Greenmeadows Intermediate School

Our School

(09) 267 6255 29 Greenmeadows Avenue
Manurewa
Auckland
NEW ZEALAND 2102

Health & Safety FAQ

The safety and well being of students while they are at school is very important to us.

Below is an outline of systems and procedures in place to support this.

We have tried to cover most of the common questions we are asked.

If you have any other queries you would like answered, do not hesitate to contact us at school.

Have we got up to date contact details for your child?

It is important that we be able to contact you in case of an emergency.  Sometimes we try to ring parents and find the phone number is no longer current.

You need to make sure the school has up to date

• phone numbers

• addresses

for both yourselves and at least one other person who we can try if you are not available.

A simple way to do this is to use the link available on this web site or to contact the school office.

What happens when my child is absent from school?

Parents are expected to let us know if their child is going to be absent for any reason by phoning the office before school. The following methods for explaining student absences, either before or after the event will be accepted from parents/caregivers:

  1. A phone call
  2. A face to face explanation
  3. A note
  4. An email to school stating the students name, date of absence and the reason for it.
  5. A certificate from a health professional.

We operate an electronic register which is marked in the classroom by 9.00a.m.  The school office then checks all absences and phones the parents of any students whose absence is unexplained.

What happens if my child goes missing while at school?

Very rarely does a student go missing at school, although we have had occasions when a child gets upset and leaves the school grounds.  If a child is missing at school…

• The teacher notifies the main office & principal immediately.

• A search of the school is organized.

If the student is not found we then notify parents/whanau immediately.

What if I want my child to leave school during the day?

  • Parents needing to collect children for any reason need to visit the school office first to sign them out before collecting them from the classroom.  We are unable to release them from class to wait unsupervised at the gates – they must be collected from the office.
  • Children are not allowed to go home for lunch unless the parent collects them from school.
  • We will sometimes question the person collecting children from school to make sure they have parental permission – and often ring to check. Please don’t be offended if this is the case – we just want to make sure we only let children leave with an approved person.

What if my child gets sick or hurt at school?

Minor injuries/illnesses are treated by staff who all have current first aid training.

Parents are always notified (either by phone or a letter) if it is a more serious minor injury/illness that has caused us some concern (such as a banged head, bloody nose, vomiting etc)

If it is a serious injury

  • We follow the medical emergency response procedures.
  • First aid is given.
  • The school rings for an ambulance if necessary.
  • Parents/Whanau are contacted immediately.

What Happens if my child needs to be given prescribed medicines during the day?

  • The school has to have written permission from parents before they are able to administer prescribed medicines to students.
  • Parents need to call in at the school office and sign the “Prescribed Medicine” form.
  • For safety reasons, prescribed medicines must be looked after by our First Aide supervisor in the Resource Room, not kept in school bags or the classroom.

Administration of Prescribed Medication Form

What if my child is an asthmatic?

  • Please let us know if your child is an asthmatic.
  • We encourage all children with asthma to keep an inhaler at school, although we do also stock an emergency asthma pack in the first aid room.
  • Most asthmatics manage their own asthma very well and we encourage them to let us know when they need to have their inhaler.

Who looks after my child when they are not in class?

Playground Duties

  • We have 4 teachers on duty at all times during break periods.
  • Duty Teachers are easily identified by their bright safety vests!

On the way to and from school

  • The school is not responsible for the behaviour or safety of students on the way to school or on the way home.  Having said that, we will always help parents & children to solve any problems they may have during these times. It is important that if parents are collecting students after school that they arrive on time.

BUS AND TRAIN SERVICES

  • Students who travel to and from school using Murphy’s Bus Service or the train service are expected to behave in a safe and sensible manner.  However, these are public services operating outside school hours and as such the parents of these students are ultimately responsible for their behaviour.  We will however, investigate all reported incidences and concerns, following up with student and parents as necessary.

What does the school do to ensure my child will be safe on a school trip?

  • Staff have very full and specific guidelines & procedures to follow to ensure the safety of students during any Education Outside the Classroom activity.
  • Risk Management plans are completed for all activities.
  • We only take students on school trips if we have written permission from parents.

We are a Smokefree School!

  • All of our school grounds and facilities are smokefree as required by law.
  • Please do not smoke while visiting our school.

What if my child wants to ride their bike or scooter to school?

  • Some students ride their bikes or scooter to school and this is fine.  We have a locked area in which students can store their bikes/scooters during the day.
  • The wearing of bicycle helmets is compulsory by law and we do expect students to comply with standard road regulations for riding bikes. 
  • The Board of Trustees accepts no responsibility for the security, damage or loss of bicycles or scooters.

What happens if there is a fire?

  • The alarm is raised immediately and our system notifies the fire service automatically.
  • The school has very clear and detailed evacuation procedures.  Everyone assembles at evacuation points and the roll is call to ensure everyone is accounted for.
  • Everyone stays outside until the “all clear” is given.

What happens if there is an earthquake?

  • We use the words “DROP – EARTHQUAKE” to indicate to children what they should do.
  • Everyone takes shelter under safe structures. When the shaking stops, teachers check for any injuries, provide first aide if necessary and wait for further instructions.

What happens if we get a police alert ?

  • On very rare occasions the police may alert the school to keep students in the school grounds due to an incident that might be happening in the community.  In these cases, no students are allowed to leave school until the police give the “all clear”.

What do I do if my child gets headlice or school sores?

Like all schools, some of our children do get headlice or school sores.

For HEADLICE

Prevention is better than the cure! It is best not to share hats, helments, hair ties or bruses. Brush hair daily – 10 times from back of neck and over head, 10 times from behind ears and acrossthe head.

If Headlice are found in hair start serious wet combing.

  • use a comb with fine and strong teeth.
  • wet hair – use conditioner if the hair is thick.
  • pull comb through each section of hair starting at the scalp.
  • wet comb the hair every third day.

If headlice are really bad, try using headlice shampoo.

get this shampoo from the chemist or a perscription for it from a doctor.

follow the instructions.

start wet combing the hair again.

For SORES

School sores are highly contagious and if children have them they need to be treated and covered before they can come to school.

To treat school sores……..

Wash & dry your hands

Use a clean cloth. Put a cup of warm water and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt in a basin and use the rag to soak and wash the sores. Put the cloth in the rubbish.

Dry sores with another clean cloth. Put the cloth in the rubbish.

Cover the sores with clean gauze cloth or sticking plaster.

Wash hands again and dry them really well.

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