Z:\wpdata\judy\orientations\info brochure 1 - 7 2013.wpd

SCHOOL HOURS
Teachers are officially on duty from 07h30. SECURITY
Monday to Friday
Gates Open
Gates Close
The school (building and fields) is out-of-bounds after school hours, unlesspupils are involved in an activity organised by the school, or privateactivity that is officially authorised by the school.
ASSEMBLY
Assemblies are held on Monday and Friday mornings at 7h30 for all Grade1 - 7 pupils. These are primarily for sharing information pertaining to schoolroutine.
ATTENDANCE
School attendance is compulsory. A register of absenteeism is kept. Pupilswho are absent from school must bring a written note from theirparent/guardian explaining such absence on the day of return to school.
Excessive absenteeism will be reported to the Department of Education.
A Doctor’s Certificate is required for absence of 3 or more days. CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Atholton offers most of the traditional sports played by Primary School boysand girls. All pupils are expected to participate in an activity offered bythe school each term.
Team selection is on merit although we encourage full participation andwhenever possible will endeavour to give every child who attendspractices regularly, the opportunity to play matches.
First Term
Second Term
Third Term
Fourth Term
Other activities are also offered. A detailed extra-curricular timetable issent home at the end of each term, for the next term, indicating theactivities that are available for each Grade.
DEMERITS AND DETENTION
Atholton has a Code of Conduct which has been approved by the parentbody. A system of Demerits and Detention has been implemented fairlysuccessfully for pupils from Grades 3 - 7.
Demerits are issued for more trivial misdemeanours and are recorded ona sheet pasted into the back of the Homework Notebook. These are to besigned by parents each time a demerit is awarded. Once a pupil hasreceived 5 demerits, he / she will receive a Detention.
Detention is the punishment of pupils on a Friday afternoon from 2.00 -3.30 pm. A note is sent home informing parents of this Detention. Parentsare asked to sign this note, acknowledging that they are aware of theirchild’s punishment.
The third detention becomes a “Vim Squad” which is also on Friday from2.00 - 4.30 pm. Any further detention automatically becomes a “VimSquad”.
EXCURSIONS : OVERNIGHT / DAY TRIPS
All pupils are exposed to visits to various interesting and relevant venuesduring the course of the year.
Pupils from Grades 1 to 7 are also given the opportunity to travel awayfrom school with their teachers, on overnight excursions. These differ induration and cost depending on venue, distance away from Atholtonand age group. All pupils are encouraged to participate in thesewonderful learning experiences which develop team spirit, co-operation,independence and many other social and leadership skills.
All excursions are charged for, usually in a one-off term payment. Thesecharges are not included in the school fee.
GOVERNING BODY
The Atholton Governing Body comprises 5 parents, 2 educators, 1 non-educator and the Headmaster. Also included are co-opted memberswho are able to offer expertise in particular areas. The term of office is 3years. Various sub-committees may be formed and report directly to theGoverning Body.
GROUP INSURANCE
Alexander Forbes offers all parents the opportunity to participate in aGroup Insurance Scheme which will cover pupils against accidents givingrise to personal injury, occurring either at school, or outside the school,whilst participating in any school-organised activity.
This is a very worthwhile scheme and parents are strongly advised toprovide this cheap cover for their children.
HOMEWORK
Homework is sent home daily from Monday to Thursday for all pupils fromGrades 1 - 7. Grade 7 pupils may also occasionally receive Homework onFriday.
Homework is recorded in a Homework Notebook daily. Parents are askedto sign this book each day to acknowledge that they are aware of whatHomework is being done and also acknowledging receipt of any noticesthat may be sent home and are recorded in the Homework Notebook.
Homework is set regularly and in the Senior Primary should always includesome form of written work. Reading will always be a part of all pupils’Homework.
Time allocated to Homework will naturally vary from Grade 1 to Grade 7,but no pupil in Grade 7 should be spending more than 1 hour on normalHomework. However, if pupils are working towards tests, or doing projects,more time may be spent on this additional work.
JEWELLERY
Girls are permitted to wear a single plain gold / silver sleeper or stud in thebottom lobe of each ear. No other decorative jewellery is permitted. Noother piercings are permitted.
Plain (not decorative) wrist watches may be worn. Necklaces are stronglydiscouraged.
LEAVE DURING SCHOOL TIME
Leave-taking during official time is discouraged. Should an emergencyoccur during school time, parents are required to inform the Headmaster,in writing, before permission will be granted for leave.
No pupil is permitted to leave the school’s premises without theHeadmaster’s prior permission.
Lockers are available to Senior Primary pupils on a first come - first servebasis. At present lockers may be rented at R40.00 for the year.
LOST PROPERTY
All items of clothing, stationery, etc. should be clearly labelled with thechild’s name. Items of lost property that are handed in and that arecorrectly labelled will be returned to the child immediately. All other lostproperty will be stored and, unless claimed earlier, will be displayed fromtime to time for children to identify and claim. Any items not claimed bythe end of term will be donated to a charity.
