BRPS iNewsletter

Student & School Administration Reminders

The "Student Administration Reminders" page is a standing item in each newsletter and is an essential reference to support parents to navigate and manage important school processes. 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read and understand the following school processes and procedures. Your adherence to these will ensure  an effective and safe school and learning environment is maintained for all students.

Office Hours

A reminder that the school office hours are from 8.30-4.30pm. Outside of these times please leave a phone message or email the school. 

School Hours

Class Times

8.45am - 9.00am (soft start - see below)

9.00am - 11.00am

11.30am - 1.00pm 

2.00pm - 3.30pm

 

Break Times

11.00am - 11.30am (Recess)

1.00pm - 2.00pm (Lunch)

Absences, Late Arrival & Early Departure

Absences MUST be reported via Compass on the day of absence (early in the morning or ahead of time where possible).

 

Students arriving to school after 9.00am or leaving during school hours MUST be signed in/out by a parent/guardian via the Compass Kiosk at the Office. 

Students are required to collect a 'Late Pass' upon sign in, then hand directly to their teacher upon arrival at class. 

Early leaver's passes can be collected by parents when signing students out at the office, then handed to the teacher when collecting your from the teacher prior to 3.30pm.

 

Please use Compass to let us know if your child will be arriving late (this does NOT replace the requirement to sign your child in via the Kiosk). If you do not enter an approval note advising us that your child will be late and your child arrives at school after 10:00am, you will receive an SMS Notification: "Student Unaccounted For".

Volunteers & Visitors

If you are visiting the school for ANY reason between 9.00am and 3.30pm (with the exception of usual school pick-up/drop off), you must report your arrival and departure via the V-Pass iPads (NOT Compass Kiosk)  at the Office for Emergency Management purposes.

Online Consent/Payment for Excursions & Incursions

Notification of excursions and incursions requiring online consent/payment are posted to the Compass News Feed. If consent/payment for incursions and excursions (including sporting events) is not received by the due date via the appropriate Compass online consent form, your child will be unable to participate/attend.

Please note that if consent/payment is NOT completed by the 'due by date', you will no longer be able to provide consent/payment online. Please contact the office in this situation. 

Volunteers - Working with Children Check

If you have a current WWCC but have NOT presented it at the Office, please do so ASAP so that it can be photocopied and placed on file for the school records. Alternatively, a photo of both sides of your card may be emailed to:

black.rock.ps@education.vic.gov.au 

Anyone wishing to volunteer at Black Rock PS is required to provide a Working with Children Check. Checks are free and valid for 5 years! Apply online at:    http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/ 

School drop-off/pick-up supervision times & late arrivals/early departures

We appreciate parental/carer support in dropping students at school no earlier than 8.45am and picking up no later than 3.45pm. The school yard is not supervised by teachers outside the stated times.

The parents of students who are consistently observed on school grounds outside of supervision times may be kindly directed to register  at Out of Hours School Care,  or make alternative arrangements.

  • Students must NOT be left alone in the school grounds before 8.45am or after 3.45pm.
  • The 'Kiss N Go' zone on Arkaringa Crescent is for dropping/collecting your child within a two-minute time frame.
  • Parents and students are NOT permitted to walk through staff car parks OR use them for parking.
  • Riding of scooters, bikes, skateboards etc., is NOT permitted in the school grounds at drop-off or pick-up (school and non-school children).
  • Please be aware of our dog policy which is outlined on signs at all entrance points to the school.

 

Travelling to and from school

School traffic

As the new school year begins and our school population increases I’m also asking all members of our community to exercise caution, patience and respect when driving around our narrow streets at all times of the day. 

  • Consider if driving is the only option to get students to school, or are health enhancing, environmentally friendly options such as walking and cycling possibilities? Is car pooling an option?
  • Drive SLOWLY – 40km/h maximum please.
  • REFRAIN from parking in or across school and neighbouring driveways – even for a short amount of time.
  • Observe the 2-minute limit at the front of the school in Arkaringa Crescent – please do not park or even exit your vehicle in this zone at peak times.
  • Remain CALM, times of high anxiety or stress can lead to rash decisions or frayed tempers.
  • ALWAYS use designated school crossings and model safe behaviours to students at all times
  • NEVER enter staff carparks, either in a vehicle or by foot/bike/scooter.
  • REMEMBER that the space in front of the double gates to the oval on Cheltenham Road is often used by buses to collect and drop-off students for events at all times of the day.

COMPASS School Manager

Compass School Manager, through private and secure family portals, is our primary platform for communicating with families. We strongly recommend that parents install the native app on their mobile device (Apple iOs or Android) and set it up to receive notifications. This will allow instant and convenient access to all relevant school communications.

With many optional education events such as excursions, incursions and sporting events across all year levels beginning this week I encourage all parents to log on to Compass at your earliest convenience and ensure that all details and payments are up-to-date. Parents are also encouraged to check the Compass Calendar and News Feed often. 

 

Please take the time to read through the items on the following pages and contact the Office should you have any queries. However, I would particularly like to draw your attention to the following points:

  • It is very important to check the Compass News Feed and Calendar daily to stay informed of the latest news and upcoming events.
  • Absences MUST be reported via Compass on the day of absence (early in the morning or ahead of time where possible).
  • Online consent (always) & payment (when required) for incursions and excursions must be received by the due date in order for your child to participate/attend.
  •  

Are you being Sun Smart?

As in line with the school's policy, Term 1 is a SunSmart term. This requires all students to have the appropriate school wide-brimmed hat. These SunSmart hats are to be worn during all outside activities.

 

PERSONAL PROPERTY AT SCHOOL 

Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. Please note that the Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property. Please note that the Department has a statewide policy on mobile phone use in Victorian schools. Students are required to turn their phones off during school times and store securely in their bag. Phones can also be handed into the office for safekeeping in secure, lockable storage and then collected at the end of the day. 

 

UNIFORM/BELONGINGS

Please be vigilant in clearly naming all uniform items and personal belongings (lunch boxes, sports equipment etc.) This allows us to return any found items to the rightful owner.

 

UPDATING CONTACT DETAILS/MEDICAL 

We ask all families to please ensure that you have up to date contact details on Compass. This includes current address, phone numbers, emergency contact details etc. Also, any students who have a medical condition must have a current medical records at the office. Of most importance is to ensure Asthma, Diabetes, and Anaphylaxis management plans are up to date. These need to be signed off by your local doctor and are required to be updated annually.

 

ASTHMA

As part of our commitment to meeting our legislative requirements and the Schools Policy Advisory Guide, we require you to provide us with an updated Asthma Action Plan for your child. Asthma Action Plans should be reviewed annually. Please follow the link below to the new Asthma Action Plan for Victorians Schools, which has been specifically designed for schools to identify asthma signs and symptoms, and respond accordingly using the asthma medication device your child currently has at school. Once completed please return it to us as soon as possible with the appropriate medication and other device aids i.e. spacer device. Please make sure the medication is in date and any items are labelled with your child’s name. https://www.asthmaaustralia.org.au/vic/about-asthma/resources/victorian-action-plans

If your medical practitioner has informed you that your child has grown out of their asthma, they will need to provide a letter, on the practice letterhead to the school stating such.

Privacy Information for Parents and Carers

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on our website: BRPS Collection Statement 

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents.