Community News

SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUB ORDERS

DRINK BOTTLES

Please make sure all students bring a labelled drink bottle to school, which can be refilled at the taps.  We have had to hand out a number of plastic drink cups to students who have forgotten their drink bottles, which isn't very friendly for the environment.

MEDICATION

There are times when your child will require medication during school hours. If this happens, the medication needs to be brought to the office, and a medication authority form must be filled out by a parent or guardian.  Students must not keep medication in their bags.  Thank you.

UNIFORM LABELLING

Please ensure that all clothing items are labelled clearly.  Children quite often put on a jumper belonging to someone else.  Show your child where you have named their clothing, so they know to look for their name before putting an item of clothing on or in their bag to take home.  Remember that the washing machine removes names slowly over time, so check occasionally to make sure the name is still visible.  If your child comes home with someone else's clothing item, please return it to the school the next day.

MOBILE PHONES AT SCHOOL

Under Department of Education requirements, mobile phones are not to be used at Government schools within Victoria. This also includes the use of Smart Watches.

At Pakenham Springs Primary School, we support this ban on the use of mobile phones and similar electronic devices at the school for three reasons:

• the disruption that they can cause to the learning environment of students

• the potential risk of misuse by the owner

• the possibility that they can be stolen and misused by other students

Should an emergency situation occur at the school or whilst on a camp, excursion or extra-curricular activity, the student should report immediately to the teacher in charge, who will be responsible for taking the required action and managing the action required.

Should a parent/carer need to contact their child in an emergency situation, contact should be made with the school office so that the information can be managed in such a way that it can be appropriately passed on to the student to minimise any distress caused.

Pakenham Springs accepts that parents/carers may feel the need to give their children mobile phones to protect them from everyday risks involving personal security and safety, such as when travelling alone on public transport or commuting long distances to school. If students are required to bring their mobile devices to school, they should be switched off as soon as they enter the school grounds and handed in to the classroom teacher, where they will be stored safely until the end of the day.

Where a child is discovered to have a mobile phone on their person at school, the teacher will refer the matter to a member of the Principal Class. That staff member will ensure that the mobile phone is stored in the office, and a parent/carer may collect it at the end of the school day.