ST. NICHOLAS COLLEGE DINGLI PRIMARY · As we take care of our things at home, the children have to be told to take care of the things at school. It would be ideal if as a family we

ST. NICHOLAS COLLEGE

DINGLI PRIMARY Website: https://dingliprimaryschool.wordpress.com/

Guidelines for

Parents/Guardians

2019 – 2020

1 | Guidelines for Parents/Guardians 2019 - 2020

CONTENTS Pages

1. Mission/Vision Statement 3

2. Important Points 3

3. Start and End Time 5

4. Uniforms 6

5. Policy for a Healthy Lifestyle 9

6. Celebrating Birthdays 10

7. Personal Information 10

8. Circulars 10

9. Educational Outings 11

10. Unnecessary Spending 11

11. Books 11

12. General Information 12

13. Absenteeism Policy 13

14. School Bags 14

15. Website: 15

16. Conclusion 15


Dear parents/guardians,

The scholastic year 2019-2020, a new scholastic year, a new assistant head, some new

teachers/KGEs and LSEs, some new students and parents/guardians, new books and

copybooks, new pencils, colours and biros. Freshly painted corridors ... All of these are new!

Everything set so that we can start another scholastic year in the best possible way and we all

feel enthusiastic to start this new journey together.

But we have to ask ourselves, is this what really makes a new scholastic year? All the new

things are important but we all surely agree that the most significant aspect of this new

scholastic year is for all the stakeholders to work hard together, as in previous years (if not

more), because at Dingli Primary School, we only want the best for our students. All this can

only be achieved if the administration, the teachers/KGEs, the LSES, the parents/guardians, the

students, the clerks, the ancillary staff, all work hand in hand towards the same aim. We should

all aim to consider this community as one family. A family, with its members having different

thoughts and opinions but after discussing these differences, the best solutions for the benefit of

the students, will be identified.

As in every family, it is important to teach the children, to take care of their things, that is, the

things they bring to school from home. It is also important for the children to care for the

things given to them at school and for the things such as books, desks, chairs and other

resources provided by the school. As we take care of our things at home, the children have to

be told to take care of the things at school. It would be ideal if as a family we get used to

speaking to each other politely, with respect and with love. We educators do our best to instill

these values in the children. We encourage you parents/guardians to continue to instill these

basic and important values at home too.

Here we take the opportunity to remind you parents/guardians that at our school we have an

open door policy. As with any family, it is important to discuss problems and difficulties, as

soon as they crop up. We wish to thank you in advance, for your constructive critisism. We

also thank those of you who from time to time give us positive response which give us great

satisfaction and courage to do more.

Last but not least, we encourage you parents/guardians to read this booklet in detail so as to be

aware of how this family can continue to function properly. It is important that you use this

booklet for guidance and to refer to it every time you need. Only in this way can we work

together towards the same aim.

As always, we thank you for your continuous collaboration.

Regards,

Mrs. E. Galea - Head of School

Mrs A. Camilleri - Assistant Head of School

Mr A. Borg – Assistant Head of School


1. Mission/Vision Statement

Vision Statement

Mission Statement 2. Important Points The smooth running of the school as a learning community needs organisation and discipline. Good manners are expected from all the stakeholders and the balance between duties and rights is very important for this smooth running. This booklet aims to help you understand what is expected of you so that we will be able to reap the benefits of a successful school. The following are some rules which need to be followed for the maximum benefit of our students:

a) Regular and punctual attendance and with an enthusiasm for learning.

b) Rules which will be agreed upon in class will be explained clearly and there

will be consequences in case of breaching.

c) There are school rules which concern Health and Safety issues especially

during playtime in the yard, toilets and during school outings.

d) Attendance is recorded first thing in the morning and it will be relayed to

the directorate via an electronic system. There is the possibility of

students being marked absent if they arrive late at school.

We are a school whose main priority is to strive at providing quality learning with care for every student in a stimulating environment.

The caring school community at St Nicholas College, Dingli Primary believes in the development of learners to their full potential through enjoyable learning, the acquistion of positive values and the promotion of holistic education.


e) ALL children should not bring toys, soft toys, fidget spinners, stickers or

some other new trend toy to school.

f) It is important for personal items such as uniform items, school bags,

lunch boxes, pencil cases, etc., to be marked with your child’s name and

surname. We also suggest that each item found in pencil cases (such as

biros, pencils, etc.) should be marked with the name and surname so that

it will be easier for teachers and students themselves to identify the

owner of the item.

g) It is important that parents/guardians check their children’s HW and

compare it with the notebook. This applies for Year 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

children. Then parents/guardians have to sign the notebook/copybook

according to the teacher’s instructions that will be discussed during the

first meeting.

