Handbook

Phone Number
8846 2600

Fax
8846 2699

Email
DundasValley@parra.catholic.edu.au

Website
www.stbernadettesdundas.catholic.edu.au

Skoolbag App
Available via Apple App Store or Android App Store
(Google Play Store) for free.

At St Bernadette’s Dundas Valley, we come together as a learning community to nurture each person in a respectful atmosphere centred on the love of Christ.

Dear Parents,

Whether you are joining our school for the first time or are enrolling another child, we would like to welcome you to our school community.

Central to our mission as a Catholic school is the provision of a dynamic faith education program centred on the diocesan Religious Education program.

Our school continues to be very much a part of the parish with the constant support of our Parish Priest Fr Christopher Sharah, Fr Ruben and Fr Benedict in the life of the school, and the school’s continued involvement in parish based sacramental programs and Sunday liturgy.

We recognise that as parents you are the first and foremost educators of your children in faith and in life. As a school, we support and respond to your aspirations and welcome your involvement in many aspects of the school. We invite you to participate in parent evenings, as a parent helper for reading, sport or infants activities and in the work of the P & F. We welcome constant contact with your child’s class teacher through parent/teacher interviews, class visits and school events.

As we move forward, we are mindful of the need to cater for children within our care to the level that resources enable us to do so. To this end we are committed to the provision of quality education in all areas of curriculum. We provide quality programs for children with special learning needs. We have highly focussed literacy and numeracy programs as we endeavour to cater for the diverse learning needs and styles of all children. We continue to strive towards excellence.

Your child is so very special. Let us work in a mutually supportive partnership so that all can 'Come to learn, live and love' .

Michelle Yager
Principal

Arrival

• Supervision of children on the playground begins at 8:30am.
  
  

• Parents are able to drop their children off in Cox Crescent at the front of the school.  If this procedure is chosen, then parents must drop their child off at the school and continue on driving around the crescent. It is imperative for the safety of the children that parents do not make a u-turn in front of the school.
  
  

• Children are to wait in the Breezeway until collected by the teacher on duty. 
  
  

• Children crossing Evans Road are to use the crossing, with the Crossing Supervisor.
  
  

• In the interest and safety of the children, any children arriving before 8:30am should use the Catholic Out of School Hours Care (COSHC). A fee will apply.
  
  

• Students entering the school from Cox Crescent are to do so via the pedestrian gate. The driveway is in constant use and is not a pedestrian thoroughfare.

Dismissal

At 3:05pm all children will go to their designated areas:

• Bus line –These children will be accompanied by a teacher to the bus stop.
  
  

• Walkers - These children leave school grounds through the front gate and walk directly home. 
  
  

• Cox Crescent Drive Through line - Parents choosing the Cox Crescent Drive Through will drive to the end school driveway section of the crescent with their family name displayed on the dashboard of the car. (This sign will be supplied to all parents.)  The sign must not be put on the dashboard until outside the school area.  A member of staff will call the particular child and direct the child to their family car. If a child is not ‘ready’ the parent will be asked to continue around the crescent and ‘try again’!  Drivers are reminded not to obstruct any of our neighbours driveways.
  
  

• Pick Up line - Parents choosing to park their cars, will do so in the Church car park or other legal parking areas. In the interest of safety, when parking in the Church Car park, please make sure that you reverse into the space. Parents can then walk to the assembled children at the designated area to collect their child / children.  Once children have been dismissed from class and see their parents, they may leave the premises. No child is to walk to their family car alone.
  
  

• After School Care / COSHC – These children go directly to the COSHC Room.
  
  

• Children not collected by 3:30pm should use the COSHC. A fee will apply.
  
  

• If your child is being collected by someone other than a parent, please let your child’s teacher know in writing. Emergencies do occur but it is helpful if you ring the school office if an unexpected change in arrangements is necessary (8846 2600).
  
  

• For the safety of others, a high standard of conduct is encouraged and expected when students are waiting for their parents or bus to arrive. 

Application for free Bus travel

To be eligible for a School Opal card, students need to be NSW residents and may need to live a minimum distance away from their school:

• Years K-2 (Infants) there’s no minimum distance.

• Years 3-6 (Primary) 1.6km straight line distance of 2.3km walking or further.

Applications

Most students or parents won’t need to apply for the School Opal card.  The School Opal card will be sent to a student’s school automatically at the beginning of the new school year.

However, a new application is required if:

• The student is just starting school or has not had a pass for travel before.

• The student is progressing from Year 2 to 3, or Year 6 to 7.

• The student is changing schools, including going between primary and secondary school.

• The student’s personal details have changed.

•  Applications must be made by a parent for children aged 15 and under.

How to apply

• Complete the application at transportnsw.info/school-students.

• Print, sign and submit the form to the school for endorsement.

• The school will then forward the application for processing. Transport NSW will then send the School Opal card to the home address given in the application.

A brief whole school assembly is held on Monday morning at 8:55am. This assembly is led by school leaders and consists of Acknowledgement of Country, prayer, notices of upcoming events and the singing of our National Anthem.

School assemblies are held throughout the year. When scheduled, these assemblies are usually held on a Friday at 2:30pm in the School Hall.  Please check our Website, Skoolbag App and Newsletter for further details. All parents are welcome.

Students are required to attend school all day of every day that school is open. Regular attendance at school is essential for progress. Please send your child on time each day.

Where illness or another reason prevents a child’s attendance at school, parents are required to inform teachers in writing with the date of and the reason for the absence. To explain an absence parents and carers are to send a note, use the Skoolbag App, or email the school. This needs to be explained promptly within 7 days.

Parents who are intending to take their children out of school for leave of more than 5 days during a school term e.g. a holiday, elite sporting event, work in the entertainment industry; need to apply to the Principal for such leave. This is done by completing an Application for Extended Leave. These can be obtained from the school office or our website and must be completed at least one week prior to the leave being taken. 

Taking Your Child From School

If you need to collect your child from school early, a parent/guardian must sign out the child at the school office before any child can leave the school premises. The school will not allow the child to leave the school without this process being completed. Any child arriving late to school must also be signed in by the parent/guardian at the school office. To protect our valuable learning time, we ask parents to ensure that your child is punctual to school as children arriving late, or leaving early causes a disruption to the whole class.

Before and after school care is available on site. Catholic Out of School Hours Care (COSHC) is available to students of St Bernadette’s. This service, while on site, is managed separately to the school. It is registered for Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate to assist families with fee reduction. Contact details are 0419 115 221.

Children’s birthdays are acknowledged at assemblies each fortnight. If parents wish they may provide small cupcakes or a small treat, avoiding nuts or sesame seeds. This is optional and should be small in nature, not a party.

Year 6 students are buddied with Kindergarten children to give them support and a familiar face, particularly in their early days of ‘big school’. These classes often meet together and share fun activities. It is an opportunity for children to socialise with other children. It is also an opportunity for children to develop leadership skills by caring for and nurturing their younger friends. 

Children can order their lunch via the WelcomeEasy website: https://welcomeasy.com.au/collections/single-meal

The WecomeEasyr Meal Plan is an automatic weekly meal subscription. Just set up once and enjoy! Need to change meal choices? Do it online anytime 24/7! Choose from: 3-day or 5-day weekly plan to SAVE up to 30% on your daily meals!

You can order multiple meals for tomorrow and beyond on casual basis. Order by 10:59 pm to get your meals delivered as soon as the FOLLOWING morning. All WelcomEasy meals include a serving of fresh seasonal fruits.

Same day lunch is also available (limited range and surcharge applies).  Just use the  Same Day Lunch icon to order before 9am for same day delivery. 

It is a legal requirement that parent volunteers need to obtain a working with children clearance number. Parents are required to complete the online child protection module for volunteers. The link to the module is: http://childprotection.parra.catholic.edu.au/volunteers. Only parents who have completed this module, will be able to assist at school, e.g. excursions, fundraising events, sport etc. When completed, the school automatically receives confirmation verifying that this has been completed.

School gates are locked at 9am and re-opened at 3pm.

All adult visitors to the school are required to enter the premises via the front office where they will sign in and be provided with a visitor’s sticker. While on school grounds this sticker must be worn. Visitors then need to sign out when leaving.

These steps are in place to protect your child’s safety.

All notes and money returned to the school are collected at the beginning of each day, placed in a class office bag and sent to the office before 9:30am. The office bag is then returned to the classroom at 2:40pm with any notes or messages to go home to parents. It would be appreciated if parents contact the office prior to 2:40pm with messages for children, especially if there is a change of details for travelling home from school.

If your child is required to bring money to school, a note will be sent home stating the reason and the amount required. Please assist by putting the money in a sealed envelope with your child’s name, class and purpose of payment written on it. This should be given by your child to his/her teacher in the morning. It would assist the school if each family member could have his/her own envelope.

At St Bernadette’s we believe that effective communication between home and school is essential. The following communications are offered by the school:

• School Website
• Skoolbag App
• Fortnightly Newsletter- available on the website
• Notes - also available on the Skoolbag App
• Grade Curriculum Overviews for each term 
• Parent Information Night
• Parent / Teacher Interviews - mid year
• P & F meetings
• Semester One and Semester Two Reports*

*For Years 1-6 reports are graded E to A.

If you have any concerns about your child, an appointment should be made with your child's teacher either by phoning the school office, to arrange for a mutually convenient time. Discussions with the class teacher can only be held outside teaching hours as teachers are legally bound to supervise their class and cannot leave the children unattended. Please refrain from approaching teachers who are on duty in the morning or afternoon as this may jeopardise the safety of students. Parents are very welcome to discuss any issues with the class teacher first. If necessary, parents are welcome to make appointments with the Coordinator, Assistant Principal or Principal.

Addressing Complaints

Complaints or grievances pertaining to classroom issues or that relate to other children are to be dealt with by school personnel. 

It is not appropriate for parents to approach other parents or their children with the intention of resolving issues.

The recommended procedure to be followed by parents is:

1. The first point of contact is the child’s class teacher. 

2. If you are not satisfied, you are encouraged to make an appointment with the Co-ordinator, REC, Assistant Principal or Principal to discuss the issue further.

3. If the matter is not resolved by the school leadership team, you can contact the Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD).
   
   

Parents are reminded that there are two sides to every story and, whilst it is important to listen to your children, it is also important not to draw conclusions or make accusations. 

Complaints assessed as relevant to a particular school or CSPD procedures will be handled in accordance with the relevant procedures, for example student management procedures, child protection procedures.

Complaints that do not relate to a particular school or CSPD procedures will be addressed as follows: 

• The complaint is recorded.

• Clarification of what resolution is sought.

• Person/s against whom the complaint has been made, advised of the concern and provided with the opportunity to respond.

• Relevant information obtained from witness.

• Matter resolved.
  
  

Appeal

A person who is not satisfied that the matter has been resolved appropriately may choose to appeal to the Principal of the school if the Principal has not been involved in investigating or examining the complaint, or is not the person named as the source of the grievance. Alternatively, an appeal may be made by contacting the Catholic Education Diocese (CSPD). For the CSPD matters, an appeal may be made to the Director of the relevant department. In the final instance, an appeal may be made to the Executive Director of Schools.

The learning program for students is divided into eight subjects or Key Learning Areas (KLA’s). These include:

The school would appreciate you sending a certified copy of a Court Order, if you have sole custody of your child/children. If you delegate a friend or relative (unknown to us) to take the child/children from school for you, a note from you advising us of this required.

See Student Wellbeing.

St Bernadette’s Primary School collects and holds information about your family which is vital to us in educating your children. The school has a Standard Collection Notice which outlines the terms and conditions of collecting information from parents. It is important that you read the following information which explains your rights with regards to Privacy Legislation.

Parents are asked to notify the school immediately with change of details (new address and telephone number). These details are very important should we need to contact you in an emergency. 

If intending to change schools at any time, please inform the Principal as soon as possible.

Standard Collection Notice

Available at:  http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/policy-central

Privacy Statement 

Our Privacy Statement is available in Policy Central at:

http://www.parra.catholic.edu.au/privacy

Privacy Officer:
Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
Locked Bag 4
North Parramatta  NSW 1750
T:  9840 5600

Excursions and incursions are a valuable tool in enhancing the teaching and learning program. Thereby all children are expected to participate in excursions. When an excursion is organised, parents will be notified of the nature and purpose of the excursion and be required to sign a permission note for their child to participate.

Rather than collect excursion money throughout the year, the school charges an Excursion Fee, which is calculated on the cost of the excursions and visiting speakers your child will be attending. This will be approximately $165 per child. The Year 5 and Year 6 Canberra excursion is charged separately and billed through school fees nearer to the excursion date. This excursion occurs every second year.

Excursions are seen as a privilege not a right. The Principal has the discretion to withdraw this privilege dependent upon a student’s behaviour prior to the excursion.

Accidents
Staff will attend to minor injuries at school. In the case of an accident parents will be notified. In serious cases, if parents or the nominated contact person cannot be contacted, appropriate action will be taken. It is important to keep school records up to date so that parents can be contacted at all times. Please complete a 'Change of Information' form if your home, work or emergency contact numbers or addresses change.

Asthma
Children need to be able to administer their own medication. It is important that they carry their medication at all times.

Anaphylaxis
Students will need to keep their medication in both the classroom and the school office.

In case of severe allergic reaction to nuts, parents of children at St Bernadette’s Primary School are encouraged not to include nut related products in their children’s lunches.

NB Special proformas are available from the office for children with serious medical conditions which all staff would need to be made aware of, for example: epilepsy, major allergies, diabetes, etc.

A medical certificate is required if your child has a medical condition that makes your child unable to sit on the carpet.

Sickness at school
If a child is sick at school:

• Parents will be contacted - if they cannot be contacted
• The nominated emergency contact person will be contacted - if they cannot be contacted
• The school will act in the best interest of the child.

Children who are ill should be kept at home.

Infectious Diseases

• Asthma
  Please provide a copy of your child’s Asthma Plan from your child’s doctor and any medication specific to your child’s Asthma Plan to our school office.
  
  
• Anaphylaxis
  Please provide a copy of your child’s Anaphylaxis/Allergy Action Plan from your child’s doctor and any medication specific to your child’s Anaphylaxis/Allergy Plan to our school office.
  
  
• Allergic Reactions
  Please provide a copy of your child’s Allergic Reaction Plan from your child’s doctor and any medication specific to your child’s Allergic Reactions Plan to our school office.

PLEASE NOTE: Panadol or Nurofen is not allowed to be administered to the children by a staff member or themselves under any circumstance.

Infectious Diseases
The school needs to be notified of any incidence of the following infectious diseases. In some instances a medical certificate is required on return to school. The following is issued as a guide and medical advice should always be sought from appropriate health personnel.

For more information see: www.health.nsw.gov.au

As educators, we recognise that students work hard during the school day and require time after school to rest, relax and recharge. We understand that many students participate in after school activities which  occupy them away from home and family time. As such, we have decided to limit the amount of tasks given to students to complete at home.

At St Bernadette’s we believe that learning at home should:

• consolidate what children have learned at school or challenge them to investigate further

• allow for the fact that children learn and work at different rates and have different needs

• be relevant

• help develop self-discipline and fosters long term habits of learning and time management

• be followed with praise for effort and support where needed

• never be a source of tension or conflict

• be the result of regular communication between students, parents and teachers.

At various times throughout their schooling, students may experience difficulty in learning. They may experience social and emotional difficulties or they may have a physical condition which impacts on their ability to learn.

The Learning Support Team provides support to these students in a variety of ways. Some of their work includes assisting students in the classroom, working with teachers to develop appropriate learning tasks, assisting parents to access support from appropriate outside agencies and arranging assessments through the Catholic Education Office and other agencies.

The Learning Support Team includes a Special Education Teacher, Literacy/ESL Teacher, Numeracy Support Teacher and Teacher Assistants, and they work in consultation with the Principal, Assistant Principal, School Counsellor and class teachers.

Children are exposed to good literature. Children have the opportunity to borrow library books once a week from the school library. Children are required to have a library bag to protect the books that have been borrowed. Lost or damaged books will need to be replaced.

All school clothing should be labelled. Parents are at liberty to check the Lost Property basket located in the undercroft area for any lost items.

Items in lost property for more than 2 weeks are laundered and resold via the 2nd hand uniform shop.

Parent involvement in various activities at school is vital in building community and a strong home-school partnership at St Bernadette’s Primary School.

At St Bernadette’s parents can take an active part in the school by becoming involved in the:

• Class as a helper by hearing children read, helping at carnivals, excursions…
• Canteen by making morning teas and lunches and serving at the counter
• Graduation Committee by helping organise the Year 6 Graduation Dinner Dance
• Fundraising Committees which conduct social and money-raising functions to supply the school with resources eg Disco, Mother’s Day & Father’s Day Stalls…
• Parents & Friends Association by being a class representative bringing any ideas or concerns forward to the Committee
• Life of the school by attending liturgies, assemblies and special events

As a Catholic school, the teaching of our faith is paramount. Religious Education lessons are scheduled daily. Prayer is also an important aspect of our Catholic faith. Besides praying in the classroom, we pray together as a school at the start of each day and at midday when we pray ‘The Angelus’.  Children regularly attend and participate in liturgies, to which parents are always welcome. Masses are organised throughout the year, please check the School Newsletter for details. 

The Parish Priest, principal, staff and parents work together to develop the faith community of St Bernadette’s. The Franciscan Friars offer children opportunities to be Altar Servers. The Parish Sacramental Coordinator works with the school to prepare children in Years 2, 3 and 6 to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation respectively.

To demonstrate our Catholic faith, the school is involved in a number of Social Justice opportunities throughout the year e.g. Manning Foundation, Caritas, Project Compassion and other initiatives that support those in need. 

In order to ensure the safety of all members of our school community, we would ask that everyone observe the following procedures, expectations and in some cases laws.  Your cooperation in explaining these procedures to all relatives and carers who may collect your children from time to time would be appreciated. 

Please show consideration for others and share in the responsibility of keeping our children safe. It is not an easy task to dismiss a large group of children in such a short time, so the cooperation of everyone is needed. 

• Please DO NOT  leave children unattended in the Church car park. As there can be a number of pedestrians, please reverse into the car spaces. 

• Please DO NOT drop children off in ‘No Stopping’ zones near the crossing area.  Please use the ‘Drive Through’ area in Cox Crescent if you wish to drop off or pick up your children without getting out of your vehicle.  

• Please DO NOT use the Parish car park as a drop off before school.

• Please DO NOT park across the parish driveway or those of our other neighbours.

• Please DO NOT try to turn around in Cox Crescent. It is a very narrow street and several near misses have occurred.

• Police regularly monitor the situation, particularly at dismissal time.

The Commonwealth Bank provides the facility for school banking at the school each week. The school receives a small commission for each account. These funds are used to fund any necessary resources.

Ensuring a quality Catholic education is affordable and accessible for children

There are three levels of annual fees, billed in instalments during Terms 1, 2 and 3:

• Annual Diocesan Tuition Fees set by the Catholic Education Office
• Diocesan Building Levy set by the Catholic Education Office
• School-based fees.

Discounts on Fees

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Parramatta are committed to providing an affordable quality Catholic education for families. We understand the financial demands placed on families and seek to keep the fees as low as possible. No child who meets the enrolment criteria will be refused enrolment or disadvantaged because of a families financial circumstances.

There are very significant discounts for the second (25% reduction) and third (50% reduction) children enrolled from the one family. There are no fees for the fourth and subsequent children.

Fees Schedule

For a full overview of the fees payable at St Bernadette's Dundas please see the 'School Fees' page of our website under the 'Enrol Now' section.

The wearing of full, correct school uniform is compulsory and all items of clothing must be clearly marked with the child’s name.

To demonstrate school pride uniforms should be kept neat and tidy:

• shirts tucked in and buttoned
• ties correctly worn
• shoelaces tied and shoes polished
• for safety reasons only plain stud / sleeper earrings may be worn to school
• hair of collar length and longer, should be tied back with maroon/blue ribbon, scrunchie or headband
• haircuts should not be extremes of fashion
• sport shoes are to be worn only on sport days, with black shoes to be worn on all other days
• children may only wear school tracksuit pants on sports day
• school hats offer some protection from the sun, all children must wear a school hat when outside. Children without hats will have to play in the shade in Terms 1 and 4.

It is suggested that:

• summer uniforms be worn in the first and fourth terms
• winter uniforms in the second and third terms.

Paint shirt
To protect children’s uniforms from paint splashes and mishaps during art and craft activities, children are asked to have at school an old long sleeved shirt or t-shirt to wear over uniforms.

Wet weather gear
Wet weather gear such as lightweight raincoats and hats- with names on them, are necessary during inclement weather. These should be kept in your child’s school bag. Purchase of uniforms School bags, excursion and library bags are available from the school office.

Purchasing Uniforms
School bags, excursion and library bags are available from the school office. All uniforms are available at Lowes, Carlingford Court and the School Uniform Shop has some pre-loved uniforms available for sale.

The gazetted school vacations for 2020 are as follows:

• Term 1  - Tuesday, 28 January to Thursday, 09 April
• Term 2  - Monday, 27 April to Friday, 03 July
• Term 3  - Monday, 20 July to Friday, 25 September
• Term 4  - Monday, 12 October to Friday, 18 December

(Please note that these dates were correct at the time of printing and may be subject to change.)

School Houses

All students are allocated to one of the School houses:

• Bernadette - Blue
• MacKillop - Gold
• Francis - Green
• Clare - Red

Participation

All children take part in a weekly sport and games session. There are also annual carnivals held for swimming, cross country and athletics.

Primary children have the opportunity to represent St Bernadette’s in the following sports: soccer, netball, athletics, cross country and swimming.

St Bernadette’s House Champion Trophy

Throughout the year children have the opportunity to earn points for their house. The house which accumulates the most points over the year will earn the right to be the holders of the perpetual trophy. Points can be earned through sporting, social and academic achievement. Some ways of earning points are:

• Placing in events at Athletics and Swimming Carnivals
• Principal Awards
• ICAS Competitions
• St Bernadette and St Francis Awards.

The school is permitted to hold staff professional development days throughout the year. These days are 'Pupil Free'.

At times throughout the year, teachers may be released to attend professional development sessions to continue to upskill themselves and thereby benefitting the children at St Bernadette’s Primary School.

Each teacher is entitled to release from face to face teaching each week. In 2018, students took part in specialised lessons in Creative Arts and Technology.

The Student Representative Council (SRC) was established at St Bernadette’s School to provide an avenue for the student body to be an integral part of the school decision-making process as well as to make the school a better place to come to learn, live and love.

Through the SRC all children have the opportunity to communicate their concerns, suggestions and ideas for improving our school. The SRC provides leadership opportunities for its members, enabling them to develop and model responsibility, honesty, reliability and a commitment to ensuring St Bernadette’s School is a happy and safe place. Members of the SRC are elected by the students and staff.

The SRC meet with the Assistant Principal to discuss suggestions made by children K-6 and to create action plans that address these issues or concerns. Other areas are discussed which affect the smooth operations of the school. Being a member of the S.R.C. carries many responsibilities, the greatest one being a positive role model to the other students.

At St Bernadette’s Primary we have consultative approach to formulating this set of Agreed practice around student management. These procedures align with the Student Wellbeing and Child Protection Policies. 

The principles on which we base our Behaviour Management practices at St Bernadette’s School demonstrate procedural fairness.  We believe that procedural fairness is a basic right of all children when dealing with school authorities.  We apply the ‘hearing rule’ and the ‘right to an unbiased decision.’

Each child has the right to know the nature of an allegation made against them and any information which will be taken into account in considering the matter.  The child should know the process by which the matter will be considered and have the right to respond to the allegation.  The child should always know how to seek a review of the decision made in response to the allegation. At no time is corporal punishment administered or accepted.

At St Bernadette’s School, members of the staff make every effort to demonstrate an absence of bias in their decision-making.  They believe that children have a right to an unbiased decision and the right to impartiality in an investigation.

Procedural fairness at St Bernadette’s School includes making available to students and parents (or caregivers) policies and procedures under which disciplinary action is taken.  It also includes providing details of an allegation relating to a specific matter or incident.  This will usually involve providing an outline of the allegations made in witness statements.  We, at St Bernadette’s School, believe that it is preferable for different people to carry out the investigation and decision-making in the school but we acknowledge that this might not always be possible.  Whoever carries out these roles at St Bernadette’s School undertakes to do so in a reasonable and objective manner.  We strive for justice to be done and seen to be done.

At St Bernadette’s School, the principles of procedural fairness underpin:

• The procedures for the management of behaviour

• In the classroom

• On the playground

• The management of bullying in the school and the support we give to the person(s) hurt.

• The approach to exclusion and suspension of children should we ever have to manage such situation.  In these cases, we would involve the Catholic Education Office and follow the guidelines for such serious situations found in the Diocesan Policy.

It is upon these basic principles of procedural fairness that the following procedures have been developed for the management of behaviour

(a) in the classroom and

(b) on the playground.

PBS4L

Positive Behaviour Support For Learning (PBS4L) is an evidenced based framework that helps create positive learning environments to maximise student learning and enhance student and staff wellbeing.

The purpose of PBS4L is to develop effective school wide systems and practices that are informed by data to get more positive outcomes for students both socially and academically. The basic principle behind PBS4L is that behaviour is learnt and therefore can be taught.

St Bernadette’s PBS4L Mission Statement:

At St Bernadette’s we aim to provide a safe and respectful environment where children come to learn, live and love and are empowered to grow as valued members of the community.

Who is PBS4L for?

It is important to understand that PBS4L is for everyone! It is not just for children with challenging behaviours.

Implementing PBS4L at St Bernadette’s means that the expectations of behaviour are made very clear to all in the community and these expectations are actively taught, positively reinforced by staff when these behaviours are observed, and corrected and re-taught by staff when problem behaviour arises. 

Families are important members of our school community and we know that when schools and families work together toward a common goal of helping all children and young people to be successful, it is much more likely to happen.

School expectations

The school expectations at St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School outline appropriate student behaviours that contribute to the functioning of our school as a respectful, safe, nurturing and inclusive learning environment. It is important that every member of the school community knows and has a clear understanding of the school expectations.

At St Bernadette's:

We are safe

We are respectful

We are learners

When a student does not follow the school rules the following procedures will be followed:

In the Classroom

1. A verbal warning is delivered to the student.

2. If the behaviour continues an in class time out will be given.

3. At the teacher’s discretion, a student may be removed from the classroom and sent to another learning space or referred to leadership. These cases are when the wellbeing of all students is at risk.

On the Playground

1. A verbal warning is delivered to the student.

2. If the behaviour continues the playground teacher will prompt, redirect and reteach the school rules to the student.

3. At the teacher’s discretion, a student may be removed from the playground and referred to leadership. These cases are when the wellbeing of all students is at risk. The incident will be documented and the student will receive a Reflection Form. The parents will receive a phone call regarding the incident.

Suspension

If incidents of further negative behaviour continue, then serious thought must be given to both an internal suspension or external suspension of 1 to 3 days. It is understood that parents would be fully informed at all times before such serious consequences are decided upon.  

A teacher may use reasonable restraint to protect a child in a situation which is perceived to be harmful or threatening to the safety of the child and / or other children / staff members.

If a suspension is necessary, the Principal is required to notify the Parish Priest and the Director of Performance from Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese.

In line with procedures outlined by DET (6.1.5) and as implemented by the Catholic Education Commission school Principals must suspend immediately and consistently any student who:

• Is physically violent (resulting in pain or injury to others)

• Is in possession of a firearm, prohibited weapon or knife

• Uses or is in possession of a suspected illegal substance or supplies a restricted substance.

At all times St Bernadette’s respects the dignity of each child. We strive to meet the needs of the individual child in a pastoral, Christian environment.

Anti Bullying Policy

Rationale

St Bernadette’s, Dundas does not tolerate bullying in any form. All members of the school community are committed to ensuring that a safe and caring environment is evident at all times.  The St Bernadette’s community supports the premise that self worth and self esteem flourish where the group feels secure.

Aims

1. To provide a safe and pleasant environment for all who attend the school.

2. To provide empathy and strategies for children who encounter any form of bullying.

3. To provide strategies for children who display bullying tactics in their day to day dealings with other children.

4. To provide parents with advice if bullying occurs.

Implementation

1. Provide parents and staff with an understanding of what constitutes bullying

2. Inform and educate parents on the strategies they can adopt in day to day parenting

3. Inform children as to what constitutes unacceptable behaviour through class, stage and whole school meetings

4. Explain the policy of bullying prevention to children and the parent body

5. Utilise the Student Reflection Form when bullying occurs.

What is PBS4L?

