General Information

Attendance

We believe that good attendance at school supports future success. Please contact the school as soon as possible when your child is absent from school so that teachers can be informed. We ask that students arrive at school after 8.30am and prior to 8.50am so they don’t interrupt learning time. Students are not allowed on site before 8.30am.  Students who arrive after 8.50am must sign in at the Front Office before heading to class.  If you know you will be away for extended periods or even a few days up to 3 or more during term, please obtain an Exemption Form from the front office.  This could include family medical, family holidays or cultural reasons to name a few. If you visit the doctor with a sick child it is also beneficial to request a sickness certificate.

Emergency Contacts

At times it is important for the school to contact parents/ caregivers or other nominated emergency contacts. Please download and complete the emergency contact form and return it to school or email dl.0175.info@schools.sa.edu.au as soon as possible if any changes occur. It is also important to let us know of any changes to this information as it occurs, especially changes to Telephone numbers e.g. mobiles.

Click here to access – HAS Parent Emergency Contact Document

Health

If your child requires specific medical support please inform the school as soon as possible. Department guidelines require a Health Support Plan to be developed in consultation with the child’s medical practitioner before medication can be used at school. Designated staff will supervise children taking this prescribed medication. Click the following tabs to access the documents required –

• Individual First Aid Plan
• Non Specific Health Care Plan
• Asthma Care Plan
• Health Support Agreement
• Oral Eating and Drinking Care Plan

School Bus Information

Hawker Area School operates a school bus using the guidelines established by the Transport Service Unit of The Department for Education.

The Governing Council in liaison with the Principal will be responsible for bus issues relating to the school.  Should you have any bus issues then you need to contact the Principal to discuss them.

The Bus Committee is made up by the Principal, Governing Council Chairperson and three parent representatives. The Principal will chair meetings of this committee.

Students attending the Hawker Childhood Services Centre will be carried on the bus in accordance to Department for Education Development Policy. Individual approval must be given in writing by the school’s Principal granting permission for pre-school students to travel.

All parents with children travelling to school on the bus are issued with a current Bus Timetable at the beginning of the year and sent updates as required.

Changes to the route must be arranged through the Principal and will go to the Bus Committee for recommendation and then to the Governing Council for endorsement before being sent to Adelaide for approval. This takes time and will not happen quickly. Suggestions or concerns must be in writing and addressed to the Principal. They can be discussed with your bus committee representatives.

Travelling on the Bus

The driver needs to be notified, by the parent either verbally or in writing when the students will not be on the bus on any given day. Parents / Caregivers should advise the driver on the night before or between 6.30 am and 7 am on the day. Parents may also contact the school front office during open hours to notify of students not being on the bus. The driver can be contacted by phone.

The timetable, as published, is to be maintained. In the morning the driver will wait at a stop for two (2) minutes past the published time, if they have not had prior information from the parent. The driver will then leave the stop and maintain the schedule. Parents arriving after that time will need to transport children to school or catch the bus along its route.

In the afternoon normally the bus departs as soon as all students are on board or at 3.15pm whichever is earliest.

Parents need to be approximately 3-5 minutes early to collect children from bus stops as it may be running early due to some children not being on board. On occasions the bus may run late.

The driver of the bus will not allow students to get off at another stop rather than their normal stop without prior written or verbal advice from the parent to the driver or the front office. *Verbal advice via the student is not acceptable. 

The bus driver cannot authorise other than school children to travel on the bus. Parents wishing to arrange for other passengers to travel on the bus must do so through the Principal via the school front office, which then provides this information to the bus driver. This will then give these passengers legal cover while on the bus.

Where seat belts are fitted to a school bus it is Department policy that all students must wear belts at all times when the vehicle is travelling. It is not the driver’s responsibility to ensure that students are correctly seated and the seat belt is in place.

Children must be secured in their age appropriate restraint – 4-7 years a child safety seat with an inbuilt harness or booster seat; 7 years and older – booster seat restrained with a seatbelt or correctly fitted adult seatbelt.

Legislation requires that buses shall not carry any parcels, goods, luggage (other than hand luggage), newspapers or mail weighing more than 20 kilograms except in in-built storage compartments. They cannot be carried in the passenger seating space of any bus.

Misbehaviour on the school bus will be managed by the Principal. Students will not be put off the bus by the driver, but could be suspended from bus travel by the Principal if inappropriate behaviour is continued. The Hawker Area School Student Behaviour Management policy will operate in relation to student conduct on school buses. Students should not talk loudly or in any way distract the driver. Litter must be put in the bin provided.

