Abacus
Abbreviations
Absentee Notes and Absence from School
After School Care http://extend.com.au/tsfg8136
After School Procedure
Behaviour Guidelines
Birthday Celebrations
Book Lists and Levies
Bus Behaviour and Timetables
Class Lists
Community Service
Contacting the School or Staff members
Dietary Guidelines
Enrichment Afternoon, Primary
Enrichment: Secondary
Family Enrichment Courses
Homework Policy (K-6)
Key Parent Functions (KPF)
Key Parent Functions: Childminding
Levies
L-MAX
Medication and Medical Form
Morning Tea and Lunch
New Parents Saturday Seminar
Parent Support
Parking
Permission for photos
Pick Up Points
Presentation Night
Private Tuition
Schedule of School Day
Schoolbags
Seminar for New Parents, Term 1
Supervision of Pre-school Age Children
Travel arrangements To & From school
Travel Pass Details: See Bus Timetables
Uniform Shop
Visits to the School
Weekly Information Sheet
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A-Z of Practical Matters Abacus Tangara uses Abacus Mathematics in the lower grades. Abacus Mental Arithmetic is a form of teaching that enhances a child’s ability to perform calculations without the aid of calculator and computer. It is a method designed to develop a child’s ability to grasp and master the basic arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in a fast and easy way. The child is trained to react quickly and accurately to arithmetic problems, presented visually or verbally. Abbreviations, often found in the Calendar (A)& (B) IN WEEK INDICATOR COLUMN – Refers to Curriculum cycle AICES – Assoc. Independent Co-educational Schools AHIGS – Association Heads of Independent Girls Schools ARCHDALE – Archdale Debating Competition CIS – Combined Independent Schools ELLA – English Language & Literacy Assessment FIRST Letters – A Family Enrichment Course for Parents of children 5-8 years ENRICHMENT – Extra-curricular class for Yrs 7-9 HZSA – Hills Zone Sports Association ISDA – Independent Schools Debating Association JSHAA – Junior School Heads Association of Australia KPF – Key Parent Function SNAP – Secondary Numeracy Assessment Program TBC – To be confirmed TOGS – Tangara Old Girls VIGIL - 1st Friday Eucharistic Exposition
Absentee Notes and Absences It is a serious legal requirement that schools have a written record with evidence of a student’s every absence. Phoning the school to inform about a child’s absence is not sufficient. It is mandatory for a student to bring in a note explaining the cause of absence from a parent or guardian upon returning to school. An Absence Note Booklet is supplied to parents to facilitate this requirement. Students who are absent should return with a note of explanation from the Parent to the Class Teacher. A telephone call to the School by 9.00am on the first morning of absence is expected. If requesting leave for other reasons, a written note should be forwarded. Similarly for special exemption from Sport. Holidays outside normal term breaks are very much discouraged. After School Care (Out of School Hours Care or OSHC) is privately run by EXTEND. Care is available from 3.15pm to 6.00pm in the Infants area. All families intending to use the service must register on the EXTEND website setup for Tangara ( http://extend.com.au/tsfg8136 ) Any primary child remaining at school after 3.30pm is to proceed to After School Care for safety reasons. A registration and session fee will be incurred. For further information and bookings, please see the website above. After School Procedure In the interests of safety, any Primary or Infants student remaining on the campus after 3.30 pm each afternoon must report to After School Care in the Infants Building. Parents are asked to proceed directly to After School Care when picking them up. Behaviour Guidelines These are outlined in the student diary. Birthday Celebrations If celebratory item is brought in, please provide something that is already portioned! Book Lists and School Levies Five Senses at North Rocks is our book supplier. For mutual convenience, The Book List issued by Five Senses also summarises the school levies and other necessary items. The Levy covers costs for: book hire, stationery, photocopying, computers etc. for the year. Bus Travel Students should: · enter and leave the bus in single file, with young children going first. · remain quietly and safely seated at all times in allotted places while travelling until the bus arrives at its destination. · not eat or drink on the bus. Bus Timetables These can be located under ‘Maps’ in ‘About Tangara’. Class Lists The class lists and parent contact details are issued to parents of any given class, once parental permission has been obtained at the beginning of the school year. The normal procedure involves this fact being advertised in the Weekly Information Sheet with the following words: ‘It has been the practice of the School to provide class address and phone lists to parents in that class. Please let the School Office know if you do not wish your information to be given out for any reason. Parents’ phone numbers are not given to any outside callers, but are given to other parents of the School upon request.’ Parents need to inform the school if they wish to withhold their details. Class lists will be available on the school’s intranet, which requires log-in permission and is intended only for the Tangara Community. Community Service Community Service aims to assist students in realising their great potential to give of their time, energy, and talent to others. Students choose activities appropriate to their age and abilities which are of benefit to either the school or community, to be completed outside of school time. Activities may be completed in pairs or groups provided each person has a clearly defined activity and proper authorisation. Students are encouraged to devote a proportion of their time to activities involving the very needy of our community. Contacting the School Staff members are to be contacted about school matters at school only. Staff members may be contacted by email. Alternatively, teachers are available to speak to parents during the school day by phone. An appointment may need to be made for matters requiring lengthy discussion. Family Enrichment Courses First Steps and First Letters are courses for parents. First Steps is appropriate for parents of children aged 0-4 years. First Letters is appropriate for parents of children aged 5-8 years. First Letters is offered at Tangara in Term 2 each year. These courses address many key issues relating to the upbringing of young children. There are opportunities to gain insights and exchange practical ideas. Parents are pivotal in the lives and education of your children. This course is designed to help parents in this most important task. Parents find that the commitment in terms of time is be most worthwhile. Enrichment Afternoons Primary These afternoons take place on the alternate weeks to Problem Solving The students experience at least four of the activities within the course of the year. Through the Enrichment Afternoon students experience a wide variety of skills and interests that are part of education, but are not necessarily part of the curriculum. They learn to be patient, helpful and co-operative. They have time to develop interests and skills which may well develop into hobbies at home Enrichment Activities Secondary Every Student from Years 7 to 9 takes part in the Enrichment Activities. One hour a week for 6 weeks of each term is dedicated to this activity. The groups are vertically streamed. This arrangement establishes bonds of friendship throughout the Secondary Years. The co-curricular & extracurricular activities cover a wide range of skills and crafts. Homework Policy (K-6) Homework is seen as an opportunity to:
At the commencement of each year the Class teacher gives a clear outline of homework structure. Approximate Homework Time: Year 2: 20 minutes Year 3: 30 minutes Year 4: 30-40 minutes Year 5: 40-50 minutes Year 6: 60 minutes Key Parent Functions (KPFs) Key Parent Functions are a key feature at Tangara. They provide an on-going programme to assist parents in the education of their children and in the dynamics of parenting. ‘Key Parent Functions’ are held in Terms 1, 2 and 3. Attendance at the Key Parent Functions is vital for parents enrolling their children at Tangara. Through the years a sequence of topics are presented, covering important issues and milestones in the development of children. KPF Childminding For information and bookings, please contact Mrs Kim Rickards on 0405 123 945 or 8824 5378. L-MAX- (Learning to the MAXIMUM) L-MAX is a name carefully chosen to signal a positive approach to learning. The program is for any student whose literacy level could be improved. The program is based on an inclusive model, and supporting the school’s Literacy policy. Students (Years 1-6) are considered for the program. In Years 2-6, inclusion is on the basis of their performance levels being 12 months or more below grade/age level in 2 or more areas of literacy. In Year 1 students need only have a minimum deficit of 6 months. Students attend for a three hour morning block, daily. The intensive session covers all areas of literacy, for the duration of one term. Careful timetabling aims to include students in all other important curriculum areas when they have returned to their regular classes. Students attend in STAGE or GRADE groups, depending on number of students qualifying. The group does not exceed 12. There are two L-Max staff, one trained special needs teacher and a trained teacher’s assistant. At the conclusion of the program students are fully integrated back into their regular classroom and their progress tracked. In-class strategies aim to maintain their achieved levels. Levies The Levy covers costs for: book hire, stationery, photocopying, computers etc. for the year. For mutual convenience, The Book List issued by HB Books also summarises the school levies and other necessary items. Medication A Medical Record Card is forwarded to all new families. It is important to complete this form and return it to the School Office with your child on his/her first day of school. Parents, please advise the class teacher in writing with details of any medicine your child needs to take on a particular day. Morning Tea/Lunch requirements: All students will require a nutritious morning snack and lunch each day. Soft drinks are not permitted. Canned foodstuffs are also not permitted as cans are a hazard. Lollies, chocolate bars, etc are better kept for special treats at home. Chewing gum is not permitted. Parking a. On Campus Parents are asked not to use any specially designated parking spaces in the various parking areas. Vehicles with Disabled Parking Permits only are able to use the 2 designated Disabled Parking spaces in the Administration Car Park, in front of the chapel. If you intend to stay on the campus after you have dropped off your children of a morning, we request that you kindly park on Franklin Road. Limited campus car spaces are needed for Staff parking. For short-term visits to the School there are designated Visitor spaces in the Admininstration Car Park.