It stands for Positive Behaviour Support For Learning and is an evidenced based framework (as opposed to a program) that looks a little different in every school setting. This means we can make it more relevant to our school community and continue to personalise the learning for students.

The purpose of PBS4L is to develop effective school wide systems and practices that are informed by data to get more positive outcomes for students both socially and academically. The basic principle behind PBS4L is that behaviour is learnt and therefore can be taught.

It is important to understand that PBS4L is for everyone! It is not just for children with challenging behaviours. Implementing PBS4L at St Bernadette’s means that the expectations of behaviour are made very clear to all in the community and these expectations are actively taught, positively reinforced by staff when these behaviours are observed, and corrected and re-taught by staff when problem behaviour arises.

PBS4L is a transparent framework that encourages parent, student and teacher voice. It is a collaborative community effort aimed at encouraging more positive behaviours within our school community to maximise student wellbeing and learning outcomes.

Families are important members of our school community and we know that when schools and families work together toward a common goal of helping all children and young people to be successful, it is much more likely to happen. At St Bernadette’s we believe that families have valuable insights and information about how their children learn best and what help they need.

We are looking forward to continuing the work regarding PBS4L with our school community in 2020.

To use technology at St Bernadette’s, all students must obtain parental permission.

An Acceptable Use Policy (parent permission), is given to parents as part of the child's enrolment. The Acceptable Use Policy will remain active while the child is at St Bernadette’s or until it needs to be updated. 

Student Learning
St Bernadette’s integrates Information and Technology Skills across Key Learning Areas. All children from Kindergarten to Year 6 experience a wide range of technological skills which are refined and developed as they progress through each class. 

At St Bernadette’s iPads and laptops – PC’s, MacBooks, iPads or Chromebooks are used. Teachers integrate the use of technology in the learning.  This use of technology not only supports various curriculum units, but also develops information skills and digital literacies. 

Primary Students have access to Google Apps for Education that allows students to create and collaborate online using a range of tools in a shared learning environment.... a classroom in the cloud. Students are issued with a username/password combination sufficiently secure to avoid unauthorised access, and which identifies that user and that user only.  All online access is controlled by firewalls, filters and internet protection managed by the Catholic Education Office Diocese of Parramatta.

Expectations
Students are responsible for appropriate behaviour on the school’s computer network just as they are in a classroom or on a school playground (Student Well Being Policy). General school rules for behaviour and communications apply.  The user is responsible for his / her actions in accessing and utilising the school’s technology. The students are advised never to access, keep, or send anything that they would not want their parents or teachers to view.

If your child needs to have a mobile phone, especially for information regarding after school arrangements, they are to hand in their phone to the office for safe keeping throughout the day and then collect it in the afternoon.

Any student, who chooses to violate any of the Acceptable User Policy, will have Internet/computer privileges withdrawn for a period of time as determined by the class teacher in consultation with a member of the Leadership Team. Parents will be notified of the consequence of any breach.  At St Bernadette’s it is important that students, teachers and parents work together to make sure that the technology is used as an appropriate and powerful learning tool.

Our logo with the Franciscan Tau Cross, places Christ at the centre of all that we do here at St Bernadette’s Primary school. The water represents St Bernadette, our patron saint, who centred her life on Christ with a deep faith and simplicity as well as great trust in Christ’s help, at her most difficult times. The blue and gold represent Our Lady who appeared to St Bernadette and invited her to ‘come to the water’ and pray for sinners. Blue is also the colour of our founding sisters, the Good Samaritan Sisters who have prayer at the centre of their ministry and who worked tirelessly under great difficulty in the early years to help make St Bernadette’s Primary the great school it is today.

Deep in the valley
Is a school in a garden
Planted long ago with loving hands.

Where we all grow together
And learn from each other
To live in harmony
With all our friends.

At the Church in the garden
We come to the water
As one we give our
Praise and thanks to God.

Chorus
We come to learn, live and love
As one family in Christ
And take the Good News
Out into the world.

Like Saints Bernadette and Francis
We come to the water
As one we give our
Praise and thanks to God

Chorus
We come to learn, live and love
As one family in Christ
And take the Good News
Out into the world