At St Augustine’s we are committed to building a community of faith based on effective partnerships with parents and the wider community that we serve. Outlined below is a range of services and opportunities that make for effective communication and interactions, which are the foundation of good partnerships.
Banking
The Commonwealth Bank has a “Dollarmite” electronic savings bank service operating within the College, conducted from the Resource Centre each Tuesday morning. Early in the school year all new children receive information about the service.
Booklists
Booklists are provided late in the year and parents may place orders though our contracted supplier or source the items elsewhere themselves. The supplier offers a free home delivery service. Additional textbooks required will be supplied in class early in the school year and have been included in College fees.
Students in Middle Years (Years 8 and 9 only) and Senior Years attract a textbook contribution from the State Government. At St Augustine's College, these funds are paid directly to the College by the government, and used to (partially) fund the book hire scheme.
Book Hire Scheme
The College has established, and subject to P&F Association approval, will continue to develop a textbook hire scheme for students in Years 7 to 12. This is funded by the State Government grant for students in these year levels, as mentioned above.
Under this scheme, bulk sets of all necessary texts are purchased by the College and used in class or lent out to students for the time they are required– usually between a few weeks through to 12 months. This saves parents the cost of purchasing such texts (which average about $40+ each), and also enables class groups to access a wider range of resources.
To ensure that the scheme works to its maximum potential for all students, books and other resources must be returned promptly when finished with, and must be well looked after to ensure maximum lifespan. Books that are damaged or subject to more than reasonable wear and tear will attract a charge towards replacement.
The scheme does not include stationery requirements or equipment such as calculators, nor consumable textbooks, i.e. workbooks that students write in and cannot be reused.
College Newsletter
The College Newsletter is published fortnightly in an electronic form and emailed to families and older students.
Dental Services
Children have access to the community dental service and a mobile unit visits the College or a nearby school each year. Parents are invited to have their children included in this scheme at no cost. For those who do take part, free dental care (excluding specialist work) is provided at the service. Times for the availability of the Dental Van will be advertised in advance of the visit, and written notification is sent home. The dental Service operates on site at the College for several months each year as advertised.
Medical Services
Each year a community nursing sister visits the school to check the general health of children in Years 1 and 7. The sister checks children’s sight, hearing and speech, and provides a weight check. Any areas of concern are reported to parents for follow-up procedures with appropriate medical personnel or specialists.
Parents and teachers are encouraged to refer a child to the nursing sister if they feel there is some physical problem. From year to year, follow-up occurs with some children previously identified.
A program of vaccinations is also made available for families who wish to provide this protection for their children. The types of vaccinations and the year levels involved are advised in writing well in advance, and written parent permission is required.
Each year we request that each family complete a medical update for every student. This update is kept as an easy referral for staff in the First Aid Treatment Room.