Catholic schools in the Cairns Diocese receive leadership and support in areas of policy and guideline formulation and implementation from CEDC – Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns. Policies and guidelines at St Augustine’s School are made in the context of those promulgated by the Cairns Diocese Education Board of Governance, the provisions of Canon Law and Government legislation relevant to the operation of schools.
Cairns Catholic Education’s Policies, Guidelines and Procedures can be found on the Cairns Catholic Education website.
Codes of Conduct for Parents and Volunteers and Employees, Grievance Policy and Procedures, Whistleblower Protection Policy and a range of other policies and guidelines that guide expected workplace behaviour can be found on the Conduct, Complaints & Grievances page of the Cairns Catholic Education website.
School Policies
Anti-Bullying
Behaviour Management (updated version to be sent)
Child & Youth Risk Management Strategy (updated version to be sent)
Rights & Responsibilities of Students, Staff & Parents
whole school poster classroom rules
Responsibilities
6_Step_ Positive Behaviour Support Flow Chart
Anti-Bullying
Parents only have to see the advertisements on television about bullies in the workplace to know that all communities suffer with bullies.
At St Augustine’s we have a ZERO tolerance for bullies. We address bullying in two ways:
- Students are taught social skills and how to co-operate through our “Second Steps” program
- We have a clear policy on playground supervision, counselling victims and bullies, consequences for bullying and the involvement of parents. This is a Restorative Practices policy.
Responsibilities
Social & Civic Responsibility
The responsibility of training and disciplining children rests with the parents. The primary function of St. Augustine’s School is to assist parents to help their children grow and mature in mind, character and spirit. It is important that parents hold their child accountable for what he or she does in school and are prepared to work in partnership with staff to seek solutions. Without this partnership between parents and school, children can come to think that home and school are unrelated areas of authority. We can best serve the children by working together.
There will at times be differences of opinions and situations that need discussion. When these occur, please contact the school to discuss the problem or arrange for an appointment to talk things over. As always discussions and sharing of ideas, disagreements and/or complaints should reflect our faith in action and will help support the child’s respect
for all.
Children’s Responsibilities / Duties
- You have a responsibility to learn about who Jesus is and to genuinely attempt to live your life according to the values of the Kingdom …mercy, justice and forgiveness.
- You have a responsibility to help make our school a good place to be: this means being thoughtful, respectful and courteous to others.
- You have a responsibility to allow others to work without being bothered. This means that you make good use of your time and respect the right of others to learn.
- You have a responsibility to complete your classroom assignments and homework.
- You have a responsibility to take care of property: this means that you take care of your own and school property and respect the property of others.
- You have a responsibility to come to school: this means that you come to school every day, on time, unless you are sick or have a special reason to be absent.
- You have a responsibility to know and obey school rules: this means observing all safety, playground and classroom rules.
- You have a responsibility to take school messages home: this means that it is important for you to take all school messages to your parents.
- You have a responsibility to practise good personal cleanliness: this means that you come to school clean and practise good health habits at school.
- You have a responsibility to keep your desk, room and school grounds tidy.
- You have a responsibility to show pride in your school by observing correct rules of behaviour to and from school.
- You have a responsibility to wear the correct uniform at all times, including when travelling to and from school.
- You have a responsibility to be sun-safe.
Guidelines
Safety
- Children are to travel directly to and from school and must use school paths for leaving the school grounds.
- Parents are reminded that cars must be parked in the designated parking bays outside the school.
- Parents’ cars are not permitted to be driven or parked on school grounds.
- No children are to congregate or be asked to wait outside the church at any time.
- Parents who wish to visit the school during school hours must report to the Administration Office.
If you need to collect your child from school early, please call at the office to collect an early departure card and take to the classroom teacher.
Student Health
To provide the safest learning environment, it is essential we have precise and up to date information to contact parents in an emergency.
It is the parents’ responsibility to notify the school immediately if there is any change to either your address, home phone number or work phone number. A parent’s emergency contact details can be updated on the Parent Portal or emailing details to the school
Student Care Insurance
Has your child had an accident or injury at school or in a school related activity such as inter-school sport or a school camp? If the answer is yes you may be entitled to claim for expenses under Catholic Education’s Student Care Insurance. It covers expenses such as medical costs (where the law allows), emergency transport, travel, home tuition and school fee relief.
For further information click the following link: https://ccinsurance.org.au/Insurance/Pages/Student-care-Information.aspx
Students who are ill
It is important your child attends school regularly however if your child is sick then your child should be kept away from the school. If your child has a recurring illness, please notify the Class Teacher. Parents will be contacted if a child is ill at school and arrangements will need to be made for the child to be collected.
Absence Notes
When a child is absent for any reason, parents need to write a note or email to the Class Teacher explaining the reason for the absence. This is required by law and as such all notes are filed at the school. It is also essential that the school is contacted early on the morning of your child’s absence; otherwise the school will make contact to check his/her attendance.
Illness and Accidents
When your child is enrolled we will seek information that will enable us to act, as far as possible, in accordance with your wishes. Parents are asked to fill in or update Health Record Cards and Emergency Information forms at the beginning of each year. If any changes occur during the year a note/email to the school is required, so that our records can be kept up to date.
The school has a First Aid Kit to deal with minor accidents that occur. In case of severe accidents or serious illness while at school, an ambulance is immediately called and parents are notified as soon as possible.
Medications
Any medication to be given during school hours will be administered by staff. We are unable to do this if the necessary forms, available at the office, are not completed. This is a requirement of the Workplace, Health and Safety Authority. This also includes the giving of paracetamol products.
If your child suffers from asthma it is strongly recommended that an inhaler is kept at school. Parents must complete an Asthma Management Plan.
Exclusive Diseases and Conditions
Children suffering from infectious diseases/conditions must be excluded from school. Parents will be informed of these exclusions by the medical service provider at the point of diagnosis and the school follows Health Department regulations in regard to this. Due to the contagious nature of a number of childhood diseases and their possible threat to other children or adults with compromised auto-immunity, it is appreciated if the earliest notification could be given to the school if your child has contracted an infectious disease.
Chicken Pox / Mumps | Until fully recovered |
Measles | At least seven days from the appearance of the rash. |
Whooping Cough | Four weeks at home and a Medical Certificate |
Impetigo (School Sores) | Sores must be covered and treated |
Scabies | Treatment, plus Medical Certificate |
Please also refer to the Recommended Exclusion Periods for Infectious Conditions produced by Queensland Health.
Head lice
In recent years, the incidence of head lice in schools has been increasing. Children suffering from head lice should be excluded until they have been treated. On discovery of infestation, parents are urged to follow the suggested treatment:
- Kill the lice by using a proprietary shampoo/lotion Eg. Quellada, Orange Medic or NixP
- Remove the eggs (nits) by regular combing with a fine-tooth comb.
- Prevent re-infestation by: (a) regularly checking every week (b) checking and treating other family members (c) cautioning children not to use others’ brushes or combs (d) wash all bed linen, towels, hats, combs, etc. with a germicidal solution
Head lice infestation is not a sign of poor standards of cleanliness. They are often found in hair that is washed. Lice can spread very quickly so:
- Don’t use other people’s combs
- Don’t use other people’s hats
For more information see the Head Lice Fact Sheet available on the Queensland Health Website.