Accidents are likely to occur in any sphere of activity but especially where there are numerous active, enthusiastic, adventurous and inquisitive young people. Accidents may occur even when care has been taken to provide appropriate playground equipment and supervision.

 

When a child is mildly unwell or suffers a minor accident:

·       appropriate first aid/care is administered;

·       the child may be placed in the sick room;                        

·       if the child should go home parents will be notified.

 

If a serious accident occurs:

·       a staff member will remain with the child;

·       appropriate assistance and first aid officers will be summoned;

·       the parents or the emergency contacts will be notified;

·       medical treatment deemed necessary will be undertaken (including ambulance).

 

All students have automatic ambulance cover and if in doubt the school will always call an ambulance.

 

 

All students who travel to and from school by bicycle must wear an approved bicycle helmet. It is the policy of this school not to allow any student without a bicycle helmet to ride home at the conclusion of school. The wearing of an approved helmet is state law. Parents of students not wearing bicycle helmets will be contacted and asked to collect their child and bicycle.

 

 

A fridge is provided in each teaching space for student use. By allowing students to keep their lunches refrigerated the risk of food spoiling is minimised. We believe that it also encourages students to bring a wider range of healthier food to school. Parents need to be aware however that lunches may be placed in the refrigerator only when they are in a clearly named lunch box.

 

Due to limited space available, separate drink bottles and other drinks cannot be placed in the class fridge. Students are allowed one lunch box only.

 

 

 

 

The dental van visits the school once a year and all students from preschool to Year 7 are entitled to free dental care. Permission forms are sent out prior to any dental work being carried out.

 

Should your child have a dental problem at any stage of the year you can contact the school dental service and arrange for an appointment. If you contact our school we will be able to give you the dental van’s contact number and let you know at which school it is currently located.

 

 

Appropriate care of an ill or injured child depends on accurate current contact information being supplied by the parent. From time to time parents are unable to be contacted and we rely on the emergency contacts provided.

 

All emergency contacts should be able to get to school in a reasonable time – perhaps fifteen minutes. It is necessary for two emergency contacts (apart from parents) to be listed.

 

Should there be any changes with emergency contacts please inform the school immediately so we can update our database. Students who are ill and need to go home become easily distressed when we are not able to make contact with parents or emergency contacts.

 

 

 

It is tempting for young children in particular to share food during morning tea and lunch. This is not allowed as it can create many problems and often results in children having food taken or eating food they were not meant to have.

 

During the hot summer months many students bring water bottles to school. This is an excellent idea and one that we certainly would like to encourage particularly during sport afternoons. Many students keep water bottles on or near their desks to drink from during lessons.

 

 It is important to realise however that the water bottles must contain water only, not cordials, juices or soft drinks.

 

If you had the opportunity to survey student lunches during eating times you would be surprised not at what they contained, but what they didn’t contain. It is a rare find indeed to see a lunchbox containing sandwiches and fruit. Many lunches consist totally of packaged products such as muesli bars, processed fruit bars, chips and various sweets.

 

We ask that you include items such as sandwiches, salads and fruit in your child’s lunch box and reduce the number of processed foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat. Each classroom has a fridge for lunch boxes so that items prepared at home are kept fresh.

 

 

Head lice are an infestation, not an infectious disease. The school has developed a number of strategies to try and overcome the problem. These include:

·       Gaining parent permission to inspect a child’s hair if head lice are suspected.

·       Implementing a teaching program for all year levels which informs students about head lice, their lifecycle and symptoms.

·       Informing all parents of the class when a student with head lice has been identified (Head Lice Alert form)

·       Calling parents immediately a child has been identified as having head lice.

·       Providing each family with a Head Lice Handbook (these are available from the office).

 

As parents you can support the school by doing the following:

·       Informing the school if your child has head lice.

·       Regularly inspecting your child’s hair.

·       Ensuring that your child returns to school only after their hair has been treated.

·       Returning Head Lice Alert Forms to your child’s teacher.

