School Hours

Children are generally asked not to arrive at school before 8.30am, as adequate teacher supervision cannot be provided. Sporting equipment is not to be used before school and climbing on playground facilities is not permitted.

When children arrive at school they go directly to their classroom. If the teacher is not present then the children wait quietly outside the classroom. The 8.30am – 8.45am period is used for children to prepare for the morning lessons. Outside play is not permitted during this time.

Year 2021 School Hours

8.45am School commences
10.45-11.05am Morning recess
1:05-1.20pm Children eat lunch in designated areas
1.20 -1.50pm Lunch
1.50pm School recommences
3.00pm Children dismissed. Children should not remain at school after being dismissed as adequate teacher supervision cannot be provided.

School Development Planning Dates

The Education Department allows government schools five School Development Planning days each year. Children DO NOT ATTEND on these days. All schools in the local area will have ‘SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT DAYS” on.

(See current school calendar accessed on the Home Page sidebar)

Multi Aged Grouped Classes

The arrangement of classes across the school may at time require the formation of a split grade. These multi-age groups provide an opportunity for children to:

  • work together and learn from each other
  • work at their own rate, experience success and acknowledge the success of others
  • accept, value and care for others as individuals

Some Frequently Asked Questions

Does the placement of my year 4 child in a year 3/4 class rather than a Year 4 class mean that he or she is less able?

Year levels indicate the length of time spent at school and not the knowledge, skills and experience of children in that year level. Classes/groups of children are made up of individuals operating at different rates and different levels.

In determining the placement of children in multi-age classes, teachers consider maturity and independence, gender, friendship groups, length of time spent with the teacher, the balance of class numbers, the physical layout of the school and parent request whenever possible.

Will my child miss out on any work or have to go through similar work again, as a result of being in a multi-age group?

When children move from class to class they continue to work at their own rate with support and encouragement from the classroom teacher and the classroom program.

There are times when children do “re-visit” particular topics or concepts as a part of learning. This enables them to develop their thinking, build on previous knowledge and explore other possibilities.

Records of each child’s learning are kept in a variety of ways to assist teachers in identifying growth and levels of development. This information is shared with other teachers, parents and the child. These records form the basis of planning and programming for future learning activities that build on the knowledge, skills and experience of each child.

Will my child’s learning be hampered in any way if he or she spends time helping other children?

This interaction assists each individual’s learning. When children work together cooperatively, each child’s ideas and understandings are clarified and developed through sharing, explaining and exploring with others.

Working with others gives children opportunities to practise what they have already learnt, to use skills in a variety of situations and to share different learning styles and strategies.

These experiences also enable children to develop skills in cooperation, communication and leadership, to build confidence and self-esteem and to accept and value differences in each other.

With the wider age range in multi-age groups, is it more difficult for the teacher to provide individual attention to my child?

In any class, there is a range of abilities and teachers are able to cater for individual differences.

Teachers work in a variety of ways, sometimes with the whole class, perhaps for a class story, discussion or sharing time; but more often with small groups or individuals.

In the process of learning children use resources and materials, explore, plan and design, experiment, talk, share and record their investigations and achievements. Throughout this process, teachers monitor children’s learning and record it in a variety of ways.