This page offers a quick A-Z reference guide.
Assembly
A school assembly is held each Tuesday afternoon at 2:40pm in the Community Centre. Classes present an item on a rotational basis. Assemblies are not held in third term.
Absence
If your child is away from school please send a note to the class teacher upon return, explaining the absence. Parents who collect their children from school during the day are required to call at the School Office to sign the Absence Register.
It is imperative that you notify the school if your child is going to be away by either a phone call to the school office or an email to info@leonardsgwav.catholic.edu.au. Any unexplained absences will be followed up by school staff. New child safety legislation mandates that the school seek clarification of a student’s unexplained absence if a parent has not advised the school. Please remember it is your responsibility to contact the school to inform if your child is going to be absent or late to school.
Book Club
The school acts as an agent for Scholastic Bookclub who offer paperback books at reasonable rates. Catalogues are distributed approximately every six weeks, with a return date. Selection, if desired, should be returned to the class teacher. Delivery is approximately 4-5 weeks.
Books
Booklists are distributed to children in October preceding a book-selling day early in December.
Camp
Children in Years 5 and 6 attend a school camp each year. The camp provides opportunities for teachers and students to get to know each other and to enjoy activity based educational camp experience.
Canteen
The school out sources the canteen to a company called Classroom Cuisine. Orders are placed by parents online before 8:00 am to ensure same day delivery . The food is of an excellent quality and is delivered to the school in individually wrapped bags. This service is available every day except Tuesday.
To place an order or to view the service offered please visit: www.classroomcuisine.com.au
Car Park
Parking is available at the rear of the Community Centre off Springvale Road and at the rear of the school off Allen Street.
The rear car park offers a ‘drop off’ and ‘pick up’ zone. Parents are not required to vacate their cars if they are using this spot. In ALL other circumstances parents are required to get out of their car and either walk their child to or from the school property. Parents using the back car park are asked to join the queue of cars waiting to pull up the ‘pick up’ spot at the back gate after school. If your child is not at the back gate when you pull up you are asked to continue on the loop and rejoin the traffic queue.
Please note that the front car park (off Springvale Road) does NOT HAVE A DESIGNATED PICK UP OR DROP OFF ZONE. Parents using this car park are required to park their and escort their child to and from the school property.
A top speed of 5 km per hour is permitted in all school car parks.
Educational Maintenance Allowance
This is available for eligible parents who apply when the notice appears in the school Newsletter “Link”.
Excursions / Incursions
These take place in each year level of the school. They are seen to be an integral part of the school curriculum. It is expected that all children will participate in the excursion program. The cost of excursions/incursions is met by the Excursion Levy which is included in the general levy.
Parents will be informed of excursion details prior to the excursion taking place, and are asked to return permission notes promptly as absence of the note may necessitate children being excluded from the excursion.
First Aid
All children who are sick at school are sent to the sick bay for their own care and welfare. The School Secretary will contact parents if children are not well enough to remain at school. The school has a policy of not administering drugs (e.g. Aspirin) or other medication without permission from parents. As part of our First Aid Policy, any child presenting to the sick bay after a head knock of any type must remain in sick bay until parents have been contacted. Please note that any child not well enough to go outside at recess or lunchtime is not well enough to be at school.
The school’s administration has a commercial arrangement with Healthguard First Aid to train and maintain the appropriate level 2 First Aid training for all staff. Healthguard advises us when this training needs to be updated and they offer appropriate Profession Development training on site after hours.
Hats
School hats are compulsory in first and fourth term. A “No Hat No Play” rule applies.
Health Regulations
Ministry of Education and Health Department regulations apply in cases of infectious diseases involving exclusion from school. These guidelines are available from the school office and are printed in the School Newsletter.
Library
The Library is the centre of the school’s available resources, contributing directly to the child’s learning experiences. The library houses a variety of resource materials: picture story books, fiction and non-fiction books, pictures and various audio-visual aids and equipment. All children are encouraged and expected to borrow books from the school library regularly throughout the school year. Parents are asked to encourage the borrowing of books by taking an interest in what their children borrow. To help protect books from being damaged it is expected that each child will have library bag. If library books are lost or damaged through carelessness, it is expected that the replacement costs will be met by the child/family concerned.
