It is a legal requirement that parents notify the school each time their child is absent.  We have a dedicated phone extension for this purpose you can also SMS the school on 0427 110 916 or reply to our school generated SMS.

It would be appreciated if you would inform the school promptly if your child has a contagious or infectious disease.

If you need to remove your child from class for any reason during the day, we require an adult to come to the office and using the “incidental absence” computer program sign the child out and take the produced slip to the class teacher.

If you take your child to the doctor when they are sick you can ask the doctor for a “sickness certificate” which you can give to the school this helps to keep your child’s absence record accurate.

Student Led Conferences are run in term 1 and term 3 (by request). These are three way interviews where your child and teacher share the learning and achievements that have been reached so far.

Each term students will develop learning goals in Literacy and Numeracy which will be sent home. 

Written reports will be sent home at the end of terms 2 and 4. If you are in a spilt relationship, reports will be sent to the supportive parent if you have provided your details and this request to our front office staff.

Students in year 3 and 5 will have the opportunity to be involved in the Nation wide assessment NAPLAN. NAPLAN provides you with another assessment piece to determine how your child is progressing against other children within the state. Assessments occur in reading, writing, spelling/grammar and numeracy.

All unclaimed items are sent to the office.  All named goods are returned to the correct student.  All un-named items are kept until the end of each term and are then disposed of.  To minimise the chances of items being lost and not returned, we ask that all belongings be named.

Assemblies are a way for the school community to come together to share accomplishments and information.  We have regular whole school assemblies in weeks 1, 3, 6, 9 & 10.

Please Note that children should not be in school grounds before 8.30am as staff are not on duty before that time.

It is a Department for Education requirement that Students with asthma have an Asthma Care Plan completed by their Doctor and held by the school. These forms are available at the front office.

This information supports our staff in the case of emergencies.  Parents/caregivers are required to supply a puffer with the child’s name clearly labelled and stored in the classroom for easy access.  Children with Asthma must have their puffer on them when they go on camps or excursions.

Please advise the Principal through the Front Office staff of any current or changes in legal custody rulings. All information is treated confidentially. A copy of all current custody paperwork must be supplied to the school.

Our class make up and sizing structure is part of a process that leadership and teachers undertake in terms 3 and 4 of each year.  Classes can be either straight or composite (e.g. year 4 only or years 4 & 5 together). Students are placed in classes according to a variety of factors. 

These include but are not limited to –

• The number of students in classes
• Ratio of boys/girls
• Academic, social, emotional, physical development
• Friendships

At the end of Term 3 each year, parents/caregivers will be provided with the opportunity to supply information which may assist staff in the placement process

No dogs are permitted on the school grounds as they can be dangerous to trusting children.  We telephone the local council if strays are found wondering the school grounds.

Our school, together with Governing Council negotiated to have early school closures three times a term to support the professional learning of all staff. Therefore school finishes early on Wednesday of weeks 3, 6 & 9 of each term. The dismissal bell goes at 2.10pm on these days. 

OSHC facilities are available for booking for parents that may need alternative arrangements. Children not collected will be sent to OSHC.

If your child has a minor accident eg, grazed knee, he/she will be treated at school. However, if the accident or illness is more serious, parents/caregivers will be telephoned immediately and, if necessary the child will be transported to hospital.

It is important in such times that we are able to contact parents/caregivers or a relative/close friend to support your child/ren when they are sick or injured.  It is in your child/ren’s best interest that emergency contact information is regularly updated.

Activities such as excursions and camps greatly enhance the progress of learning, offering new, varied, challenging and practical experiences across learning areas.  These experiences are not a privilege but an experience which adds value to student learning.

In many instances these make the student’s learning significant and meaningful.

Teachers seek to schedule such experiences from time to time. At these times teachers will send home a letter with details of the excursion/camp and needs along with a consent form for your signature.

In line with being a sustainable school we use Facebook to alert the school community to upcoming events.  To follow our Facebook page you need to perform the following actions:-

Navigate to our webpage http://mveps.sa.edu.au and click on the facebook icon at the top of our website. Then click “Follow” when you’re in facebook.

The Governing Council is a partnership between the schools and parents/caregivers.  Consisting of the Principal, elected parents and teacher representatives, this body has a great deal of responsibility for the running of our school, the elected parents are your representatives.

Our school has an active Governing Council. Parents are encouraged to attend.  Vacancies often occur during the year and we invite you to consider becoming a member. The role of this body is to exercise a general overview of the wellbeing of the school and to assist the school decision-making processes. This includes curriculum, policy, and grounds development. 

The Governing Council meets twice a term. 

Parents/caregivers may wish to raise issues from time to time. Issues regarding your child are to be firstly discussed with the class teacher.

We welcome your feedback and ask that you use the following guidelines when raising an issue –

• Keep in mind that you have one side of an issue.
• Be prepared to talk specifics. That is, be prepared to talk about your own child and a particular incident.
• Parents may use an advocate to assist them in raising an issue
• The issue needs to be kept confidential.
• Parents may seek support from friends to gauge their reaction. It is important to do this wisely and confidentially.
• When a grievance is discussed, the student involved needs to feel confident that the matter will be resolved at the school level.
• The school can only deal with issues that are raised in this way. If we are not approached about any concerns, then we assume that all is well.

Any issues should be firstly discussed with the class teacher;

• Please make an appointment with the classroom teacher. This ensures that the teachers are free to give you their full attention.

If the issue is not resolved;

• Please make an appointment with a member of the Leadership Team on 8382 4311. Please provide information about the subject matter to be discussed as this may shortcut the procedure.

If parents continue to feel dissatisfied, approach the Education Director on 8207 3802 who will support to resolve the issue/s.

We expect all students to wear a hat when participating in outdoor activities and during recess and lunch breaks during Terms 1, 3 & 4.  This expectation is consistent with the Department for Education and the Anti-Cancer Foundation guidelines.

All students are expected to wear a hat that covers the face, ears and back of the neck (broad brim style).  These are sold at the school through the Uniform Shop and Finance Office.

Consistent non-compliance in relation to wearing a hat will result in consequences under the School’s Behaviour Code.

As all our classrooms are air-conditioned, we do not dismiss early on hot days.  Children will play indoors on days of extreme heat according to our hot weather policy.

The Sick Bay (located in the Administration Block) is used for minor ailments.

Ambulance

If a student is assessed as requiring transportation to a hospital, the school will call an ambulance.

Communicable Diseases

Parents are asked to advise our Office Staff if their child/ren has contracted a communicable disease.

These include:-

Upon returning to school, the students need to report to the Front Office for a headlice check before heading to the classroom. Recommended minimum exclusion period from school are as follows

• Head Lice – exclude until appropriate treament has commence. Upon returning to school, the students need to report to the Front Office for a headlice check before heading to the classroom. 
• Scabies – exclude until the day after appropriate treatment has commenced.
• Chicken Pox – exclude until all blisters have dried (usually 5 days)
• Hand Foot & Mouth – excluded until all blisters have dried.
• Infective Hepatitis – excluded until medical certificate of recovery produced.
• Measles – exclude until 4 days after the onset of the rash.
• Mumps – exclude for 5 days after onset of swelling.
• Rubella – exclude until fully recovered or for at least 4 days after the onset of the rash.
• Scarlet Fever – exclude until the person has received appropriate antibiotic treatment for at least 24 hours and feels well.
• Viral gastroenteritis – exclude until no diarrhoea for at least 24 hours.
• Whooping Cough – dependant on Medical Advice.
• Impetigo (school sores) – exclude until appropriate treatment has commenced. Any sores on exposed surfaces should be completely covered with a dressing.
• Ringworm – exclude until the day after appropriate treatment has commenced.

For personal safety and the safety of others jewellery is not to be worn at school.  The only exceptions are stud earrings or sleepers and a loose, single strand necklace. Make up and nail polish are not accepted.

Our school will ask for a Medication Agreement before any medication will be administered at school. 

Medication at school should be –

• Prescribed by a Doctor, including analgesics and other medication that can be bought over the counter.
• Sent only if needed. Medication that has to be taken three times per day can be taken before and after school and before bedtime.
• Delivered in the original container, labelled from the Pharmacy with the child’s name clearly visible and dosage amounts matching the medication agreement signed by the doctor.

Our school newsletter is published in weeks 3, 6 & 9 each term. The newsletter is our way of communicating the vital information to our families and we invite you to read each one to keep up to date with school activities. To remain a sustainable school we ask that families access the newsletter electronically.

To receive the newsletter online, navigate to http://mveps.sa.edu.au. Scroll down to “Newsletter Sign Up” section on the front page.  Fill in the required fields and click “Subscribe”.

If you do not have access to a computer and need a paper copy please speak with the office staff.

We provide parents who need care before and or after school a variety of fun and recreational activities that support young people’s development. The service provides families with the following

Before School Care                                               6:45am – 8:45am

After School Care                                                  3:00pm – 6:00pm

Early Dismissal                                                      2:10pm – 6:00pm

Vacation Care, Pupil Free & School Closures     6:45am – 6:00pm           

We cater for children between 4-13 years, providing a wide range of craft, educational, fun activities.

Child Care Benefit is paid by the Centrelink Office which reduces the out of pocket costs for families. The benefit available depends on the family’s income, however all families are eligible to receive at least the minimum percentage. 

You can contact the Family Assistance Office on 136150 and quote the following provider numbers

• 555 009 329A (OSHC)
• 555 013 069L (Vac care)

OSHC is contactable by phoning 0418 422 350 anytime.

Parents are invited to participate in many ways around our school on a voluntary basis.  This may be listening to reading, or helping on an excursion.

You may also consider joining one of our Governing Council sub committees; Parents and Friends, Environmental, Finance, OSHC, or Sports.  

All volunteers are required to undertake a police check which is a Department for Education requirement.  Please see the office for further details.

The role of the Pastoral Care Support Worker is to provide pastoral resource and a referral service to parents, students and staff.  The role includes:-

Supporting the community in times of:-

• Hardship
• Grief
• Uncertainty

Supporting students in developing

• Friendships
• Self esteem
• Confidence
• A sense of hope and optimism

The Pastoral Care Support Worker is available and you can make an appointment through the front office.

Families are able to make appointments to meet either by phoning the school on 8382 4311.

We have a large Resource Centre with an extensive selection of fiction and non-fiction books.  Books can be borrowed in the child’s specific classroom library time, before school or during lunch times. Children must have a Library Bag in which to carry their books. This bag can be a supermarket bag or a homemade cloth bag. 

Resources are generally borrowed for a period of two weeks. We encourage students to take responsibility for returning books by the due date. However, please help by checking your children’s library books to ensure they are returned on time.

Lost books incur a replacement charge. If a book is misplaced please inform the library staff. If any parent would like to help with library tasks such as book covering, reshelving books etc please see the resource centre staff.

School Card Scheme is available to families who qualify under Department for Education regulations. This scheme helps families cover the cost of Materials and Services fees (school fees). We encourage all parents/guardians who believe they may be eligible for this scheme to speak to our Finance Officer.

Please be aware that no student will automatically be approved for school card. A new application must be completed every year.

The compulsory School Materials and Services Fee is in line with the School Governing Council’s & Department for Education recommendations each year. 

This amount, along with Government Grants, provides for materials such as text books, educational materials, computing, equipment used for PE and sports as well as all other subjects during the course of a student’s study at school.  Stationery, art supplies and other resources are also provided throughout the year.

We ask parents to pay the required amount during the first term of school.  We are aware of the differing financial circumstances families may experience, so if you have any difficulties, please speak to the Finance Officer.  We are happy to make arrangements for a series of payments but this must be negotiated with the Finance Officer as soon as possible.  The total amount of fees owing is legally recoverable at the end of term 1.  There is no interest charged and the process is strictly confidential.

Payments to the school may be made by cash, cheque and/or credit card and direct debit.  Cheques should be made payable to “Morphett Vale East School” and crossed with the words “Not Negotiable” written on it. EFTPOS facilities are available.

Payments for excursions/incursions, such as camps or performances which students take part in from time to time, are invoiced to each family and payment can be made in the above ways. Payments are due one week prior to events and if not paid students may not be permitted to attend.

If you are a Health Card Holder, Sole Pension Card Holder or on a low income, please see heading ‘School Card’.

Morphett Vale East School is fortunate to have a School Counsellor.

The role involves supporting all students and families.  The Counsellor supports students in a wide range of ways, often working with individuals who are having difficulties with school routines, making friends or needing support with the management of their emotions.  The Counsellor works alongside classroom teachers implementing social skills programmes. 

