Policies

Please keep the office informed of any changes of information, phone numbers, address, remarriage, doctor's information, emergency numbers etc.
Pupils to check the post boxes in the reception area when bringing envelopes, money and reply slips to the office.
Any urgent items that need to come to school must be delivered to the office before the 10.30 announcements are made. After that time pupils are not called to the office.
If a pupil phones home for a parent to bring something to school it is the pupil's responsibility to check that the item has been delivered to the school, classes cannot be interrupted.
Please make firm arrangements for lifts in the afternoons. Pupils are to wait at least 15 minutes before going to the office as parents are often delayed but do get here eventually. An awful lot of time is spent trying to contact parents when little bodies are left at school.
Pupils are not to phone home if they are feeling ill. They should go to the office so that one of the secretaries can phone parents.
LOST PROPERTY is handled by Mrs Warner in 2B and NOT the office. On Fridays after assembly all marked items are returned to classes by the Lost Property monitors. Lost valuables such as watches, wallets, etc should be brought to the office.
There are two public call boxes at the school. Please ensure that your child has a phone card for emergencies. Phone cards are available from the office during the breaks . These cards are also available from a wide number of outlets.
If pupils are absent it is not necessary to phone the school but please send a note when the child returns to school. It is necessary to inform the school if the child is involved in a match.
Letters informing the school that a child has to miss school for any reason should be addressed to Mrs Shield and placed in the pink tray in Mrs. van Niekerk's office.
School and music fees may be brought to the Bursar's office between 08:00 and 13:00. At any other time the envelopes may be posted in the box marked Bursar in the reception area and receipts will be sent home via the pupil. Please make sure that envelopes are marked with the pupil's name and class.
Music fees for private teachers and fees for private extra-mural teachers/coaches must be handed directly to the teacher concerned.
After Care fees must be placed in the After Care box in the reception area or paid directly to the supervisors.
Sports Line (683 0687) - The Sports Line is updated at 12:30 for Junior Primary and 14:00 for senior Primary from Monday to Thursday and at 12:30 on Friday for the whole school. Changes are only made to the Sports Line if an activity or sport has been cancelled or postponed. Pupils may stay with the coaches if they cannot make their own way home or are not collected at the end of the school day.
Please read the Grove Talk, letters and notices very carefully for valuable information and diarise important dates, closing times, return from camp times etc. to avoid unnecessary calls to the office.
Pupils may only enter the office via the door at the bottom of the ramp. the door in the foyer is only for use by parents, visitors and staff.
When lifting for sporting matches the children can be collected from the quad.
Recycling can be brought to school from Monday to Thursday and placed in the recycling depot , next to the swimming pool pumphouse. Paper, cardboard and tins are collected. We do NOT collect glass or plastic.

HAIR POLICY

Hair should be kept clean and tidy at all times.

· Hairstyles should be appropriate for primary school and the school uniform.

Under-cuts, very short brush cuts, or any other absurd cuts or styles are not acceptable.

· No colouring, dyeing or lightning of hair allowed at all.

BOYS

· Hair to be above shirt collar.

· Fringes should be 1 cm above they eyebrow.

· No plaits or braids may be worn.

GIRLS

· Shoulder length hair has to be tied up either in plaits or one or two side ponies or one pony with the tie(s) not lower than the
nape of the neck.

· Braids to be no longer than shoulder length and must be thin or medium width (neatly tied and clipped back, where
necessary).

· No hairpieces allowed.

· Fringes 1 cm above the eyebrow. No hanging side or front pieces allowed.

· Hair accessories: NAVY BLUE scrunchies, Alice bands and standard metal clips only.

Adopted by BOG 25 April 2006.

EXTRA MURAL POLICY

Teachers run these sports and activities:

Summer: Cricket, mini-cricket, swimming, tennis, volleyball, art, orchestra, choir, and Mini-sports (Grades1&2)

Winter: Soccer, mini-soccer, hockey, mini-hockey, mini-sports (Grade1&2), netball, cross-country, table tennis, computers, art, orchestra, choir.

GENERAL POLICY GUIDELINES

From 2001 all grade 4-7 pupils will be expected to participate in one summer and one winter sport.

1. All coaches or teachers in charge must keep an attendance register and a record of teams.

2.      Once a pupil agrees to participate in a particular activity, attendance at all practices and matches is compulsory for the
         season. If a pupil is unable to attend, a note of excuse should be given to the team coach before lunch on that day. (In cases
         of illness, parents should phone to let the coach know.) Regular non- attendance must be reported to the Head of Sport who
         will place the child in a Friday detention.

