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Our school opened in 1960. It is a traditional building with individual classrooms. Wide corridors throughout the school provide flexible teaching areas. The Red Hill Preschool is co-located within the North Wing, occupying two rooms. We are fortunate to have a large playground adjoining an oval which is suitable for athletics and team sports.
At its peak, the school's enrolment exceeded 1000 children. Enrolment now varies from year to year, in the range of 500 students. The school population is diverse in terms of family types, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, with a significant number of children from diplomatic, military and academic backgrounds.
Red Hill School actively fosters and teaches respectful relationships within its community. It promotes quality relationships between girls and boys, boys and boys, girls and girls, children and adults and amongst adults.
The development of positive and effective relationships is encouraged in the context of a supportive learning environment. The organisational features of our school are developed within this framework.
Classes are formed through an extensive consultation process between the principal, teachers, parent/carers and children. Every effort is made to balance the classes in terms of gender and learning abilities. Maths groups are streamed on the basis of assessment tests and teacher knowledge of children's abilities, and single sex groups are formed for a range of activities where the need arises. A buddy class system between several senior and junior classes provides children with valuable cross-age tutoring experiences.
Teaching teams plan and work together to offer as wide a range of educational experiences to students as possible, using teachers' particular expertise as effectively as time-tabling constraints allow, for example, PE/fitness, Arts, Studies of Society and Environment and Science rotation activities.
Red Hill encourages a nut free environment as some children at the school suffer from a life-threatening allergy to peanut butter and other nut based products.
VISION STATEMENT
The following vision statement was developed by the school community:
Working with the community, providing excellence.
The goal of Red Hill Primary School is to foster the harmonious development of children in keeping with their ages, abilities and aptitudes. The school's function is to assist each child to grow and to live an enriched and useful life while at school and in later years.
The school encourages self-reliance, self-discipline and self-motivation, leading to the formation of a strong feeling of self-worth.
The development of values, discipline and learning are considered to be a co-operative effort between the staff, students and parent/carers of the school.
Early in Term 1 parents are invited to meet their child's class teacher, on an individual basis. The purpose of this is for teachers and parents/carers to get to know each other and to enable parent/carers to provide the teacher with any information about their child which they feel is pertinent. Additionally, at the beginning of term one, teachers hold information evenings.
During Term 2 a three-way interview is held. At this time teachers, students and parents discuss the child's achievements and set goals for the second semester.
At the end of each semester a written report is prepared for all children. This may be followed by an interview if appropriate.
Learning Journeys are held at the end of each Unit of Inquiry and a Student Portfolio of Work is maintained and shared.
Parent/carers and teachers are encouraged to be in contact during the year, and particularly if there is a need or concern about a child's academic progress, welfare or behaviour. We ask that you phone the school for an appointment to arrange a mutually convenient time with the teacher, deputy principal or principal, as appropriate.
The school newsletter is produced fortnightly and is taken home on Friday by the oldest and only child in the family at the school. It is the main, regular means of providing information to parent/carers. It gives dates, excursion information, policy information, invitations to school activities and functions as well as providing an avenue to commend our successful students in many areas of excellence. Additional special notices for urgent information are sent home on Wednesday.
The Student Council was formed to give children greater participation in the decision making process and functioning of the school. Children from each class in the school belong to the Student Council, and an Executive of students in years 3 - 6 meet with the principal and deputy principal.
Pre-school Liaison
As of the start of 2007 the Red Hill Pre-school will be implementing the Primary Years Program of the International Baccalaureate Organisation. The staff and students will be working cooperatively and sharing resources.
To facilitate the entry of pre-school children into kindergarten orientation sessions are organised in Term 4.
The feeder high school is Telopea Park High, an International Baccalaureate Organisation school implementing the Middle Years Program. Liaison is promoted by
- orientation days for prospective year 7 students
- parent/carer nights for parent/carers of prospective year 7 students
- meetings between year 6 and 7 teachers
- attendance by teachers at area network meetings
Defence School Transition Aide
We are fortunate at Red Hill Primary School to have a Defence School Transition Aide.
