schools can endorse applications, and travel passes remain valid for the start of the 2024 school year. School Opal card holders will have the changes applied to their existing card.

If a student’s distance eligibility has changed based on their grade (i.e. grade two to grade three), the system will automatically update their entitlement if they meet the new criteria. If they do not meet the new eligibility criteria, we will send an expiry notification via email.

Students who have an entitlement approved under a medical condition that is due to expire will receive a notification advising them to re-apply.

Term Bus Pass holders will receive a notification to re-apply.

Students in the Opal network applying for an Opal card (including a Term Bus Pass) for the first time will receive their Student Opal card at their nominated postal address. Cards will be mailed out from January 2024.

Students living in rural and regional (R&R) areas should receive their travel pass at the start of the new school year from their nominated transport operator. It may come via the school or be sent directly to them at home. Note: some R&R operators do not issue travel passes. Students/parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.

Travel from Term 1 2024

We ask that parents plan ahead and make sure their child knows which service/s to use and has a valid ticket to travel; a School Travel Pass, from the start of the school year.

Applications for 2024 School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS) travel open at the start of Term 4 2023, so parents/students can apply or update details early and be ready for the start of the new school year.

Most students using the Opal network will not need a new Opal card and can continue travelling on their existing card each year.

The start of the year is a busy period for local transport operators, and students travelling without a valid ticket make service planning and operations difficult.

We recognise that for some families last minute changes to school enrolments mean they may not have a School Opal card or Travel Pass for the start of term. In the Opal network, we strongly encourage these families to have their children travel with a Child/Youth Opal card until they receive their valid School Opal card. If outside Greater Sydney, parents should contact their local bus operator to discuss their travel needs.

Bus operators are flexible and understanding, particularly at the start of the school year, and will ensure students can travel safely to and from school. But to best support our operators we encourage all students to have a valid ticket, as early as possible, from the start of the school year.

Students using School Opal cards are also reminded that they must tap on and tap off in line with the Student code of conduct and Opal terms of use.

BYOD Information - All Years

Corina Smith

Business Manager

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