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Handbook |
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HANDBOOK INDEX PHILOSOPHY AND AIMS a. ORIENTATION b. FEES 1. CHILD PROTECTION 2. ETHICAL CONDUCT 3.DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION 4. THE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS 5 INTERACTIONS WITH CHILDREN 6.PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT (includes non discrimination, unlawful harrassment, grievence procedure) 7. ACCESS 8. ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE 9. EXCURSIONS 10. CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS 11. CHILD HEALTH Information Book - Philosophy & AimsMontessori Works values diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of national or ethnic origin, race, gender, or religion. Education at Montessori Works is based on the principles developed by Maria Montessori. At the heart of this approach is the belief that children will best reach their potential by having the freedom to learn in a classroom especially prepared for exploring under the careful guidance of a trained teacher. MONTESSORI WORKS: Provides individual instruction: Each child is allowed supervised free choice of classroom activities and freedom of movement based on his or her interests, so long as these activities do not disrupt the well-being of the class. Promotes initiative and self-confidence: Materials are structured and presented to enable self-teaching and independent activity, which develops self-reliance. Emphasizes learning through the use of tangible sensory objects, which reinforces memory and understanding. Provides a supportive, carefully prepared environment scaled to the needs of the child and designed to teach a sense of responsibility and self-discipline. Montessori Works - AimsGrowth in the Child (3-6 years)
a. ORIENTATION Orientation process Young children are just learning to separate from their parents and developing into autonomous, secure individuals. We ask you to help transition your child into the school program by visiting with your child prior to enrollment and by allowing ample time each morning for an unhurried arrival. For older children, separation from parents is much different. If parents linger, these children may get mixed messages. They may translate their parents? hesitation to leave as fear. Therefore, we ask you to help your child by not staying in the classroom when your child begins school. Instead, we ask that you help transition your child into the school program by visiting the classroom prior to the first day so your child can meet the teacher and become acquainted. It has been our experience that once children begin school, brief drop-off times encourage a positive adjustment to school. Sending your child to class with a smile, a kiss, and encouragement to have fun reassures your child that you approve. Always remember to tell your child that you will return and always say goodbye before you leave. (You are always welcome to spend time at our preschool.) DAILY ROUTINE: (May be flexible due to extremes in Seasonal weather) Before 8.30 Children playing indoors 8.30 to 9.30 Outdoor Play 9.30 Fruit time indoors Children chose own work, small group work and lessons given through morning 11.45 Group gathers for Poem/ Story/ Chat/ Singing 12 Noon LUNCHTIME Playtime outdoors before either REST/ INDOOR PROGRAMME 3.00 Playing outdoors 4.00 FRUIT and indoor play til CLOSING. AS EACH CENTRE HAS DIFFERENT HOURS OF OPERATION PLEASE ASK A STAFF PERSON OR SEE NOTICEBOARD. Change Of Clothing - As a sign of independence children attending will need to be tiolet trained.Children need an extra set of clothing. During the day, your child may become wet, sandy or splattered with paint. We help by using washable paint, however some colors are difficult to wash out. We don?t want your child to be afraid to participate because he or she might get dirty. Please label all items with your child?s full name and be sure they are appropriate to the season. When a bag of soiled clothing comes home, please replace it right away. We also suggest that you leave an extra coat or sweater at school throughout the year, as the weather can easily change from morning to afternoon without warning Rest TimeRest Time is a routine made easier for children when they follow a regular schedule. As children mature they begin to give up their nap. Thus, some children do not nap but do continue to have a short rest time before engaging in interesting activities. Please provide your child a large cloth bag with a small pillow and sheets for rest time. These are then sent home every Friday to be washed. Aggressive behaviourOn no account will aggression be tolerated. An adult displaying aggression will be asked to leave and children will be given two warnings and the family will then need to seek professional help or terminate the placement.. ToysThe School is enriched with many activities and carefully selected Montessori Educational Materials, which fill your child?s day. Please leave personal toys and playthings at home. The school is not responsible for items that may get lost or broken. BirthdaysWe help your child celebrate his or her birthday with their classmates at school. See PICTURE GALLERY for more information. Our special celebration shows how our natural world extends a loving welcome to each child born on earth. We invite you to send pictures of the birthday child at each year of life. We use this pictorial time line to help understand the meaning of birthdays. You may send a special treat for the class if you wish. Many children and teachers enjoy contributing a book to Montessori Works School Library in honor of their birthday. The