Absentee Information

I need to clarify the arrangements for daily absentees. Parents may choose either of the following ways for one-off absences (meaning where children are away for one day only) 

The 1st way is to use the Schoolzine app and fill in the online form. When using this option we will not require any further correspondence from you regarding your child's absence. (information regarding the downloading the app can be found at the bottom of this newsletter on at the very top) Another good reason for downloading the app!

Parents may also choose to phone through on the absentee line 63832619 or the main school line on 6383 2600 and dial 1 and follow the prompts to leave a message for office staff. 

You may also email the admin@stkieran.wa.edu.au  account so that the office receives the email detailing why the child will be absent.

Phoning or emailing through for more than 1 day of absence we will require a written note signed by you confirming the reason for your child's absence. This is a requirement and expectation of all schools and is an item that was recently checked during our attendance audit through the Department of Education.

These records are now required to be kept indefinitely, which is why we would prefer the Schoolzine correspondence. If this isn't convenient, you can always send through a handwritten note through your child, or you can fill in a paper form found in the school office.

And please note, that if you do drop your child off late, they need to come through the front office to sign in.

I cannot emphasise this enough. Our office is always manned regardless of illness and all absentee messages will be sent through to teachers when using this method. We are still having parents email teachers, who for a variety of reasons, including illness and off-site training, have not checked emails first thing in the morning and parents then receive a text message requesting information for their absent child, which can be both frustrating, and in some cases, distressing. So help us to help you. Please only use the absentee notification methods above.


PARKING/ DROP OFF AND PICKUP ISSUES

Please, please, please- Do not drop children off on the road to enter the school in the morning.-that is why we have a drop off line. And with the wet weather now well and truly on us, this makes this practice even more dangerous. The continuing practice of parking in the disabled parking bays at the front of the school without an ACROD sticker will now have the offending vehicles photographed and have these pictures published in our newsletter. To avoid embarrassment, please only park in these areas if you have the appropriate ACROD sticker.

When using the drop off line, please drive as far forward as possible and ensure that your children alight within the yellow lined space on the right-hand side of the curb. If you drive to the end of the line and your child only alights from the vehicle at this location, this slows down the line significantly. This is simple maths. If you have 6-8 vehicles with children all getting out at the same time, the line will flow more effectively and the wait times will be lessened.

Parents and guardians parking on the middle section of Cape Street are reminded that this is not a designated parking area, and it is unsafe to park in this location. The City of Stirling rangers have been notified of this practice so, to avoid a fine, or even worse an accident, please DO NOT PARK in this area. An example of the wrong place to park is shown below.

PLEASE DONT PARK LIKE THIS CAR ON CAPE STREET!

SEMESTER ONE REPORTS
We will be aiming to release Semester One reports at the end of Week 9 through our SEQTA ENgage portal. In response to parent feedback, we are providing the opportunity for parents who wish to meet with their child's teacher to discuss the reports, especially if you would like to clarify how you can help your child. information regarding logging into the online SEQTA engage system will be found later in this newsletter with the meeting times being released at the same time as reports become available to parents.

Have a great weekend.

Peter Cutrona

Principal