MISTAKE CREEK

STATE SCHOOL

In Pursuit of Excellence.

PARENT HANDBOOK

2014

Principals Message

Dear Parents,

On behalf of the students and staff of MistakeCreekStateSchool, I would like to welcome you to our wonderful school! We are all looking forward to having your child as a student at MCSS.

This booklet attempts to give you a detailed guide to MistakeCreekStateSchool, but please don’t hesitate to contact myself if you have any concerns about anything.

I trust you will find the staff, students and parents welcoming and that you will enjoy your time with us!

Looking forward to seeing you,

Regards,

Jonas Shantz

Jonas Shantz
Teaching Principal

Mistake Creek State School

General Information

Principal/TeacherMr Jonas Shantz

TeacherMrs Samantha Martyn

Office staffMiss Hayley Bush

Teacher AidesMrs Tanya Bush

Miss Hayley Bush

Mr Dave Pyne

Visiting TeachersMiss Lucy Arrowsmith (Health & Physical Education)

Mr Bill Sharpe (Music)

Ms Glenys Finalyson (LOTE: French)

Address:6652 Clermont/Alpha Road, Clermont QLD 4721

Telephone:(07) 4983 5335

Fax:(07) 4983 5405

Email:

Web:

Office hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am – 3:00 pm

Office telephones are switched to an answering machine after hours.

2014 Term Dates

Term / Dates / Length
Term 1 / Tuesday 28 January - Friday 4 April / 10 weeks
Term 2 / Tuesday 22 April - Friday 27 June / 10 weeks
Term 3 / Monday 14 July - Friday 19 September / 10 weeks
Term 4 / Tuesday 7 October - Friday 12 December / 10 weeks

School Timetable

Time / Daily Schedule
8:30 / Smart Moves (30 min)
9:00 / Morning Session (55 min)
9:55 / Fruit Snack (10 min)
10:05 / Morning Session continued (55 min)
11:00 / 1st Break (45 min)
11:40 / Middle Session (70 min)
12:50 / 2nd Break (30 min)
1:20 / Last Session (70 min)
2:30 / Home Time

A

Absences – Parents are to inform the school by note or phone call that their child will be away as soon as reasonably possible. A doctor’s certificate should also be provided for long absences for illness. Long unexplained absences will be reported to Regional Office as apart of Education Queensland’s policy.

B

Bus - Bus Runs are pre-arranged each year in co-ordination with the parents and the driver. Parents can contact the Mistake Creek State School Conveyance Committee at 07 4983 5335.

Breaks

Fruit Break

To keep busy brains working, students will have a Fruit Break at 9:50AM. Children are asked to bring a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable. Foods that are cut up are much easier to eat 

Lunchtime play

Students may use the playground, the sandpit, the play equipment in the undercover area outside the school room. All areas are carefully supervised by teachers or teacher aides. Students who are hurt or experience any concern during a break are encouraged to approach the teacher on duty for assistance.

E

Early pick-up and late arrivals - If you arrive late to school you must report to the front office and sign in. If you wish to collect your child before the end of the school day, you must visit the administration building and sign the Leaving the school Grounds register.

H

Hats - All students are to bring their own SUNSAFE hat to school everyday; these can be purchased from the Mistake Creek P & C Association.

I

Infection Control - Parents are to be aware of all exclusion periods for common infections. Parents are responsible for alerting the school of an infection outbreak and taking all relevant precautions to prevent spreading the infection. See last page for exclusion periods and precautions.

K

Kitchen Facilities – The students are free to use the kitchen facilities such as microwave, sink and fridge for their lunches.

L

Lost Property - We endeavour to do our best to keep children’s property their responsibility; however there are times when items get lost, if items are named they will be returned promptly to the student.

We would appreciate it if children’s treasures are left at home. Treasures can be lost or broken and are safer at home. This rule applies to sharing time, when children are asked to bring something other than a toy.

Lunches- Students are to bring along their own lunch each day (excluding designated Tuckshop Days see Tuckshop). The students are able to leave their lunch in their bag or in the school fridge. Parents are to provide all cutlery and crockery for their child’s lunches and are reminded to check that your child can open all pre-packaged foods themselves.

M

Medication - Education Queensland has strict guidelines concerning the administration of medication to students.

These guidelines state that medication can only be given to a student when it is:

  • A medication to be administered form has been completed (these may be obtained from the front office)
  • Medication is prescribed by a doctor
  • in the container issued by the pharmacist with the instructions printed on it. The instructions must state the time the medication should be given. Please do not send single tablets.

Staff are not permitted to give children non-prescribed medication such as cough medicine or cough lollies, paracetamol, vitamins etc. Please do not send non-prescribed medication to school.

All prescribed medication is administered through the staff in the office. Medication is registered and signed off for each child and their dosage noted.

Music - The students are visited once a fortnight by a Music teacher from Clermont State School. The students are given credit on their report card for music.