Our Counsellor is available to work with families around issues of grief and loss and behaviour management strategies in the home. Parents can make an appointment to meet with the school counsellor via the front office or by calling 8382 4311.

We encourage parents to be involved in the understanding of their child’s education.  Parents should feel free to consult the teacher about their child’s progress at any time during the year.

An appointment, set for a time convenient to both parent and teacher, can ensure that the teacher is not engaged in lessons or with responsibilities to the children.  Please speak with either the Teacher or the office staff to arrange this appointment.

The Speech & Language Class provides a small setting for students who are experiencing significant difficulty learning, primarily because of severe speech or language difficulties.

Access to this class is only possible through a placement process with Department for Education regional office. It has an “early intervention” focus and accepts students at junior primary level. It provides a short to medium term educational program with a communication skills focus

Every class at Morphett Vale East is engaged in Physical Education every day. Classes also have the opportunity to engage with our specialised physical education teacher for lessons each week.

The whole school participates in a sports day, which culminates the students learning from across the year. Each child is placed into a Sports House;

• Gum – Red
• Banksia – Green
• Mulga – Blue
• Wattle – Yellow as they enroll into our school.

The Patterson Shield is presented to the House with the most points at the end of the day.

Our school also offers opportunities for students to participate in team sports.  These take place usually after school and on Saturdays. Soccer and Netball are currently available, information on these teams can be sort from our Sports Coordinator.

SAPSASA (South Australian Primary Schools Sports Association)

Throughout the year children from Morphett Vale East Yr 5,6 classes will be asked to represent the school in the local SAPSASA events. As the students are representing our school, only students demonstrating appropriate behaviour at school will be invited to attend.

Once a year the students in Reception to Year 5 attend Noarlunga Swimming Centre for swimming lessons.  A nominal charge is made to cover cost of pool entry, and transport. The students are graded into small groups of approximately 12 children.

Year 6 students are offered Aquatic lessons. The charge covers hire of aquatic equipment and bus fare.  All Year 6 students are able to participate in one or more of the following activities for the week;

Snorkelling, canoeing, sailing, fishing, Introduction to aquatics.

Change is an exciting time in everyone’s life. To support both parents and children through the change processes of school we provide a variety of transition activities.

Pre School to School

During the term preceding a child’s start at school, pre school children are invited for a series of planned visits to the school. Parents are invited to attend an information session at the school during your child’s first transition visit.

Year 6 to High School

Our school will distribute available information and enrolment forms for Year 6 when they become available. Parent/caregivers are encouraged to attend information sessions organised by the Secondary Schools.

Please see the front office staff for any queries regarding transition. 

Students are encouraged to visit their chosen High School on the orientation visit provided.

Uniforms can be purchased through the office or direct from the supplier, DLC.  School polo shirts, jumper options and dresses are held in stock.

Plain Navy blue bottoms can be purchased at any store.

The wearing of school dress code is compulsory. On occasions when students are not able to wear the uniform it is expected that a note be sent or included in the diary.  For safety reasons students will be permitted to attend an excursion only when wearing uniform unless advised otherwise.

Polo Shirts – Navy and teal collared shirt

Dresses – Teal, navy and white check

Netball skirt / skort – Navy

Shorts – Navy shorts for girls and boys (no logos, stripes, etc)

Pants – Navy track pants or trousers (no denim)

Windcheater / jumper – Navy, teal and white 1/4 zip windcheaters or striped rugby jumpers.

Hats – Navy wide brim

Footwear

We advocate children wearing comfortable, well-fitting shoes or boots to school in winter and comfortable well-fitting shoes or sandals in summer. Joggers for Fitness and P.E. are advised.

Clogs, high heeled shoes or boots and thongs are NOT suitable footwear for school.

Click the below link to view the ICT Student Agreement document: 

ICT student agreement

• Remain in their vehicle
• Continue to move forward, along the drop-off zone, at all times, as space becomes available when vehicles exit the zone
• Stay in sequence – Don’t cut in the queue
• Child Safety – Please ensure children get in or out of the vehicle on the kerb side. The back seat is the safest seat for children to travel in, regardless of the make of vehicle.
• No U-turns – Please do not do u turns in busy school zones. They are dangerous and put children at risk.
• Please do not park on full yellow lines.

Click the below link to view the Primary student use of mobile phones and personal devices:

Primary student use of mobile phones and personal devices