purchase of a library book is a special gift and a legacy for many future students. Lost And FoundPlease label everything that comes to school with your child?s full name. Items forgotten by the children are kept in a lost and found bin for one month. Articles left for more than one month will be donated to charity. General CommunicationsMontessori Works School issues monthly newsletters. This important resource has valuable reminders, announcements, and information on special events. Please read it and mark your personal calendars with the dates you need to remember. There are opportunities throughout the year to get together with other families, and learn more about Montessori and how it works. (see www.montessoriworks.com.au weekly workshops, playgroup,aims of activities) Children?s WorkMontessori classroom activities are process oriented, not product oriented. Your child is learning by ?doing? throughout the day; however, there may not always be a piece of paper at the end of the task. Each child has a personal folder in the classroom. Notices, calendars, and newsletters from the teacher will be placed in the child?s information pocket outside. Please check this each day for important information. Progress Reports And Parent ConferencesWhen the child begins we ask the parent to arrange an interview after 3 weeks to discuss how the child settled in and to evaluate the process. We issue progress reports at parent conference time. These occur twice a year. You are encouraged to request meetings whenever you want one. Our teachers may request additional conferences whenever they believe it to be appropriate for the child?s needs. School EvaluationMontessori Works School asks that parents fill out a Parent Observation/Evaluation Report annually. This helps us make sure we are providing the service and maintain the quality you expect. The information is kept on file for our school accreditation procedures and is available for your review. LUNCH www.nswhealth.gov.au MONTESSORI WORKS ARE NUT FREE ENVIRONMENTS.Give your child a nutritious lunch and make sure that a beverage is included. No lollies, chips or chocolates please. Also, be aware of the quantities that are appropriate for your child. We will try to send home uneaten portions so you will know what your child is eating in school. We usually eat our lunches in the school playground or inside the classroom. Child size tables and benches are provided in a shaded area. Items to remember: We require that each child brings in, three photos of themselves, a crocery mug and a hat to be left at school. SnacksWe serve a nutritious mid-morning and afternoon snack which consists of fruits which are provided by each paren evry day. Please place a piece of fruit in the fruit basket everyday. Thank you. An ORIENTATION CHECKLIST will be completed before your child commences. You will be asked to sign off each item discussed with a staff person. You may retain a copy of this for your file. b. FEES (See Centrelink for Family Subsidy as all Australian Citizens are elligible) To ensure the safety of all monies, fees are to be paid for in advance and placed in an envelope that has the child?s name and the week paid for. Invoices will be issued at the beginning of each month for that month. We accept a cheque made out to Montessori Works, Eftpos (at Maroubra Beach only) or Cash. A non-refundable fee of $40 is required to be placed on the waiting list. A BOND of $300 is required on acceptance and is only refunded on leaving with 6 (six) weeks written notification from January to September. From 1st September onwards we require fees to be paid until the end of our school year unless three months written notice has been given. The acceptance Bond is not refunded if the child has not started. An Family levy of $110 is compulsory and covers membership to various organisation, visitors to our schools, presents required for annual events, mothers and fathers day, christmas crafts etc. 1. CHILD PROTECTION Montessori Works has a responsibility to both the children placed in its care and the families of those children to ensure that the children are protected while in care, from any type of abuse. Any person convicted of a serious sex offence will not be permitted to either work or seek work in a position is unsupervised. These people are considered "prohibited persons" under We have a responsibility to ensure that we have an effective and timely employee complaint management, investigation, disciplinary and reporting systems in relation to allegations of child abuse. Relevant Legislation The legislation pertaining to the child protection policy is:
Current Employees Montessori Works must obtain a declaration from all existing employees employed in positions that primarily involve direct contact with children where that contact is not directly supervised, as to whether they are a "prohibited person" as defined by the legislation. If they are identified as a "prohibited person" we will take appropriate action to ensure that the employee does not remain in child related employment. Recruitment of New Employees 1. We undertake a prohibited person declaration from any person engaged in either a paid or unpaid position which primarily involves direct contact with children where that contact is unsupervised. 2. We undertake structured referee checks for all applicants considered for appointment to a position which primarily involves direct contact with children where that contact is unsupervised. It is recommended that references be obtained orally. 3. We check that people engaged in activities which primarily involves direct contact with children, where the contact is unsupervised, do not have:
Further, we undertake a probity check relating to previous employment. 4. Through the approved screening agency, we:
2. ETHICAL CONDUCT All Staff work ethically by; Working within responsibilities outlined in guidelines and regulations. Demonstrating fair, prompt and consistent performance of dutues with all children, families, our team. Taking care to behave in a reasonable and careful manner at all times. Demontrating knowledge and skill required for work responsibilities. Explaining decisions and actions taken to those whom the staff is accouintable. 3. DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION Learning Environment
Program Organization
Program Emphasis
Adult Aspects
4. THE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS WAYS IN WHICH NEEDS OF CHILDREN WITH A DISABILITY ARE CATERED FOR: Enrolment procedure requires the disclosure of a disability or Special need and discussion initiated to how best manage the disability at our service. Support Workers may be accessed through SUPS. The environment has been prepared to allow disabled access to all classroom activities. Children have individual programmes that allow development in all areas at their own pace. Flexibility of the use of materials can be adapted to meet specific development needs of a child with a disability. Networking with other service providers who also offer programmes for children with a disability. Staff training a priority to continually meet the individual needs of disabled children. ANTIBIAS POLICY INCLUDING WAYS IN WHICH CHILDREN WITH A DISABILITY, NESB OR ATSI ARE TO BE ENROLLED AND FULLY PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAMME( WITH ANY HELP & SUPPORT) We have a non competitive environment/atmosphere where every child is respected as an individual regardless of disability, NESB or ATSI and through observation of holistic development an individual program is presented allowing children to develop at their own pace. Anti bias policy will be introduced throughout our programming and introducing artefacts into our environment which reflect anti bias where possible through books, music and song, cooking, art and craft, clothing and play equipment. Parents from non-English speaking backgrounds will be encouraged to contribute knowledge of their culture to enhance the program. Staff will be encouraged to attend In Service training on multicultural programming and disability issues. No activities at the service will contain negative or discriminating images of other cultures or children with a disability, NESB or ATSI. Support Workers provide help and support as required by the individual needs of the children with a disability, NESB or ATSI to allow these children to fully participate in the programme. 5 . INTERACTIONS WITH CHILDREN To assist in the delivery of the philosophy the staff interactions with children are crucial. There are guidelines which must be put into practice: · The children are guided towards positive and responsible behaviour, and the children have the opportunity to freely choose activities and problem solve and have access to learning experiences, and · the children are encouraged and supported towards self reliance and the development of positive self esteem, and · the children are not required to perform duties that are unreasonable, having regard to each child’s age and physical and intellectual development. · The dignity and rights of each child must be maintained at all times · staff do not include physical, verbal or emotional punishment including for example punishment that humiliates, frightens or threatens the child, · the child is not isolated for any reason other than illness, accident or a pre arranged appointment with parental consent · the values of the family are respected · the child is given positive guidance directed towards acceptable behaviour with encouragement freely given · the child is given emotional support · the child is not required to sleep, rest or eat against the child’s wishes. 6. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT We encourage you to participate in your child?s school experience. Parent involvement can be at any level that is comfortable to you. We invite you to attend parent / teacher meetings, various social gatherings, parent education classes, or to volunteer in the classroom. We will schedule parent education meetings and community forums throughout the year. Topics may include parenting issues, brain development research, health and safety, curriculum, literature, and Montessori in the home. Community forums often include outside guest speakers. Meeting information will be posted on the parent information board and in monthly newsletters. Please let us know what you would like to see offered. As a courtesy, we invite you to post a business card on the parent information board. This helps our parents network and meet one another. Research has shown that the children who benefit most from their school experiences are those who have involved parents. Non Discrimination StatementMontessori Works welcomes all children without regard to race, religion, color or creed. Likewise, Montessori works does not discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of sex, handicap, race, color and national and/or ethnic origin. Our classroom activities are chosen on the basis of cultural relevence and there is an annual workshops for parents to show how this is demonstrated to children in our Montessori environment. When required we also liase with Support Workers (SUPS) who can help us in devloping our programme to meet the needs of spe children with a disability, non english speaking children or children with an Aboriginal backgound. Unlawful HarassmentMontessori Works School is