Policies

The following school policies are available in Word or Adobe PDF format...

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING

Regular communication between teachers and parents about the on-going progress of students is important and takes place both formally and informally.  Formal reporting to parents take place twice each year, in June and November with a written report.  An interview is held midyear and by request in November.  Teachers or parents may request interviews as required throughout the year.  Also, during the year, each Unit will hold at least one Learning Journey in which parents are invited to share and discuss their child’s work.

In the first few weeks of school, a parent information evening is held where teachers outline programs, expectations and Home Learning guidelines...

Assessment is continuous and teachers use check lists, anecdotal records, observation records, running records, teacher prepared and commercial diagnostic tests and completion of units of work tests.  Every student has a file which is passed on each year.  Samples of work from each term are included in this file and shown to parents and discussed to clarify comments in the report at interviews.  Records of testing are also included in the file and used in preparing written reports.

Performance Indicators in Primary Schools—PIPS

All Kindergarten students are assessed early in Term One and again in Term Four.  The PIPS Baseline Assessment tool collects information about the understandings children bring to school.  The Program has two main components:

  • Assessment of Early Reading, Early Mathematics and Phonemic Awareness - Term One
  • Assessment of Reading, Mathematics, Phonemic Awareness, Attitude and Behaviour - Term Four
ACT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Students in Years 3 and 5 also participate in the ACT Department of Education’s Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Program in Term 3.  These assessment tasks are independently marked and a written report of each student’s achievement is provided to parents during Term 4.

GENDER EQUITY

Gender Equity is the treatment of both sex groups as human beings of equal value and with equal rights and the potential to undertake the full range of human activities.  This school provides a non-sexist learning environment and ensures equality of learning opportunities.  A Gender Equity Committee meets to discuss gender equity issues, undertake research, disseminate information and suggest appropriate strategies for staff to use in the classroom and the playground.

HOME LEARNING

The Caroline Chisholm School community believes in the benefits of home learning. Its purpose is to encourage home and school to work closely together to enable children to develop life long learning skills.

The name “home learning” reflects the belief that work set at school for completion at home should be enjoyable and should be seen as building upon other learning activities.

THE MAIN GOALS OF HOME LEARNING
  • Reinforcing schoolwork
  • Encouraging independent work habits
  • Linking home and school
  • Developing time management skills

To be fully beneficial, the above should be integrated with the curriculum.

The name home learning reflects the belief that work set at school but completed at home should be enjoyable, and should be seen as building upon other learning activities.  Home learning should not be used as a punishment or just to keep children occupied. It should not be used as a way of completing unfinished work. Work that is new or has not been previously covered at school should not be introduced in home learning.

A “THREE-WAY” RESPONSIBILITY

Students

  • To show commitment towards development of independent work habits and time management skills by undertaking home learning activities

School

  • To set relevant home learning tasks that help to consolidate the learning experiences at school
  • To discuss and inform parents of the type, amount and timing of home learning activities
  • To give students appropriate recognition for the effort they have expended in completing home learning tasks, providing encouragement and feedback
  • To provide families with a regular insight of what is being taught in class with an emphasis on linking school with home

Home

  • To offer support and encouragement, providing an environment conducive to learning
  • To recognise that formal home learning tasks form only part of the development of children in a family context, with real-life opportunities emerging on a daily basis, such as discussions, playing games and shopping

Parents are, of course, free to discuss their individual expectations for their child(ren) with the school.

IMPLEMENTATION

Home learning will include exercises in numeracy and literacy but will not be restricted to these areas. In all years, small regular tasks such as reading, spelling and arithmetic should be included in the evening schedule, and other family members, including older siblings, can play an important role through discussion, listening and reading. As students progress through the school, , tasks will become more complex and may rely on a number of integrated disciplines, spread over longer periods of time. Such exercises will encourage both time management and more independent working.

Whilst it would be reasonable to assume that the time spent on home learning will increase steadily as a child progresses through the school, no actual times will be prescribed. Timings are likely to vary from ten minutes per night in the early years to around the equivalent of a few hours a week amongst the seniors, with the flexibility to cope with individual paces, various learning styles, and a diversity of home situations.

SUNSMART POLICY

The Sunsmart Policy is designed to ensure all students, staff and parents are protected from skin damage caused by harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. A program on skin cancer prevention is taught as part of the curriculum. The Department’s Sun Protection Policy requires children to wear a hat with an 8 – 10cm wide brim or flap and fully protective clothing. Protective hats should be worn by all members of the school community including staff and parents assisting at outdoor functions. Students are encouraged to wear sunscreen. Students not wearing sunscreen or fully protective clothing should be directed to play in the shade and prevented from participating in organised outdoor activities. Wherever possible, outdoor activities are minimised between 11:00am and 3:00pm.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT POLICY

The Caroline Chisholm School Community has a vision of building and sustaining a community of learners and operates with an ethos of care and justice.

 

In order to build and sustain a community of learners, it is essential that we develop positive, caring relationships and a safe and happy environment.