 

 

 

Pupils who are unwell should not be sent to school. The following Education Queensland guidelines are part of the school’s infection control policy and reflect current practice and legislation. The guidelines must be followed so that health of students and staff is not put at risk.

 

Chicken Pox - May return to school five (5) days after the appearance of the rash or until all blisters have been replaced by dry scabs.

 

Conjunctivitis (Acute Infection)- Exclude until discharge from eyes has ceased.

 

Impetigo (School Sores) - Exclude until sores have fully healed. The pupil may return provided that appropriate treatment is being applied and sores on exposed surfaces such as scalp, face, hands or legs are properly covered with occlusive dressing.

 

Measles - Exclude for at least seven (7) days from the appearance of the rash or until a medical certificate of recovery is produced.

 

Mumps - Exclude until 9 days after the onset of swelling or until the swelling disappears (whichever is sooner).

 

Ringworm, Head lice - Readmit when appropriate treatment has commenced.

 

Rubella (German measles) - Exclude until fully recovered and until at least four days after the onset of the rash.

 

Scabies - Exclude until medical advice has been received and treatment commenced.

 

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease – Children with hand, foot and mouth disease should be excluded from school until all blisters have dried.

 

Whooping Cough – Excluded from school for five days after starting antibiotic treatment.

 

 

At times it is necessary for students under doctor’s instructions to take medication during school hours. The school is aware of this need, and we are willing to assist in this situation. However there are Departmental guidelines which we must adhere to. If you wish the school to administer medication to your child please ensure that you do the following.

 

1.      Ensure the medication is prescribed by a doctor and clearly labelled with your child’s name, the name of the medication, the dosage to be administered and the time of the day the dosage is to be administered.

 

2.      Complete the prescribed medication form provided by the school.

 

3.      Take the medication to the office not your child’s teacher.

 

Over the counter medication such as Panadol, Cough Mixture etc must be scripted or accompanied by a doctor’s letter of authorisation before it can be administered.

 

All medication will be kept in the office and administered from this point. No medication will be administered unless prescribed by a doctor and clearly labelled or a letter from the doctor is received at the office.

Under no circumstances are students to bring medication (over the counter or prescribed) to school and self-administer these. Asthma puffers are an exception.

 

 

During peak periods parking space at the school can be very limited. This is no excuse however for people to park illegally. Such practices endanger the lives of our students.

 

 Parents are asked to observe the following rules:

 

1.      Do not park in the staff car park. This is reserved for staff only. It is not a drop-off or collection point for children. If you do this you are breaking a very important safety rule we have taught our students as we do not allow them to enter the staff car park.

 

2.      Do not park in the entrance of the staff car park or in the bus zone.

 

3.      Do not double park

 

4.      Do not call your child across the road. Always ensure that they use the crossing.

 

5.      Obey crossing supervisor signals.

 

6.      If you arrive early at the school to collect your child do not park in the 5 minute only parking spaces, use the parks north of the crossing.

 

7.      Stagger your collection time. The busiest time is from 3:00 – 3:05 PM. Teachers supervise students waiting for parents from 3:00 – 3:30 PM.

 

The safety of our children must always be given the highest priority.

 

 

It is the policy of this school to prevent any student without a hat from playing outdoors during recess time. Students without hats will be restricted to the covered play areas. Only hats with a wide brim are allowed. Plain caps, visors and the like are not suitable as they offer little if any protection and are not to be worn to school. The school wide brimmed hat is available from our tuckshop.

 

Each classroom has a bulk supply of sun screen lotion and this is used by students during extended periods in the sun eg. sport afternoons, swimming, excursions etc. Parents however, should encourage the wearing of sun screen by providing their children with their very own supply for regular usage both at home and at school.

 

 

During the first half of the year we experience a very high percentage of wet days and some very high rainfall. Our two covered areas are incapable of catering for all of our students and in the interest of student safety only a number of classes are rostered on to play in these areas. The remaining classes return to their classroom where they are supervised by their teacher. During this time students can be involved in a number of classroom activities eg Board games, puzzles, computer activities, reading, completion of class work etc.