committed to providing an educational environment free of unlawful harassment and discrimination. Montessori Works School will not tolerate actions, comments, words or jokes based on an individual?s sex, race ethnicity, age, religion, or any other legally protected characteristic. Any person who becomes aware of possible unlawful harassment should promptly advise the Executive Director who will handle the matter quickly and confidentially. Grievence Procedure We model conflict resolution between children. This same process needs to be adopted for all adult problems as well. It is important that you raise the issue/problem to be solved with the person you are having the difficulty with. If this has been tried and you feel un satisfied you could seek help from the Supervisor. The Supervisor may choose to mediate. It is in the best interest of all to resolve small problems before they escelate. We do have Management Report forms for your convenience. If you state your issue clearly and write your name and date we will endevour to address the problems and get back to you ASAP 7. ACCESS A person who has been forbidden by court order from having contact with a child attending Montessori Works must not be given any information concerning the child and must not be allowed to enter the premises whilr the child is in attendence and must not be allowed to collect the child from our centre. Montessori Works School will release children only to those persons whom parents have authorized in writing. Please be sure to list all authorized people on the Identification Emergency form. Note that priority will be given to working parent/couples. 8. ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE We require that all children arrive for the school day by 9:30 AM as it is between 9.30AM? 3 PM that the Montessori Curriculum and other classroom activities are scheduled. It is during this time that new concepts are introduced and your child?s progress is recorded.Once the child arrives at the school, parents are required to sign them in. Walk your child into the school building and sign in and out daily. Signature sheets are located at the front desk. These signature sheets are for documentation purposes and should be signed with a full signature by adults only. After sign-in, walk your child to the classroom or play area and directly to the teacher on duty. If classes have already started, please leave your child with a staff member who will be in charge of bringing him/her to the classroom. At departure time, parents are required to sign out for their child before they can pick up their child in the classroom or at the playground. It is imperative that you notify the school if you will be unable to pick your child up at the regularly designated time. Early drop off or late pickup may be arranged with the Directress for times of special circumstances. Children who are not picked up after the centre is closed, will incur a $1 charge for each minute they are picked up late. 9. EXCURSIONS All parents are to receive a written itinerary, along with the reasons for taking the children on the excursion, prior to giving permission for their child to participate in the excursion. Under no circumstances can a child participate in an excursion if a parent/guardian has not given written permission for the child to do so. Permission must be obtained for each individual excursion, and is to take the format of a standard form for each child attending. The form must identify the child and the authorising parent/guardian. This form is to be retained in the child's file. 10. CONFIDENTIALITY OF RECORDS All information in your child?s file is confidential and available to staff for school purposes only. You are responsible for informing the school in writing of persons whom you authorize to review your child?s file, to take your child from school, and of any changes in your address or telephone number. Children?s files are available to parents or guardians at any time. Additionally, if we receive a written request, authorized by the parent or guardian, from another school, we will send a copy of the child?s immunization record and cumulative review for the new schools records and files 11. CHILD HEALTH see also POLICIES ONLINE referring to Child Health The spread of infection is a major problem in child care. In order to minimise this, children suffering from certain infections are excluded from attending child care centres. Each centre is to have a current "infectious diseases of children" list from the NSW Department of Health, which identifies infectious diseases and exclusion times for children in care. These guidelines are to be adhered to. A medical clearance must be obtained from a medical practitioner and presented to the Authorised Supervisor subsequent to the child returning to the centre. Copies of information relating to infectious conditions are available in translation from the NSW Department of Health to enable staff to give adequate information to all parents. We implement a policy of exclusion based on current recommendations from NSW Health Dept. when a vaccine preventable disease is present or suspected at the centre. Procedures for Care of Sick Children If a child in care has a suspected infectious condition and/or is sick, the care giver must: a) Isolate the child from other children. Make sure the child is comfortable, and is supervised by a staff member. b) Contact the child's parents or, if they are unavailable, the contact person for emergencies as listed on the enrolment form. Inform the parents or contact person of the child's condition, or suspected condition, and ask that the child be picked up from the centre as soon as possible (within an hour). |