MONEY BROUGHT TO SCHOOL
Pupils who bring money to school to pay for any particular event shouldensure that this is given to their class teacher first thing in the morning.
Money sent to school should be placed in a sealed envelope with thechild’s name and what the payment is for, written clearly on the front ofthe envelope.
MOTHERS’ GROUP
We have a very active and supportive Mothers’ Group under theChairmanship of Mrs Janet Brits. All Mothers are welcome to volunteertheir services. The Group is involved in numerous tasks, from fund raisingand covering of books, to catering and many other activities which takethe load away from the teaching staff.
NEWSLETTER
The Atholton Newsletter is sent home to each family every second weekand may also be viewed on our website: www.atholton.kzn.school.za.
PARENT / TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Formal, arranged interviews are planned for the Junior Primary and SeniorPrimary parents at the end of the First Term. It is expected that all parentstake advantage of this opportunity to meet with teachers.
Informal interviews initiated by parent or teacher may also be arrangedat any time during the course of the year as the need arises.
Junior Primary
Reports are prepared for each pupil in the Second and Fourth Terms.
Third Term reports are written only if parents specifically request a report,in writing; or if the pupil is new to the school in that term; or if the teacheris concerned about the child’s progress.
Senior Primary
Reports are prepared for each pupil in the First, Second and Fourth Terms.
Third Term reports are written only if parents specifically request a report,in writing; or if the pupil is new to the school in that term; or if the teacheris concerned about the child’s progress.
Reports are sent home by hand, usually on the last day of term.
SCHOOL FEES
School fees are set each year at a General Meeting in October /November for the following year.
Parents are given the option of paying annually, before the end ofFebruary, to benefit from a discount; or termly; or monthly for a period of10 months beginning in January and ending in October.
School fees are compulsory and payable in advance. Statements will besent to all parents.
Cheque payments are to be made to Atholton Primary School.
Pre School parents should make payment to the Atholton Reception Class.
SCHOOL TELEPHONE / MESSAGES TO PUPILS / CELL PHONES
Parents are requested not to expect the Secretaries to pass on trivialmessages to pupils. Obviously, in the case of an emergency, this will bedone willingly, but all after-school arrangements should be finalised athome before school starts in the morning.
Pupils may not bring Cell phones to school. The school will not beresponsible for the loss of any phone that is brought to school.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A General Meeting is held each year in October / November to determinethe fees for the following year.
A Special General Meeting may be called to elect members to theGoverning Body when a vacancy occurs.
STATIONERY
Parents are expected to buy all stationery required by their child.
Borrowing from other pupils is forbidden.
Atholton has used the services of Waltons Back-to-School Supplies formany years now and all stationery used by our pupils can be provided bythis Company. Orders may be placed through the catalogue at the endof each year for the following year.
TEXT BOOKS
All readers and text books are provided by the school on a loan basis.
Pupils are expected to look after these books and return them in goodorder at the end of the year, or when finished with them during the courseof the year.
Pupils who lose / damage a text book or reader will need to either replacethe book or pay for the replacement of such book before text books areissued the following year.
TRUST COMMITTEE
Atholton has a Trust Fund which is managed by the elected TrustCommittee. This Committee meets each term. TUCK SHOP
The Tuck Shop is open daily before school, at breaks and after school forpupils to purchase food, drinks or sweets. The Tuck Shop is privately run byMrs Sonja Schoeman. A variety of foods, drinks, etc. are available atreasonable prices.
UNIFORM SHOP
The uniform shop is privately run on the school premises by SantoshMoodley.
The uniform shop is open for extended periods at the beginning of theyear before school starts. These times are advertised in Newsletters closerto the time.
Our pupils are expected to be dressed smartly in a clean, neat uniformeach day and wherever the uniform is worn. The uniform should foster asense of pride and identity in each pupil.
The uniform list is available from the front office.
Full track suits may be worn for sport, or in the Second and Third Term aspart of the School Uniform. Full school uniform is to be worn beneath theTrack Suit. Green leggings, available from the Uniform Shop, may be wornby the girls in Terms 2 and 3 instead of the Track Suit. The Track Suit maynot be worn to school as part of our uniform in Terms 1 and 4.
NAME BADGES
Name badges are to be worn at all times. They are pinned to the Uniformabove the school badge on the left chest.
VISITING PRODUCTIONS
Each term, touring groups are invited to the school to entertain the pupilsand to expose them to different cultural experiences.
An additional charge is levied to each pupil for these visits.
Tel : 031 561 1021 * Fax : 031 561 5457
email : [email protected]
www.atholtonschool.co.za

Source: http://www.atholtonschool.co.za/docs/Website%20Information%20Brochure%202014.pdf