WET DAY ROUTINE

School hours do not alter on wet days. Arrangements are made within the school to accommodate children in the recess periods.

LOST PROPERTY

We strongly urge parents to clearly mark every item of your child's so that lost property can be reclaimed or returned promptly. Items of lost clothing are stored outside the Learning Support Teachers room, room 26. At the end of each term any items of articles being placed in the second-hand uniform pool. Children are discouraged from bringing expensive toys, cassette recorders and swap cards to school.

ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

If a child is going to be absent from school, parents are requested to inform the class teacher beforehand. In the event of children being absent from school for more than two days through illness, parents should contact the school office staff or class teacher.

ILLNESS AT SCHOOL

Every effort is made to contact parents if children become ill or suffer from accidents at school. Parents are urged to keep emergency contact details up to date with our office staff. St Martin's subscribes to the Ambulance which covers transportation in the event of an emergency at or on the way to and from school. Approximately one half of the staff have current Senior First Aid Certificates. One member of staff with Senior First Aid qualifications is rostered as First Aid Officer each day. All visits to the First Aid Room are recorded in our First Aid Register, with a note being sent home for significant issues.

CHILDREN AND MEDICATION

Our most recent advice has established that "no drugs, prescription or otherwise, can be administered by school staff except in certain circumstances where it is necessary for a student to take medicine on a medical practitioners orders during school hours"
The effect of this policy is that we are unable to administer Panadol or any non-prescription medications for minor pain relief and parents will have to be called to either take sick children home or administer panadol etc. at school.

Prescription Medications: Where a medication has been prescribed by a Medical Practitioner and the child is well enough to attend school but needs medication during the day, parents are required to complete a Student Medication Authority (bright pink in colour) and attach a note or certificate from the doctor advising your child's teacher that s/he may administer a particular medication during school hours. The note should include the name of the medication, the dosage and the time (s) to be administered. Please note that both forms are required. Student Medication Authority forms are available on request from the school office.
The medication is to be handed to the teacher to be kept in the First Aid Room refrigerator (if required) or on his/her desk. Alternatively, you as parent may wish (as some already do) to come to school and administer the medication.

Children administering Medications: Sometimes children bring a medication which parents have given them instructions to take during the day - cough lollies and asthma puffers are common examples. For these medications where the teacher is not involved in administering the medication, no authority is required. However, particularly in the case of asthma sprays, it's a good idea to inform the teacher. As a general rule, we would rather that children do not keep medications themselves.

BANKING

The Commonwealth Bank has a "Dollarmite" electronic savings bank service operating within the school conducted by trained volunteer parents. St Martin's earns a small commission for each transaction. Early in the school year all new children will receive information about the service.

SWIMMING

As part of the Physical Education and Sport Program swimming lessons are provided for all children. We currently bus the children to Carina Pool at the Clem Jones Centre in Zahel St. The children have eight lessons in first term and eight in fourth term. These are conducted in a two week block session which include Learn to Swim Lessons and a Life Saving Award Scheme called Swim and Survive. Travel, pool entry and instruction costs are covered by the General Purpose Levy. Girls must wear a one piece swim suit and we strongly urge parents to give children a sun screen lotion. Swim shirts are also encouraged as are swimming caps for both girls and boys.

BICYCLES

Children may ride bicycles to school at parent's discretion. Given the heavy traffic in the local area, we do not recommend that younger children ride bicycles. Children should wear a protective helmet. Bicycles should be wheeled into the grounds and stored in the bicycle rack.

DROPPING OFF AND COLLECTING CHILDREN

Parking
As there are two schools within close proximity of each other (San Sisto College and St Martin's) both Mayfield Road and Broadway Street carry a large volume of traffic each morning and afternoon. To cope with this traffic and ensure maximum safety for our children, the Brisbane City Council Traffic Branch and ourselves have combined to put certain procedures in place.

In Broadway Street - there is a two minute pickup zone adjacent to the school. This zone operates from 7am to 9 am. and from 2 pm. to 4 pm., and it is critical that the regulations be observed. While this is a two way street it is so narrow that we recommend that parents approach it only from Stanley Road to avoid children having to cross Broadway Street. Our staff supervise the children in a waiting space, known as the yellow zone near Broadway Street and usher them out as their family car arrives. Parents should not park here to come into the grounds to collect children or see teachers.

In Mayfield Rd - The BCC has erected a bus layby to cater for both Council and Private buses.

A Lollipop lady supervises the crossing in Mayfield Road in the morning and afternoons.
There is no parking available in the school grounds before or after school and the carpark in front of the Church should not be used as a turnaround.
From 2002 a small, signed section of the carpark off Mayfield Rd is set aside as a 5 minute set down area for parents of pre-school children only.

We encourage parents to delay collecting children at 3.00 pm by ten minutes when the initial rush has passed. Children can wait in safety within the school grounds