St Marys South Public School

Excellence Equity Kindness Respect

Telephone02 9623 1745

Emailstmarysth-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Rules and policies

Rules and policies are in place to make sure your child remains safe and well at school.

Visit the NSW Department of Education’s policy library for all current operational policies.

Attendance and absences

Students must attend school regularly so they can achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options.

In NSW, all children from the age of 6 are legally required to attend school or be registered for home schooling through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). All students must complete Year 10, or its equivalent.

For more information about compulsory school attendance, visit:

 

 

 

 

DIGITAL DEVICE and ONLINE POLICY

Our students are privileged to have exclusive access to Chromebooks in the classroom for all students in Years 1-6.

Due to our extensive fleet, our school must acknowledge the educational value of digital devices and online services in supporting and enhancing educational outcomes and student wellbeing. We also recognise that technology can cause harm if misused and that we must keep our students using it safely, responsibly, and respectfully.

At our school, we approach this in two ways:

1. Across this year, all Chromebooks will migrate to a system that means students will borrow a Chromebook for the year like students borrow books from the library. We will actively teach students how to care for their Chromebooks to keep them in good working order. Chromebooks are very sturdy, and in general, damage to Chromebooks is deliberate. This includes picking the keyboard keys and being rough with the screens. We understand that accidents can happen. However, intentional misuse of Chromebooks will result in consequences related to the time it takes to repair or replace the Chromebook. I note that each Chromebook costs the school $650. We know this is not a cost we can pass on to families. However, we ask that you consider making a Technology Contribution to the school. Even without misuse, we are replacing Chromebooks annually to ensure the currency and reliability of the fleet. Some Chromebooks are already 10 years old, which is a considerable financial cost for the school. 

2. Across the year, we will teach students about eSafety through resources provided by the eSafety Commissioner.

Topics will include cyberbullying, image-based abuse, privacy, and digital literacy. You can use the information at home with your children to support safe online practices.

More information is available at https://www.esafety.gov.au/.