Bus and Wet Weather

If weather conditions are likely to prove hazardous for bus travel and the safety of the students/driver is in doubt the bus may not complete the full route.  The driver will alter the timetable if road conditions do not allow the bus to maintain the required speed. Parents will be made aware of this by phone.

If weather conditions in your area are likely to prove hazardous for bus travel, parents are requested to contact the Principal or Driver and advise them of your concerns. This may result in the bus not completing the full route if the safety of the students/driver is in doubt.

If weather or other circumstances are reported to the school and the Principal feels that it is in best interests to have the bus run earlier or not at all, efforts will be made to contact parents by phone and advise them of this decision.

If students cannot be collected from their bus stop or the bus does not run, students will remain at school until parents can arrange for them to be collected from the school. It is clear what our roles and responsibilities are in the event of wet weather. To support these procedures the Principal or delegate will care for the students remaining at school until parents can arrange to collect them.

Bus and Catastrophic Bush Fire Weather

On days of catastrophic fire weather, the bus will not run. Parents will need to arrange alternative transport for their children.  Travel claim forms will be provided for days when the bus does not run.

Bus Use – Camps, Excursions etc.

On occasions the bus will be used to support interschool events for students. This may result in bus timetables being altered (i.e. run one hour later).  Parents are asked to support these variations so that students can be involved in sporting/cultural events. Parents will be notified in advance.

Local Excursions

The school’s Outdoor Education Policy and plan encourages all students to take part in a series of experiences that build on one another. Throughout the year several types of excursions are undertaken as an integral part of the curriculum. Parents are given details of an excursion in advance and are asked to sign a consent form on each occasion. Annually parents are asked to give a general consent for their children to participate in local excursions – those excursions which will take place within a 1km radius of the town. Any excursion outside this radius requires a consent form.

Guidelines for Camps and Excursions for Year Levels/Class Groups

All Camps and Excursions are dependent on class structures and available qualified staff

Foundation to Year 2 (Junior Primary)

• Day trips and short excursions
• Sleep-ins and overnight stays – at school and local venues
• Whole School Camps – at the discretion of parents, caregivers and staff

Year 3-6 (Primary)

• Day trips and short excursions
• Local camping overnight
• Residential camping in different locations (2 – 4 days)
• Whole School Camps

Year 7-12 (Middle & Senior Secondary)

• Day trips and short excursions
• Residential based camp-site in different locations (2 – 5 days)
• Range of curriculum, sporting, leisure and career experiences and opportunities
• Whole School Camps

FaceBook

We encourage parents to follow our page on Facebook to keep up to date with photos of special events and classroom activities. Click Hawker Area School to be taken to FaceBook

Frog – Download the Frog App

The school also invites parents to install the Frog App. We use the Frog App to communicate to parents, distribute newsletters, reminders, etc. To get the Frog App go to iTunes Store (iPhone/iPad) or Google Play (Android/Tablet), search for Frog Go and download the app to your phone. Once installed, when it asks for your school’s Frog web address use: has-49187.frog.civica.education Make sure you allow push notifications to get the most of the app.

Student Support

Our school is committed to providing additional assistance to children with learning difficulties. Students are given more intensive help in one to one or small group situations. Children with special needs are catered for through individual One Plans. Assessment and support is provided by The Department for Education Support Staff and other specialised personnel if required.  Students are selected for support programmes based on class, site and system testing. Parents are informed of any such programme and kept informed of progress made by the child concerned.

As part of our program to support student wellbeing Hawker Area School employs a Pastoral Care Worker. (PCW) The role of a PCW is to be a positive role model, delivering compassionate pastoral and practical support to the school community, students, staff and parents. They have the important role of nurturing student and staff emotional wellbeing and the assist students to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills that support a positive experience whilst at school, including the development of positive social relationships.

At Hawker this role is seen by the presence of the PCW in our classrooms, working with students, providing a modelled example for academic effort and the building of relationships with others. It also is seen through the activities of our PCW at lunchtimes, mixing with students and running activities to provide the opportunity for students to mix in structured settings. Our PCW plays an important role in making our students feel welcome and valued at our school.

Our School is also very well resourced with School Service Officers – SSO’s for assisting teaching staff in the conduct of educational programs to students by undertaking a range of classroom and clerical teacher support activities which contributes to the achievement of educational outcomes for the students at the school. We also have an ACEO Aboriginal Community Education Officer who regularly liaises with our parents / caregivers of Aboriginal Students, provides support for Aboriginal students in their learning and support for the principal and staff in managing issues relating to Aboriginal students. Our Aboriginal Community Education Officer promotes early engagement with learning, promotes a strong foundation for future educational achievement, and encourages the social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of students.

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