The Defence School Transition Aide Program provides support to children of Australian Defence Force (ADF) Members and their families, particularly during their transition into and out of a school on posting.
The program aims to assist the smooth transition of mobile Australian Defence Force children from school to school and across the Sates and Territories.
Why do we have a defence School Transition Aide in our school?
The Defence School Transition Aide assists children and parents to quickly become part of the school community. They answer basic questions about the school and provide a link from families to the school. They also help build the school’s long-term capacity to support mobile children and their families.
Children respond differently to relocation and change. Some make a positive transition into the new school. Others may experience difficulties. These difficulties may present in changes in behaviour, loss of self-esteem and diminished academic performance.
What does our Defence School Transition Aide do?
A Defence School Transition Aide is not a teacher but a member of the school team. The duties of the DSTA may include the following:
- Being a contact for new parents of mobile ADF children in the school
- Assisting the school and parents with enrolment procedures
- Introducing ADF parents and children to the school and its facilities
- Coordinating appropriate welcoming and farewelling activities for ADF children
- Monitoring day to day children’s personal issues such as friendship
- Acting as a referral point for cases requiring specialised educational advice
- Supporting individual children’s needs as required
- Contributing to the school newsletter items of interest to mobile families
- Providing opportunities for ADF families to meet other ADF families
It is not intended that the Defence School Transition Aide work with an individual child on a long-term basis.
Social Justice
The school is committed to equality of access and participation by students to learning activities and resources, including teacher time and attention. The school recognises and values the range of experiences, backgrounds and ways of viewing the world which the children bring to their learning, and actively promotes the critical analysis of structures and practices which can restrict effective participation in society of some groups.
From 8.40am before school, at morning recess and lunchtime there are teachers rostered for duty, moving amongst the children on the playground. All children eat their lunch in classrooms for the first ten minutes of the lunch period.
Children are informed of wet weather arrangements at the beginning of each year, and reminded as necessary. On wet days, before school children only enter the building when there are sufficient teachers to ensure effective supervision in classrooms. At all other times children do not enter the school before 9.10am unless an arrangement has been made with a teacher, or they need teacher assistance.
We request that you do not send your child to school before 8.40am.
When your child is absent from school we require a note of explanation. If a prolonged absence is expected, prior notification would be appreciated by the class teacher.
Collection of Children during the School Day
Parent/carers who wish to collect their children during the day for appointments or private arrangements are asked to call at the school office and notify office staff. Children will wait at the foyer near the front office to be picked up during school hours. You are requested to sign your child out, and sign her/him back in on return to school.
Children are not allowed to leave the school during the day unless the school receives written authority from a parent/carer or guardian. This includes going home for lunch.
Collection of Children after School
School finishes at 3.15pm. Please ensure that your child knows collection or going home arrangements. For younger children a note to the teacher advising any change to normal arrangements would be helpful. If you need to make an emergency arrangement with your child please ring the school before 3.00pm to give office staff time to pass on your message before school finishes.
School Security
The school has a security alarm system, and MSS officers patrol regularly at night. We ask that all visitors to the school call at the office first. This is in the interests of the safety of our children.
Visitor Badges
As a security measure, all visitors to the school are requested to call at the Front Office where they will be issued with a Visitor's Badge. Visitors are asked to return the badge prior to leaving the building.
Emergency Contact Forms
Each year we update our records of addresses, phone numbers and emergency contacts for each family. Therefore we ask that you complete the new form promptly. It is sent home at the beginning of each school year.
We notify you when children are sick or injured at school. The school has sick bay facilities which may be used until parent/carers are contacted and asked to take the child home. We ask that three phone numbers be given to the school for emergency contact - home, work and a relative or friend. Permission is sought at the commencement of each year for the school to transport seriously injured children by ambulance to hospital.
Should your child develop chicken pox, mumps, measles, head lice or any other contagious condition, please contact the school for information about exclusion periods and to enable the school to warn other parent/carers that their children have been exposed to possible infection.
Medication - Please note that it is a Departmental policy requirement that written directions from a doctor and written permission from parent/carers must be provided before school staff may administer medication. This applies to any type of medication. To ensure the safety of all children all medication including inhalers must be lodged with a member of staff.
Personal Belongings
Please mark clearly your child's name on all personal belongings including clothing. Students should not bring valuable items to school. We are unable to accept responsibility for these. Bicycles should not be left at school overnight, even locked.
Lost property is stored next to the stone stairs, behind the front office. Items are tagged to ensure that they are held for TWO WEEKS. Anything unclaimed after two weeks, EVEN IF LABELLED, is disposed of. Please note that the school is UNABLE to return labelled items to students, due to the large number of items involved.
Excursions
The school uses excursions and camps to enhance curriculum studies. They allow children to experience other environments, different activities, find information and test ideas, develop living skills and a sense of group identity. The school arranges class and group excursions during normal school hours, as well as major excursions involving overnight absences from home. Where necessary, excursions can require payment by parent/carers for travel, accommodation, food and entrance fees.
A comprehensive excursion policy is used to plan and conduct all school excursions. Separate permission notes to be signed by parent/carers are issued and parent/carers are often involved in providing assistance to staff during excursions, sporting fixtures and camps.
Parents/carers who require financial assistance for any aspect of their child's school life, are invited to contact the principal.
Medical Examination/Dental Service
A community health sister visits the school. Kindergarten children are screened each year and where necessary a referral to a doctor is made. Parent/carers are notified and attend these referrals.
Before and After School Care Program
A supervised program of activities is available daily at the school from 7:45am - 9:10am and 3.15pm - 6.00pm. Currently this service is provided by Woden Community Services.
The school is served by ACT route buses, shared school services and country
buses from nearby NSW. Details of ACTION services may be obtained by
phoning ACTION on 62078053.
Parental Voluntary Contributions/Library Fund
Each year parent/carers are invited to assist the school by making a voluntary financial contribution to the School Library Trust Fund. The School Board reviews the rate of this contribution annually. Contributions are used to purchase books, educational resources and Information and Communciation Literacy (ICT) equipment.
The payment of this financial contribution is voluntary. The Education Act 2004 guarantees that:
- Each contribution must be voluntary;
- A child is not refused benefits or services because the child's parents do not make a contribution;
- A child is not harassed for contributions; and
- any record of contributions is confidential
Student Awards
In order to encourage and give recognition to the range of abilities that exists in the school, Merit and Honour Awards are distributed at assemblies throughout the year. They are designed to give recognition to students for their contribution to the school and to their own development. The awards are given for citizenship, creativity, academic and sporting achievement. At the end of each year every student in Year 6 participates in a Graduation Ceremony which highlights the student's best endeavours in academic, social and sporting areas.
School Uniform
The wearing of school uniform is strongly encouraged by the School Board and parent/carer community. All students on excursions or publicly representing the school are asked to wear the school uniform. The school colours are green and gold. A school uniform shop and second-hand clothing pool operate at the school as a sub-committee of the P & C Association. The times and days of opening are available from the office, and are advertised in the fortnightly newsletter. A supply of good, second-hand uniforms is also held for families experiencing financial difficulties.
The following are some of the items available from the Uniform Shop:
| T-shirt with logo | Socks |
| Short and long-sleeved polo shirts | Hair scrunchies |
| Shorts | Culottes skirts; pleated skirts |
| Skivvies | Legionnaire hats |
| Cotton briefs | Slouch hats |
| Tights | Straw hats |
| Sweatshirts | Dresses |
| Dress material | School bags |
| Track pants | Library and chair bags |
Whilst not a Uniform Shop item, parents are reminded that non-marking runners or other footwear is preferred.
