Communication

We believe that open communication is important to foster and maintain positive and productive relationships between residential staff, families and students.

Residential staff will communicate with parents at the beginning of the year and during term time about how their son or daughter is settling in and coping with life away from home. Parents are encouraged to contact Walker staff at any time to discuss any issues of concern, or indeed to pass on any positive comments.

Several forms will require completion before a student begins boarding. The information they provide is used to ensure that each individual receives the best possible care at the boarding house.

They are:

Medical Consent Form

The form must be completed very carefully. Information from this form will be used by us to complete the Operoo profile of a resident. This allows for a student to participate in excursions. Please take the opportunity to contact us personally if you have any other questions or concerns. The more we know about your child, the better we can care for them.

Activities Consent Form

Walker House staff regularly organise and conduct social activities for students. Students will also organise their own activities during free time. Parents are asked to indicate which activities they give permission for their child to participate in. All activities are risk assessed for safety and suitability.

Transport Consent Form

This is an important document. Walker House staff are authorised by the School to transport students in School approved vehicles to and from School approved activities and events. These events may include medical appointments and co-curricular and leisure activities throughout the week and on weekends. On occasion, staff may rely on the assistance of other parents or adults to transport students. As the parent in locus, permission to travel with others is granted by senior Walker staff. Staff will take into consideration factors such as the experience of the driver, the ability of the student to get to the event independently, and the distance and time of travel.

Driving and Travelling in Cars

If a boarder, with a driver’s license, wishes to drive a car and parents wish them to do so, the Head of Boarding must have/ receive a written request from the parents. If permission is granted, the keys to the vehicle must be handed into the office where the keys will be stored within the safe.

We request that NO boarding student travels as a passenger in a vehicle driven by another student, unless special permission has been granted by the Head of Boarding, in conjunction with parents.

Use of Visual Images

In recording Walker House events and activities, informing the public and promoting the School, we regularly use images of students and staff. In particular, we use images of students in:

Focus (School newspaper) 

Echoes (School magazine) 

School website

School calendar

The Friends’ School social media pages

‘Walker House’ Google Classroom

Several of these sites and publications can potentially be accessed worldwide and permission from parents is sought to use these images.

School Insurance for Computers

The School issues each student with an Apple Macintosh Laptop. This computer is insured by the School within Tasmania. We understand that students living outside Tasmania may need to take their computers home during holiday breaks. If a student takes the laptop home during the holiday breaks, parents must pay for any repair or replacement costs. This form provides parental consent for this to happen.

We ask that you notify us of any changes to the information contained in these forms and contact the Director of Residence if you would like to discuss any aspect of these forms.