Attendance
Your child will achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day. They learn better, make friends, are happier and have a brighter future. Under Queensland law, you must make sure your child of school age is enrolled and attends school all day, every school day unless they have an acceptable reason, e.g. illness. Avoid keeping your child away from school for birthdays, shopping, visiting family and friends, if they sleep in or minor check-ups.
You are encouraged not to schedule holidays during school time. If your family holiday is during school time, let the school know in advance and make arrangements for your child.
Parents are required to advise the school why their child has been absent from school within two school days of their return. Please advise the school as soon as possible by phoning our school office on (07) 3432 5333 or email us at
admin@ipswichcentralss.eq.edu.au. Alternatively you can email or send a letter to your child’s classroom teacher.
Behaviour management
The provision of a safe school environment for our students and staff is of paramount concern in our setting. School safety is an encompassing term embracing both physical and emotional safety within our school.
Read our
Student Code of Conduct which outlines the procedures to be followed to achieve the levels of safety and support which we feel are necessary. Topics covered include:
Values and beliefs
Processes for facilitating standards of positive behaviour and responding to unacceptable behaviour
Behavioural categories
Consequences for unacceptable behaviour
Network of student support
Consideration of individual circumstance
Appendices
Concerns and complaints.
Parents are encouraged to discuss with their child’s classroom teacher any concerns they may have regarding their child. If required, parents are also encouraged to contact the school office if you consider your concern is not being addressed or wish to make a complaint.
Contact details
Please inform the school office staff of any changes to contact details or the contact details of the people nominated as emergency contacts. Alternatively you can complete a
student information update form (PDF, 136 KB).
Communication
Our main form of regular communication to parents is via the newsletter. The newsletter is issued every Thursday and emailed to parents. An electronic copy is also available on our webpage. Hard copies of the newsletter are available from the school office as required. Additional information/excursion letters/ invoices are also sent home with students on Thursdays. Previous newsletters can be viewed in the
Newsletter section of this website.
Parent–teacher communication is encouraged at Ipswich Central State School via email or by prior arrangement before or after school. Contact the school office to make an appointment or to request an teacher's email address.
Parent–teacher interviews are held during Term 1 and Term 3 to discuss your child’s progress. A letter of request will be sent home to parents when interviews are being organised.
Excursions
School excursions and camps enhance a student’s learning by providing opportunities for the student to participate in activities, both curriculum-related and recreational, outside the normal school routine. All planned school excursions are approved by the Principal and endorsed by the Parents and Citizens Association.
Parents are advised of excursion details, travel arrangements and cost via an information letter sent home with students on Thursdays. An excursion permission form is to be completed by parents to enable their child to attend excursions and full payment is to be made by the due date where required.
Health and wellbeing
Ipswich Central State School is committed to supporting students’ health and wellbeing. We would appreciate parents/carers providing the school with any relevant health information that is required to support the student at school. This information is also collected at enrolment but needs to be updated regularly, or if a new health condition develops.
Specialised health needs
Information about medically diagnosed conditions such as allergies, asthma, diabetes and epilepsy and other health conditions that may require school staff to provide support to students, including administering medication and performing health procedures, should be provided to the school. Additionally, any health need that may impact on school activities such as sports, outings (including camps) should also be discussed with the school.
Information should be provided in writing, and any specific health plans (to be completed and signed by the medical practitioner) should be included. Read the Department’s
Management of Students with Specialised Health Needs policy for more information.
First aid
Trained school staff provide first aid to students when required. Teacher aides manage our health room during the lunch breaks. Our office staff administer first aid to students at all other times. Parents are contacted where deemed necessary if first aid is required.
Medication
Students requiring medication must report to the school office or health room. All medication must be left at the school office and a
medication authority form (PDF, 43 KB) completed by the parent/carer. Medication must be provided in the original prescribed packaging and labelled clearly.
Homework
Homework is an important aspect of the school’s educational program. It provides students with opportunities to consolidate their classroom learning, pattern behaviour for lifelong learning beyond the classroom and involve family members in their learning. The setting of homework takes into account the need for students to have a balanced lifestyle, including sufficient time for family, recreation and cultural activities.
The interest that is shown by parents in the work that students bring home is a great help in ensuring successful learning at school. Please check with the relevant classroom teacher/s regarding the pattern of homework set in their particular class.
Homework is not intended to be a chore for the parent or the student but instead an opportunity for parents and students to discuss school activities and to help students to develop good study habits.
Mobile phones and other personal technology devices
We understand that under certain circumstances children may need to bring a mobile phone to school for safety reasons. If this is the case we require the phone to be handed to the school office for safe keeping. However, no responsibility will be taken for lost or stolen mobile phones or other personal technology devices whilst they are at school.
Parking
Parking is available on Griffith Road (Limestone Park), Chermside Road and Queens Park (adjacent to the oval). Parking onsite is restricted to staff, wheelchair permit vehicles, taxis and delivery vehicles.
Religious Instruction (RI)
Queensland state schools provide religious instruction (RI) in accordance with Chapter 5 of the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 and Part 5 of the Education (General Provisions) Regulations 2006.
Religious instruction (RI) is offered at the school each week on Tuesdays. Students are allocated to RI based on information provided by parents on the completed
Application for Student Enrolment unless other written instructions have been provided to the
school.This information remains operational unless the parent informs the school otherwise in
writing. Approved RI instructors from various churches in the local community deliver an authorized cooperative program to participating students one half hour per week.
Students who are not participating in RI will be provided with other instruction in a separate supervised location. Other instruction must relate to part of a subject area already covered in class and may include, but is not restricted to
personal research and/or assignments, revision of class work such as creative writing or literacy and/or numeracy activities which could include online programs currently accessed by the students of that school (i.e.
Mathletics,
Reading Eggs),wider reading such as independent reading appropriate to the student.
Parents will be advised of any changes to the RI and other instruction programs to ensure they are able to make an informed decision on their child’s participation.
Student Resource Scheme (SRS)
To provide parents with a cost-effective alternative to purchasing resources elsewhere, our operates an SRS.
The scheme ensures that students have the resources required for them to engage with the curriculum for their education and saves parents time and money in sourcing the prescribed materials elsewhere. Savings are gained through the school's bulk purchasing practices and hiring arrangements. The scheme is not used to raise funds for other purposes and revenue collected through the scheme is applied only to the resources and operation of the scheme.
The scheme's operation, resource inclusions and participation fees were approved by the school's P&C Association.
Detailed information is available in the documents section of our website under the enrolment information area.
Uniforms
We are proud of our school uniform and expect all students to wear it with pride. All students are expected to wear the correct school uniform. Continuous non-compliance with the dress code will be addressed by the school administration. Uniforms can be purchased from our uniform shop.
Visitors to the school
All visitors should attend the office to sign in and receive a visitors identification tag upon their arrival. At the conclusion of their visit, they are required to return to the office to sign out and return the identification. This is to ensure their safety in the event of an emergency and the safety of students in the identification of approved visitors.
In the event you identify a suspicious visitor please notify the office immediately for investigation.