Illness:

a) When your children are absent from school, please do not ask for

homework. Teachers will do their best to help your children catch up with

any work missed during their absence.

b) In case of infective diseases such as chicken pox, ring worm etc, parents

should provide a Medical Certificate which states when the child can

return to school. In this case, if the student is sick for more than 5

consecutive school days, the Medical certificate should be handed by not

later than the 5th day of his/her absence.

c) If the school identifies such illnesses, the parents/guardians will be

contacted immediately. Then the latter will have to come to school at

their earliest to take the children with them. Only when a Medical

Certificate, stating that they are clear, is presented to the school, will the

children be able to return to school. The same applies if children feel sick

at school and are sent home.

(For more details see page 13: Absenteeism Policy)


Hair:

a) Hair has to be washed regularly and tied back especially in the case of long

hair. This also applies for boys. If boys have long hair they should also tie

their hair.

b) When the school suspects that pupil/s are carriers of head lice, TopBrands

Medica Malta clinic are informed immediately. If this is confirmed by

TopBrands Medica Malta, who will visit the school, the parents/guardians

of the children concerned will be asked to pick up their children as soon as

possible. The parents/guardians then have to contact TopBrands Medica

clinic. The children concerned will be able to attend school again only

when TopBrands Medica clinic certify that the issue has been resolved. A

certificate issued by TopBrands Medica clinic has to be presented on the

children’s return to school.

3. Start and End Time

From September to May school starts at 8:30am. During the month of June, school starts at 8:15am.

During winter school time, Kindergarten children will exit school at 2.15pm while Primary children will exit at 2.30pm. During summer time, Kindergarten children will finish at 11.55am and Primary children at 12.00pm.

The entrance for all children is that from Buskett Road.

Children who have the services of a full time one-to-one LSE should be handed over by the parents/guardians directly to the LSE at 8.30am and vice-versa during dismissal.

Children who arrive and leave school by means of a van are to exit school

from the gate next to the main entrance. The gate is situated in Buskett

Road.

It is very important for children to miss the least amount of lessons possible.

Children can only be picked up early from school in case of an emergency.


WHENEVER YOU NEED TO PICK UP YOUR CHILDREN EARLY (DUE TO A HOSPITAL APPOINTMENT OR OTHER SUCH APPOINTMENTS) IT IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO SHOW THE APPOINTMENT NOTE AT SCHOOL. If you need to pick up your children early, kindly inform the class teacher by means of a note and when you pick them up, please, do remember to sign at the clerk’s office before you leave school.

Those who wish to speak to the class teacher, please phone for an appointment.

Teachers or Administration members will remain with your children until they are picked up but kindly remember to pick up your children on time.

It is also very important that parents stay outside the school premises both while children are entering and exiting the school.

4. Uniforms

• Scholastic Year 2019/2020 The Ministry is informing the schools and parents/legal

guardians that for next scholastic year 2019-2020 the present uniform may be retained, whilst

parents/legal guardians might send the students with the tracksuit, including polo shirt, t-shirt,

shorts, cap and for winter the same jacket used to date.

• Scholastic Year 2020/2021 The new tracksuit including the polo shirt, t-shirt, shorts, cap and

Winter Jacket shall be introduced for Kindergarten 1, Year 1, Year 7 and Year 9 as from

scholastic year 2020-2021.

• Scholastic Year 2021/2022 All student must attend school in the newly introduced tracksuit,

including the polo shirt, t-shirt, shorts, cap and winter jacket. Exceptions may be considered

for year 11 students.


Both the Kindergarten and Primary School uniform can be bought from Yorkie Mix & Match - St Julian’s Road - B’Kara which is located very close to Mater Dei Hospital - Tel No 21497278, Factory: 21442460

Children should wear their summer uniform in September, October, May and June. Winter uniform should be worn between November and April (or when asked to do so by the Administration).

All children: Any hairbands, scrunchies, bows or hair clips should be navy blue, orange or black.

Accessories that are not part of the school uniform are not allowed at school. These include: Any form of gold, silver and costume jewellery/accessories, such as

bracelets, necklaces and rings; No body piercing, Make-up and nail polish; Inadequate hair styles and hair colour. (Hair must always be kept

clean and tidy); No caps or hats should be worn in the school corridors and classes.

All earrings should be of the stud type. No other type of earrings such as rings or pendants are allowed. The school is not responsible in case of accidents with earrings. Besides, the school is not responsible for any lost jewellery.

Only school caps with the college logo or white caps only are allowed.

The school jacket with an adequate hood should be worn to protect your children from adverse weather. Black or navy blue boots are also allowed during such weather. The school will accept only jackets that are navy blue or black.

Scarves, hoods and tights should only be navy blue or black.

Umbrellas are too dangerous in children’s hands and thus they are not allowed on the school premises.

