Communication between the School and Families

 
Communication with Teachers
  • Parents can usually contact their child’s Class Teacher/Guardians directly by email. If you send an email in the evening please do not expect an immediate reply as teachers are not required to check their work emails at night or on the weekends. Teachers will endeavour to get back to you as soon as practicable during working hours which are from 8.00am to 4.30pm.
  • When communicating with teachers, staff and the management team please be mindful of respectful communication as outlined in our Parent and Carer Code of Conduct.
  • If you would like to talk to your child’s teacher, please call the School to make an appointment or leave a message with Reception. Please remember that between 8.30am and 3.00pm teachers are usually teaching and may not be able to get back to you straight away.
  • Please do not approach your child’s teacher before School to discuss your child unless prearranged. This is a busy time when the teachers are wholly focused on bringing the children into the classroom and beginning the school day.
  • If you have an urgent message for the teacher during the school day, please telephone the School on 02 66843223 and Reception will pass the message on for you.
 
Communication with the Management Team
  • Please call the School if you wish to make an appointment to see the Head of School, Business Manager or any of our Coordinators.  
  • If you wish to make email contact with the Head of School, this can be done directly to hos@shearwater.nsw.ed.au .
  • If you wish to make email contact with our Primary, High School or Early Childhood Faculty Coordinators, please email reception@shearwater.nsw.edu.au 

Messages
To leave a message for your child please call the School before 2:15pm and leave a message on our dedicated phone line. Messages to students are only for emergencies or regarding a change of travel arrangements.
 
Reporting Student Absence (including late arrivals or early departures)
  • To report a student absence, you can telephone the School and leave a message on our student absence line, or email attendance@shearwater.nsw.edu.au
  • Class 1 to Year 10 students who are late must be signed in at the Office by a parent/carer.
  • Late arrivals and early departures for Kindergarten are signed in and out at the Kindergarten classrooms.
  • Year 11 and 12 students whose parents have signed the flexible timetable agreement are able to sign themselves in at the Office in line with their flexible timetable provisions which are monitored by their Guardians.
  • If your child needs to leave school early for an appointment or other approved commitment, your child’s Class Teacher/Guardians and the front Office must be notified.  Please include the date and time your child will be collected, and details of who will be collecting them in this notification. This can be done through written note, email or telephone communication.
  • When collecting you child please come to the Office so we can locate your child and have them signed out.
 
Communication with your Child during School Hours
  • In the case of emergency and you need to communicate with your child during school hours, please do this via Reception staff. The message will be passed on and, if needed, your child can come to the Office to speak to you on the telephone. 
  • Your child can go to the Office to use the school telephone if they need to contact you whilst they are at school, under special circumstances. They will need to speak to their class Guardian or Teacher before coming to the Office to contact you.
  • Please do not text or call your child on their mobile phone during school hours as students do not have access to these devices during school hours, as per our Student Mobile Phone Usage Policy.
 
Class Email Groups
  • Class email groups have been set up for each class for communication between teachers and their class or the School and the class. On occasion, a Class Parent Representative may also use this email group to organise a class-related activity. Due to the Privacy Act, we cannot allow these contact lists to be distributed.
  • Parents are advised to exchange contact numbers at their discretion and observe the Parent and Carer Code of Conduct when communicating about school-related issues.
 
How do we Communicate with You? 
  • We use multiple methods to communicate with parents. One of our primary forms of communication is via email and we ask that parents ensure that the School has a valid email address on record.
  • Other forms of communication include: telephone calls, the School website and newsletter, class parent meetings, parent teacher interviews, individual parent meetings, school reports, information nights and P&F meetings.
 
Communication in the case of Emergency
  • In the case of an emergency for your child, the School will contact parents/carers in the first instance, followed by the emergency contacts provided by you and recorded on our School database. Please ensure that your contact details, and those of your designated emergency contacts, are kept up to date.
  • If the School is required to close or evacuate we will contact you via your child’s class email list so please keep your email contact details up to date.