b. Street Parking To ensure the children’s safety and the smooth running of traffic, the signage outside the school needs to be strictly adhered to. Hornsby Council representatives do patrol the area and parking inspectors impose fines on those who do not follow the parking indications on Franklin Road. Permission for Photos Written parental permission is required to release student photos and/or names for newspapers, for the web and for brochures. This being the case, parents are to complete and return the form indicating permission or otherwise for child/children to appear in any of the above. Presentation Night Presentation Night is held the end of the academic year. The venue is The Hills Centre, Carrington Street, Castle Hill. Presentation Night provides an occasion to acknowledge those students who have achieved academic excellence, or who have shown consistent effort and improvement in various subjects during the year. It is also an opportunity for the students to present some small items for the entertainment of their parents and friends. Attendance at Presentation Night is compulsory for all students from Years 2-12. A Rehearsal for Presentation Night is usually held on the morning of the same day of the event at The Hills Centre. Only the Year 2 Awardees and those students who are involved in a performance item attend this rehearsal. They travel by bus from Tangara to the Hills Centre with teachers. Classes are run as usual for the remaining students. On the day that Presentation Night is held the School finishes at 1:00 pm for students from Years 2- 11. Normal carline procedures are in place at 1.00 pm. Please note the Infants’ School finishes at the normal time. All students are required to wear full school uniform, including blazers. (Cleaned and in good repair) and to have their shoes polished. Hats will not be required. All students, including those not receiving an award and not involved in a presentation item, must be present at the Hills Centre by 7:00pm. They are required to report to their class teacher (who will be located at the front of the theatre), and have their name marked off the roll. They should then sit in the theatre with their family or in the seats allocated to them if they are performing or receiving awards. We know that all students endeavour to behave well throughout the evening. Nevertheless, if a student does misbehave or fail to follow a teacher’s instructions, she will receive a detention without further warning. A student who does not attend Presentation Night, without a serious reason as indicated in a letter from the parents to the class teacher, will be issued with an after-school detention. If a student fails to meet the above expectations, her end of year school report will only be forwarded upon the completion of her detention. We request that only children of school age attend the Presentation Night. All children, including senior girls and boys must be seated and remain with their families throughout the evening. Private Lessons At present private lessons in Voice, Piano, as well as Speech and Drama are offered at Tangara. An Expression of Interest Form is available in the ‘Forms’ section of the website. Your inquiry will lead to your being contacted by the Specialist teacher by mail. For further details please contact Ms Toni Simon, the Music Co‑ordinator. Schoolbags can only be : The regulation navy Tangara school bag available from the Uniform Shop No other school bags are allowed. Schedule of the School Day Daily Hours: 8.30am – 2.50pm (Kindergarten) 8.30am – 3.10pm (Year 1 upwards) Recess: 10.15am – 10.30am Lunch: 12.30pm - 1.30pm (Infants & Primary) 12.40pm - 1.30pm (Secondary) Seminar for New Parents This is a significant event, usually taking place on the third Saturday of Term 1. We look forward to seeing all the new parents on the day. The Seminar runs form approximately 9.30am-4.00pm. The program encompasses many aspects which are key to the success of the child's education and the parents’ partnership with the School. A letter regarding the seminar is issued early in term 1 and requires a response slip. Child minding is available and takes place in the Infants Building. A contribution covers lunch and there is a nominal fee for the child-minding service. The Undercroft is the main venue for the day. Supervision of Pre-school Age Children If you are visiting the Tangara campus for any reason that you please supervise any pre-schoolers at all times. We also ask that if you are here out of school hours that you supervise your children as well. We encourage you to make alternative arrangements for the care of your children if you have to attend the school for any meetings, tutors interviews or other business. It is especially important that children are not left unsupervised on any play equipment. Again it is in the interests of the safety and protection of your children that we seek your understanding and cooperation in these matters. Travel arrangements To & From school Young children need to be well informed as to their travel arrangements, in particular if there is a change to the normal routine. For Primary and Infants children a letter to the Class Teacher with precise details is recommended. If, the arrangements need to be changed, please inform the Administration by 1.30pm. In this way the child can be informed well before the close of the school day. Travel Passes Please direct queries for application forms for travel passes to Mrs Helen Harb, (Tangara Office) phone 9680 4844. All travel passes which are forwarded to the School for distribution will be allocated on the first day of Term 1, if in hand, or as soon as they are received thereafter. Uniform Shop Open every Monday – 8.00am to 3.30pm. Eftpos available. Enquiries to Annie Casey – email: uniformshop@tangara.nsw.edu.au Visits to the School If you visit the school with family, friends, or prospective parents, we ask that a booking be made through the School Office to ensure that we are able to give you and your visitors the proper time and attention. It is also essential, for security purposes, that you and your party be identified and register at the School Office upon arrival. Weekly Information Sheet This is Tangara’s regular Information Newsletter for Parents. The Rust and Navy is posted on the News and Events page of this website and past publications may be accessed in PDF format
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