Important points regarding uniform:

The Kindergarten uniform consists of an orange and navy blue jogging suit in winter and an orange polo shirt and grey shorts in summer. White shoes with velcro together with white socks should be worn both in summer and winter. No other coloured socks and shoes are allowed. Therefore, laces should be avoided.

IMPORTANT: All school uniform items should be labelled.


Primary: Winter School uniform consists of:

white shirt tucked in the trousers/skirt

tie – for boys

cross-tie – for girls

navy blue trousers with black belt – for boys

navy blue skirt – for girls

orange V-neck pullover with the St Nicholas College name and logo

Navy blue Anorak with St Nicholas College name and logo

Long black socks

Black tights – for girls

Black shoes (ballerina shoes are not allowed for girls) Primary: Summer School uniform consists of:

Orange poloshirt with St Nicholas College logo and name tucked in the bermuda/skirt

Navy blue bermuda with black belt – for boys

Navy blue skirt – for girls

Black, long socks

Black shoes (ballerina shoes are not allowed for girls) Primary Summer P.E Kit consists of:

Orange T-Shirt with St Nicholas College name and logo

Blue shorts with orange piping on the side

White cap with orange piping and with St Nicholas name and logo

Long white socks

White sports shoes Primary Winter P.E Kit consists of:

Tracksuit with St Nicholas College name and logo

Orange round neck t-shirt with St Nicholas college name and logo. This T-shirt should be worn under the track suit.

Long white socks

White sports shoes When it is cold children can wear a black, navy blue, orange or white polo neck. These have to match with the uniform or the P.E. Kit that they will be wearing on the day.


5. Policy for a Healthy Lifestyle We are doing our utmost so that our school makes a difference in the Lifestyle of the children and the community in general. Therefore this policy aims at:

Making children aware of the importance of being healthy and enabling them to choose healthy and nutritious food.

Doing physical activity regularly at school, outside school and at home.

Making parents/guardians aware that a balanced diet consists of fibre (fruit & vegetables), carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice), protein (meat, fresh milk and eggs) and good fats (nuts, olive oil).

Encouraging the children to eat wholemeal bread, drink water and eat fresh fruit for breakfast and lunch.

Urging parents to provide food which conforms with the Healthy Eating policy.

The school follows the guidelines in the document found on this site: https://education.gov.mt/en/resources/News/Documents/Healthy%20Eating%20and%20Physical%20Activity%20Policy.pdf

Parents are obliged to check that children bring nutritious food, water and fruit with them to school.

When activities involving physical exercises (like fun day, fun walk, etc.) are organised, your full cooperation is expected so that all children can take advantage of these opportunities offered by the school.

If for any reason you have to buy pre-prepared food, please make sure that it conforms with the Healthy Policy.

You have to inform teachers, kindergarten educators or LSEs if your child follows a particular diet or if they are allergic to certain foods. If you have important documents from doctors or professors kindly give a copy to the school.

Parents and guardians should not send sweets, bags of snacks and processed food to school.

Lunch should be brought to school in a clean plastic container.

You are also being encouraged to give your children some wipes, tissues and a face cloth.

https://education.gov.mt/en/resources/News/Documents/Healthy%20Eating%20and%20Physical%20Activity%20Policy.pdf

https://education.gov.mt/en/resources/News/Documents/Healthy%20Eating%20and%20Physical%20Activity%20Policy.pdf


6. Celebrating Birthdays Any birthday cakes/cupcakes should be plain and without any chocolate, icing sugar, jam, cocoa powder, smarties, vermicelli, cream, cream filling etc. If a cake does not meet these requirements you will be kindly asked to bring another one. In case you are unable to come, the cake will not be cut and shared in class. Remember that this is a special day for the children so it is important that you co-operate with us so that your children will not be disappointed. 7. Personal Information

If you are unable to pick up your children and need to send somebody else to pick them up, inform the school with both the name and ID Number of the person.

You should also inform the school if your child is either undergoing CDAU procedures or if your child suffers from any allergies.

If your child needs any medicine, kindly note that you cannot send the medicine to school with your children and also, that your children cannot take any medicine unsupervised. Those who need the services of a nurse regularly, have to fill in a specific form which can be obtained from the school’s clerk or administration.

Once the child starts using the services of a nurse, the parent is obliged to inform the school before 9.00am whenever the child is going to be absent from school.

8. Circulars Keep your circulars available and teach your children to give you the circulars as soon as they return home from school. In case of any bookings needed, kindly abide by the closing date. If your child is sick, please make your booking by phoning the school. Messages and/or emails are sent to inform/remind you about information, activities and/or outings being carried at school, as the need arises. If you have never received any messages, kindly contact the school administration as soon as possible.