Library Foundation
This was established in 1990 by the School to provide an additional source of finance for Library resources. The Foundation is a registered body with the Tax Department and is able to provide Tax Deductibility for donations. The Foundation is open to receive donations at any time throughout the year and acknowledgement is made in Library books.
Lost Property
Unclaimed property is held in the Lost Property Box which is located in the Multi Purpose Room. At the end of each term all un-named, unclaimed articles are directed to the Uniform Shop or to St Vincent de Paul.
Mass
School Masses are timetabled on Sundays and during school hours. Children are taken to Mass on special occasions. All families are expected to attend Sunday School Masses.
Out of School Hours Care Program
This operates at St Leonard’s before school 7:30am to 8:30am, after school 3:15pm o 6:15pm and end of Term early dismissals. It provides care in a safe, warm, friendly, caring and homely atmosphere. The program is outsourced to Camp Australia. Contact the School Office for application forms.
Parent Participation
All parents are encouraged to be actively involved in the life of the school. Opportunities are available for participation in classroom programs, excursions, senior sport, school camp, school library etc., and as parent representatives on the Education Board and PFA Board. Please also note that any parent volunteering in any capacity in the school must have a current ‘Working with Children’ check. These are free of charge and can be organised through the local post office. All registered parents with these checks are recorded on a school data base.
Pastoral Leadership Team
This is the main advisory body and decision-making body of the Parish. All adult members of the Parish community are entitled to offer to serve on the Pastoral Team.
Parent Newsletter “Link”
Link is compiled each week and distributed via CareMonkey. We encourage parents to take the time to read the newsletter each week as it contains important information and upcoming events.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Interviews are arranged at the beginning of the year and at the end of second term. These provide an opportunity for parents to discuss the progress of their children and any concerns that either teacher of parent may have. Teachers are available at other times to discuss your child’s educational growth. However, parents are asked to telephone the school and make an appointment for an interview. This ensures that the teacher is available and that the interview is profitable for all concerned. The Principal is always available to parents to discuss the wellbeing of children. Appointments can be made by contacting the school’s secretary.
Physical Education
All children from Prep to Year 6 have a weekly P.E. lesson. Children are expected to wear sports uniform on their sports day. Children in Years 5/6 participate in the Wellington Sports District Sports Competition against neighbourhood schools. Games are generally played on a Friday. Parents are encouraged to support school teams and to assist with supervision.
Playground Supervision
The playground is supervised at all times by a teacher(s). Before school supervision commences at 8:30am and concludes after school at 3:30pm. Children still on the premises at 3:30pm are required to wait in the Administration corridor until collected. Children that have not been collected from the office by 3:45pm will be sent to After School Care at the parent’s expense.
Skoolbag App
The school uses ‘Skoolbag App’ as a communication tool with parents. This is a free download to all parents and a wonderful way for us to have the ability to communicate with parents particularly in an emergency situation.
Staff In-Service Days
The school is entitled to close for teacher in-service days on 6 days per year. Advance notice is always given.
Student and Family Information
A school Record and Medication Form is sent home to parents each year to update student and family information. It is most important that the school be notified immediately if there is a change of address or phone number at home or in the work place of the parents. This is to ensure easy contact in the case of an emergency.
Student Wellbeing
The school has both pastoral care guidelines and a discipline policy which provide for the welfare of each student based on the logical consequences approach.
The school’s leadership team constitutes the Wellbeing group who are responsible for monitoring the wellbeing of all students. The school also employs a Wellbeing and Learning Diversity Leader. Any parental concerns regarding student wellbeing should be directed to the classroom teachers, principal (Mr Rob Horwood), Wellbeing Leader (Mrs Angela Foale) or the Learning Diversity Leader (Mrs Lyn Nelson).
Swimming
The swimming program is compulsory for all students. Qualified instructors at the Waverley Aquatic Centre conduct swimming lessons, which is located 400 metres from the school.
Wet days and days or extreme heat
On days of extreme weather conditions, the school curriculum is adapted so that pupils are engaged in school activities appropriate to the weather. Pupils are not dismissed early. On wet days and days of extreme heat during recess and lunchtime children will remain in their classrooms and engage in quiet activities of their choosing. Two adjoining classrooms will be supervised by one teacher