Principal's Report
Dogs on school grounds
It has been brought to our attention that, on some occasions, multiple dogs have been on school grounds without being leashed. The safety of our students is our priority, and it is essential that all dogs on school grounds remain leashed and under the full control of their owners at all times.
Please refer to the following extract from our Dogs at School Policy:
PURPOSE
To explain to our school community the rules and procedures we have in place in relation to dogs attending our school grounds.
POLICY
Assistance dogs
Macedon Primary understands its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic) and will make reasonable adjustments for members of our school community with a disability who require an ‘assistance animal’ to help alleviate the effects of their disability. Assistance animals are permitted to attend our school with their handler. Our school principal can lawfully ask a person to produce evidence that an animal:
• is trained specifically to assist a person alleviate the effects of a disability (eg seeing eye dogs) • meets standards of hygiene and behaviour appropriate for a school environment.
We understand that in some circumstances, students may require an assistance animal to attend school to help them to participate in their educational program. Macedon Primary will consider a request by a student with a disability to allow an assistance animal to attend school with them on a case-by-case basis. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact the Principal on 5426 1518.
Pet dogs
Macedon Primary is not a public place, and our principal has the authority to permit or decline entry to school grounds and impose conditions of entry.
Dogs permitted with conditions
Whilst Macedon Primary understands that many families in our school community keep dogs as pets, to ensure that our school remains a safe and inclusive place for everyone, we have in place a number of rules that we expect all families to follow if they wish to bring their pet dog onto school grounds
• pet dogs must be leashed at all times and in the control of a responsible adult
• pet dogs must not be tied up on school grounds or left unaccompanied
• families that bring dogs to school that exhibit signs of aggressive behaviour, bark, or jump may be asked to leave.
• pet owners must clean up after their dogs.
The principal has the authority to prohibit certain dogs from school grounds or modify this policy to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff, students and members of our school community at any time.
Stray dogs
Unaccompanied or stray dogs sighted at our school should be reported immediately to the school office. School staff will contact municipal authorities and/or Victoria police for assistance in managing and removing a stray dog from school grounds, and ensure staff and students remain safe at school.
School Crossing Safety
We have recently been made aware that some parents are parking in unsafe areas during drop-off and pick-up times, including across school crossings.
Our designated drop-off zones are there to provide safe places for parents to drop off and collect their children. Please ensure you park only in designated areas and never stop or park across a school crossing.
Vehicles blocking the crossing can obstruct visibility and prevent our crossing supervisor from using the crossing safely, putting students and other pedestrians at risk.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our school community safe.
Year 5/6 camp update
The latest reports from Camp Howqua are that the students are having a fabulous time! The weather is beautiful, and Andrew has reported that the ‘Survivor Course’ is AWESOME!
They’re also eagerly looking forward to hitting the water slide today! 💦
Thank you,
Karren Baker
on behalf of Andrew Bloomfield