9. Educational Outings Educational outings are part of a school day, so please do not allow your children to miss a school outing without a valid reason. You will be asked for your consent before each outing. Thus a consent form will be given to your children to fill in and sign accordingly. Kindly send any payment for the outings as soon as possible and not later than the closing date so that transport can be booked early. Children will not be able to attend an outing if their parents/guardians do not send the money and signed consent form by the closing date. The exact amount of money and the consent form should be sent to school in a closed envelope. If the money of more than one outing is being collected at the same time, it is important to send the money in different envelopes. It is very important that children are on their best behaviour during school outings. Lunches taken on outings have to be healthy lunches, so sweets are still not allowed on outings. During outings, students will not be allowed to buy any food, drinks or other items. Kindly make sure that your child is wearing the adequate clothing as advised on the consent form. Children not wearing the proper clothing will not be allowed to go on the outing. 10. Unnecessary Spending Children are not expected to buy a new school bag and pencil case at the beginning of each scholastic year. 11. Books All school books which the children will be borrowing for the whole scholastic year should be covered without fixing any tape or glue to the book. Please also make sure that you label all books with the name of your child and class. If the book is torn or lost, parents/guardians have to replace it so that it can be used by someone else during the following scholastic year. To start reading from an early age, all children are encouraged to enrol in the Public Library and to borrow books from the Dingli Library branch which is within the school premises.


12. General Information Any correspondence at classroom level to: teacher, kindergarten educators or LSE should be done by means of a note either on the homework diary or on a separate paper sent to school with your child. Any correspondence at school level should be sent to school through one of the following methods:

by means of a note with your child.

by e-mail addressed to: [email protected]

by post and addressed to: The Head of School

St Nicholas College Dingli Primary 118, Main Street Dingli, DGL 1837

by phone on: 25988100

Any correspondence at College level should be posted to: The Principal Ms Josephine Mifsud St Nicholas College Fisher Road Imġarr, MGR 9054 Tel No: 2598 8000 Or via email on: [email protected] It is very important to remember that once you enter the school premises, you have to ask the Head of School, the Assistant Heads or the School’s clerk for permission to speak to a teacher/LSE/KG Educator. This is necessary for the safety of all children.

mailto:[email protected]


Kindly remember that school is a public place and thus you are expected to wear decent and adequate clothing. 13. Absenteeism Policy The Directorate for Educational Services has implemented a policy in order to address attendance in schools. These policies are to be adhered to by everybody, in the best interest of the students. You are requested to abide by these procedures:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This year the Education Directorates within the Ministry for Education and Employment have issued the second version of the Attendance Policy and Procedures which have to be adhered to by all stakeholders in the best interests of the student. Your contribution in the educational life of your child is very important whereby you are kindly requested to follow the procedures below:

If your child cannot attend school, you are kindly asked to call and later submit a note to the Head of School explaining the reasons why your child could not attend school. A written explanation has to be given for each day your child misses school. You are requested also to provide documents to justify the absence such as medical certificates. The Head of School will inform you whether the explanation provided has been accepted or not.

If the explanation is not accepted by the Head of School your child will be

recorded as absent. When the number of unjustified absences

accumulates to 9 days further action will be taken.


If your child is not attending school because s/he is not feeling well a

medical certificate is to be provided only when your child is sick for more

than 2 days. When your child is sick for less than 2 days a written note is

sufficient. However, the Head of School may still ask for a formal medical

certificate when your child is absent for less than 2 days if it is considered

necessary. The Medical Certificate is to be presented on the day the

student returns to school. If the student is sick for more than 5

consecutive school days, the medical certificate has to be handed in by

the end of the fifth day. It is important that the doctor issuing the medical

certificate fills in the Medical Certificate Record Card that has to be

presented to the school together with the medical certificate.

Students who go on holidays falling on school days will be marked as

absent. However, when students are requested to go abroad for

educational visits permission will be granted on presentation of valid

documentation. In situations when the trip is related to a family issue a

written explanation is to be presented to the Head of School who will

inform you whether the explanation has been accepted or not.

The obligatory age when students are to start attending school is 5 years.

Hence, parents of children who reach the age of 5 and attend

Kindergarten 2 are to follow the procedures mentioned in this letter.

Your collaboration is essential to ensure that these procedures are followed through in the best interest of each student. 14. School Bags It is the parents’/guardians’ responsibility to check that children do not carry extra items such as pencil cases or books which are not school books in their school bags. Books which are not going to be used at home may be kept in class, on the shelf under their desk or in the lockers, where available. Carrying extra weight is potentially detrimental to the children’s back.


School bags must be back packs and not with a carrier (as the latter causes back pain and may be a hazard to other children). 15. Website: The school has a wesbite which is full of activities being held during the year. So we encourage you to enter the following link: https://dingliprimaryschool.wordpress.com/ 16. Conclusion This booklet should be kept as a reference throughout the whole scholastic year both for the benefit of our students and for the smooth running of the school. We appreciate your cooperation.