Teachers have a responsibility for strengthening relationships; assisting students to resolve their difficulties; repairing relationships between students, with themselves and for re-entering students into the classroom.  Parent/carers are partners in this process and will be informed of any pattern of behaviour that causes a concern within the school and will be involved in the process to resolve conflict and harm.

We develop positive, caring relationships through a range of approaches which include preventative, early intervention, restorative and case management.

 

Preventative or proactive strategies aim at developing self-control and respect for the rights of everyone in the school community.  Caroline Chisholm School provides a safe and inclusive environment through the following proactive strategies and programs:

·         inclusive, engaging curriculum and teaching

·         daily class circles – for learning and conflict resolution

·         Protective Behaviours Education

·         Peer tutoring

·         Cross-age tutoring

·         Active Australia Leaders

·         Positive Play Program

·         KEWL Kids mediators

·         Student Council

·         Anger Management programs

·         School Counselling

·         Special Needs team

·         Values Education

·         Positive Planned Encouragement

·         Student Management Consultancy

·         Individual Learning Plans

·         Crisis Management Plans

Restorative Practices

 

In 2005, our community adopted the philosophy of Restorative Justice and implemented a range of restorative practices in order to build positive, caring relationships and emotional literacy. Restorative Practice is underpinned by a set of values and an ethos that emphasises trust, mutual respect and tolerance. It acknowledges human feelings, needs and rights.

 

In broad terms, restorative practice is an approach to deal with offending and inappropriate behaviour that focuses on repairing harm done to relationships and people rather than assigning blame and/or punishment.

 

 

Put simply, we ask these questions:

·         What happened?

·         What were you thinking about at the time?

·         Who has been harmed or affected? How?

·         What needs to happen to repair the harm and make things right?

 

An important difference between this and past practices is that all those affected by what has happened are involved in finding a way forward.

 

At our school, anyone affected by harmful behaviour, a conflict situation or other problem, has the opportunity to talk about what happened, explain how it has affected them, describe how they are feeling and what they want to have happen to repair the harm.

Types of Harm

All issues that cause harm to individuals and/or property in our school community will always be addressed.  These include:

·         Disruptive behaviour

·         Unsafe behaviour

·         Physical abuse

·         Verbal abuse

·         All forms of harassment, including sexual and racial

A student could be involved in arrange of restorative practices depending on the degree or seriousness of the harm. Students may be invited to participate in:

 

·         a problem-solving circle with class group

·         a corridor conference

·         a mediation session with another party and a facilitator

·         a small group conference or mini conference

·         a formal conference (with or without family members)

·         an activity in the OTP (off the playground) room

Some of these practices require the participants to come to an agreement that states how, when and where the harm will be repaired and by whom. Parents may need to be informed of the incident and/or be invited to participate in a restorative conference.

 

The restorative conference is conducted by a trained facilitator who leads the group through a scripted, supportive process that empowers all participants to:

 

 ·         safely express feelings and thoughts

·         explore the extent to which people have been affected by the harming incident and,

·         engage everyone in developing a meaningful signed Restorative Agreement which lists specific ways to begin the process of ‘healing the harm’ and ‘making things right’.

The RP conference does not seek to affix blame or to determine who is good or bad, but affirms the integrity of all participants. It provides a powerful learning experience for everyone and repairs and strengthens relationships.

 

Should those causing harm refuse to participate in a conference, there remains the option of members of the school’s executive team (Principal, Deputy Principal and School Leader Cs) deciding how to best proceed to achieve a fair resolution for all concerned.

 

Relational & Restorative Procedures used to resolve conflice & to repair harm

 

1. Using strategies to manage low-level disruptions

Visual and verbal cues, eg. picture cues, hand signals, reminders, questions,saying the student’s name, proximity, redirecting

2. Using relational questions

What happened? … What needs to happen to make things right?

3. Student moves to an agreed thinking spot in the classroom for the purpose of allowing all parties time and space. Teacher may need to use strategies to ‘drain-off’ student’s emotion.

The student may be offered a ‘chill-out’ card.

The student may have to wait for a corridor conference with the teacher.

Student resumes learning.

4. Informal Conference with person harmed and wrong-doer.

·         What happened?

·         What were you thinking about at the time?

·         Who has been harmed or affected? How?

·         What needs to happen to repair the harm and make things right?

Satisfactory reparation and return to learning in class

At discretion of teacher, parents are informed of incident and agreement.

Teacher discretion whether to fill out purple referral to executive  

5. If student is unable to settle or participate respectfully in an informal conference with teacher and person harmed, teacher sends for executive using the red card ‘urgent assistance required’ 

6. Counselling by executive staff – negotiate re-entry to class learning program and at discretion of executive either contact parents and/or fill out purple form for entry into student management data base.

ANY INCIDENT OF PHYSICAL OR VERBAL VIOLENCE OR ASSAULT WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE REMOVAL OF THE STUDENT TO THE ADMINISTRATION AREA.

The student will be counselled by executive, parents/carers contacted and there will a consultative process as to whether or not an internal or external suspension is appropriate and whether there are other considerations to be made.

There will be a formal restorative conference on re-entry to school.

 

This policy is in alignment with the National Safe Schools Framework, the ACT Education Act 2004 and the ACT DET P-10 Safe Schools Policy.