From the Prin and the AP
Working as One: Keeping Communication Strong
Strong partnerships between home and school make a real difference for our children. At Golden Square Primary School, we value open, respectful and timely communication with our families. It is an important part of how we Work as One to support every child thrive in their learning journey.
Our Communication Between School and Our Families policy provides some simple guidelines that help us make sure communication is effective, respectful and manageable for everyone.
A few helpful reminders:
- We aim to respond within two school working days. Sometimes staff may need a little time to gather information or speak with others before they can provide a complete response.
- Teaching time is protected. Teachers are focused on their students during the school day and generally cannot take calls or meet with families while they are teaching. Our office team can help arrange a suitable time to talk.
- Staff are not expected to respond outside their normal working hours. An email sent in the evening or over the weekend may not be read at this time.
- Consider who is best placed to help. Directing your communication to the person most closely connected to the matter helps us respond efficiently and avoids confusion about who is following up.
Sometimes a conversation is better than an email. If something is complex or sensitive, a phone call or face-to-face conversation can often help us understand one another and work towards a solution more effectively.
Above all, we ask that communication across our school community reflects the values we want our children to see and experience every day - that is safe, kind and respectful.
There will inevitably be times when we need to ask questions, raise concerns, clarify something or work through a difference of opinion. These coverstaions are an important part of a strong school community. When we approach them with respect, a willingness to listen and a shared focus on what is best for our children, we strengthen the relationship between home and school.
Our full Communication Between Home and Our Families policy is available on the Policies page of our school website.
Inclusion at Our School
Fair doesn't always mean everyone gets the same thing. It means people get what they need to have a genuine opportunity to participate, learn and be successful.
Children notice when things are different. They’ll ask why someone gets to sit somewhere else, use a laptop, have a break or work with an adult, but one of the things that always impresses me, particularly at GSPS, is how accepting they are once they understand why. They are often very matter-of-fact about the fact that different people need different things to do their best, and tend to get on with it far more easily than adults sometimes expect.
That is really what inclusion is about. Sometimes students need adjustments, extra support or a slightly different way of doing something so they can take part and keep learning. The expectations are still there, but the support might look different from one child to the next.
Over the next few newsletters, we're going to cover some of what inclusion looks like at our school, including:
- What our Education Support staff actually do across a school day
- Why some students receive different adjustments or supports
- What happens in a Student Support Group meeting
- What the Disability Inclusion Profile process is and what it can lead to
- What inclusion looks like in the yard, in games and in friendships
It might also be worth a conversation at home: "Is there anything that helps you do your best work?" This could lead into a discussion about why what helps one person may not be the same as what helps someone else.