Mailing Address the official mailing address for the school is:

Mistake Creek State School

Mail Service 627

Clermont Queensland 4721

N

Newsletters –Parents are free to put information they find relevant to the community in the newsletter. The newsletter currently goes to over 35 people. If there are any persons wishing to receive the newsletter they are free to contact the school and request one. Currently, the newsletter is produced monthly. Please take the time to read the newsletter as it has important information about upcoming events at the school.

P

Preparatory Year– Ifyou are interested in your child attending Prep at Mistake Creek State School please call Mistake Creek State School for an information package.

Parents & Citizens Association – The MCSS P&C meet regularly during the year to discuss fundraising and working bees for the betterment of the school. The P&C hold small fundraisers throughout the year and also hold their major fundraiser, the Annual Fun Run & Fete once a year. The P&C also hold regular working bees around the school grounds to ensure the grounds are kept neat and tidy. The Parents & Citizens Association meets at the School Grounds and hold meetings normally at 3pm. Everyone is welcome to attend the P&C meetings.

S

Sport - The students are visited once a fortnight by a Sport teacher from Clermont State School. The students are given credit on their report card for Sport.

Sun Safety – Students are to wear Sunsafe clothing at all times. Sleeveless or midriff shirts or dresses are not to be worn to school. Sunsafe hats must be worn. Sunscreen is readily available for all students.

Staff– the current staff at Mistake Creek State School can be found on the Information Page in this document.

T

Tuckshop – Tuckshop currently occurs once a week on Fridays. Please contact the school to get a list of what is available.Tuckshop is optional. If you do not wish for your child to participate in tuckshop, please send a lunch with your child instead.

U

Uniforms- Students are asked to wear the correct uniform everyday. The shirts and hatsare available for purchase through the P&C.

The uniform consists of a royal blue and sky blue shirt and navy blue shorts/skirts/shorts. Students may also wear yellow sports shirts.

During winter students may wear jeans or navy tracksuits. Students must wear full school uniform when attending functions in town or during school photos.

V

Volunteers – Parent volunteers are welcome at school. Please speak with the teacher prior to visiting to arrange a suitable time to help out. Parent volunteer need to sign in at the office upon arrival and sign out upon departure.

W

Website–To stay updated, please check the website out on a regular basis for news and events. Also, important school documents can be found at
EXCLUSION PERIODS

Recommended minimum Exclusion Periods for Infectious Diseases for Schools

(Based on the National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines)

Condition / Exclusion of cases / Exclusion of contacts
Chicken pox and Shingles / Exclude for at least 5 days AND until all blisters have dried / Any child with an immune deficiency (for example, leukaemia) or receiving chemotherapy should be excluded for their own protection. Otherwise not excluded.
Conjunctivitis / Exclude until discharge from eyes has ceased. / Not excluded.
Diarrhoea / Exclude until diarrhoea has ceased. / Not excluded.
Glandular fever (mononucleosis) / Exclusion is not necessary. / Not excluded.
Hand, Foot and Mouth disease / Until all blisters have dried. / Not excluded.
Hepatitis A / Exclude until a medical certificate of recovery is received, but not before seven days after the onset of jaundice or illness. / Not excluded.
Hepatitis B & C / Exclusion is not necessary. / Not excluded.
Herpes ("cold sores") / Young children unable to comply with good hygiene practices should be excluded while the lesion is weeping. Lesions to be covered by dressing, where possible. / Not excluded.
Impetigo (School Sores) / Exclude until appropriate treatment has commenced. Sores on exposed surfaces must be covered with a watertight dressing. / Not excluded.
Influenza and influenza like illnesses / Exclusion is not necessary. / Not excluded.
Measles / Exclude for at least four days after onset of rash. / Immunised contacts not excluded. Unimmunised contacts should be excluded until 14 days after the first day of appearance of rash in the last case. If unimmunised contacts are vaccinated within 72 hours of their first contact with the first case they may return to school.
Bacterial Meningitis and Meningococcal infection / Exclude until well. / Not excluded.
Mumps / Exclude for nine days or until swelling goes down (whichever is sooner). / Not excluded.
Ringworm, scabies, pediculosis (lice), trachoma / Re-admit the day after appropriate treatment has commenced. / Not excluded.
Rubella (German measles) / Exclude until fully recovered or for at least four days after the onset of rash. / Not excluded.
Streptococcal infection (including scarlet fever) / Exclude until the child has received antibiotic treatment for at least 24 hours and the person feels well. / Not excluded.
Tuberculosis / Exclude until a medical certificate from an appropriate health authority is received. / Not excluded.
Typhoid fever (including paratyphoid fever) / Exclude until approval to return has been given by an appropriate health authority. / Not excluded unless considered necessary by public health authorities.
Whooping cough / Exclude the child for five days after starting antibiotic treatment. / Exclude unimmunised household contacts aged less than 7 years for 14 days after the last exposure to infection or until they have taken five days of a 10-day course of antibiotics. (Exclude close child care contacts until they have commenced antibiotics).
Worms (intestinal) / Exclude if diarrhoea present. / Not excluded.
The NHMRC recommends that children who are physically unwell should be excluded from attending school.

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