3. Four copies of fixtures must be given in at the office.

4. Transport must be arranged timeously.

5. Teachers who are not going to be at school must arrange for another coach to take practices. (E.g. when away at camps,
etc). Please notify the sports co-ordinator of arrangements.

6. Encourage good sportsmanship and fair play.

7. Keep in mind awards for sports assemblies.

8. Coaches are to be properly dressed.

9. Ensure pupils are correctly dressed.

10. In summer, it is compulsory for pupils to wear hats or caps when playing team sport. They should also wear sunscreen.

11. Coaches are to ensure the equipment is well cared for and packed away neatly.

12. Sports line (021-683-0687): Grove has a Sports line which parents can phone in inclement weather to check whether matches
or practices have been cancelled or postponed. Messages for Grades 1 and 2 will be recorded by 12:30 and for Grades 3 - 7
by 13:15.

POLICY FOR SWIMMING

1. All swimmers are to be correctly dressed.

black costume/Grove UV swimsuit
cap
tracksuit and Grove shirt for galas

2. Encourage the use of suntan lotion.

3. No pupil may be left unattended at the pool.

4. Coaches must make sure that all equipment is packed away correctly and the gate is locked.

5. To qualify for gala selection, swimmers are required to attend at least 1 team practice per week.

6. Insist on letters from parents to excuse those children who do not attend practices.

7. Coaches are required to keep an attendance register.

8. Children who are not involved in a particular lesson should not be allowed in the pool area.

9. Pupils go home after swimming in school uniform or the Grove tracksuit.

GENDER POLICY

o The Grove Primary is committed to co-educational schooling

o The school aims as far as possible at a 50-50 split between the genders in each grade

o The Grove strives to fulfil the potential of each of its children, male and female

o All pupils, teachers and parents are to be treated equally in terms of gender

o As a co-educational school The Grove caters for the specific needs of each gender in terms of learning style, emotional
needs, sports and activities, facilities and uniform

o Pupils should not be restricted as a result of their gender from participating in any activity without good reason

o The school commits itself to being sensitive to gender issues and raising awareness thereof, striving to avoid the use of
stereotypes and generalisation around gender roles

Adopted by the Governing Body on 21 August 2007

LANGUAGE POLICY

1. LANGUAGE OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

English is the language of teaching and learning and is taught as the Primary Language.

2. LANGUAGES offered as SUBJECTS

Primary Language - English

First Additional Language - Afrikaans

Second Additional Language - Xhosa

For both additional languages, the emphasis is on oral communication

Weekly time allocation in hours

English Afrikaans Xhosa

Grade 1 10 (after June) ½ hour ½ hour

Grade 2 10 ½ hour ½ hour

Grade 3 4½ 1 hour ½ hour

English Afrikaans Xhosa

Grade 4 4½ 3 hour 1 hour

Grade 5 4½ 3 hour 1 hour

Grade 6 4½ 3 hour 1 hour

Grade 7 4½ 3 hour 1 hour

3. SUPPORT LANGUAGE learning needs of pupils for whom English is not their Home Language

The school provides support for such pupils through Language Support Teachers.

Pupils needing language support are identified and referred by their class teacher or by parental request.

The Language Support Teacher draws up a timetable for assistance in consultation with class teachers.

The Xhosa teacher provides advanced Xhosa language work and teaching for pupils whose home language is Xhosa.

4. LANGUAGE OF ASSESSMENT

The Language of assessment is in English other than for the subjects of Afrikaans and Xhosa

5. LANGUAGE OF COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS

The Language of communication with parents is in English. Newsletters are sent home on a weekly basis. Letters to individual parents are also sent in English.

Where there are likely to be severe language difficulties in a teacher-parent meeting a teacher or parent who is proficient in English and the family's home language is called in to interpret and assist the discussion.

6. PLANS TO DEVELOP MULTILINGUALISM

Afrikaans and Xhosa will be phased in from Grade 1 (See 2). Provision will be made for there to be Xhosa and Afrikaans Assemblies. Ideally these should take place once a term. In order to develop and expose pupils and teachers to the use of Xhosa a different sentence is highlighted each week for four weeks a term. The sentence is placed around the school, pupils are asked to guess its meaning over the intercom, etc.

The school library continues to ensure a collection of Afrikaans and Xhosa books to match the learning needs of these languages.

From 2008 Grade 1 and 2 class teachers will learn to use and teach certain vocabulary in three languages. (At present greetings and thank you are planned)

7. PROCESS FOR REVIEW OF THIS POLICY

Review shall take place when requested by teaching staff, parents or WCED.

A record of specific language requests will be kept in the Principal's office.

The rights of pupils already learning at the school will be protected. If significant changes are to be made to the policy these changes will be negotiated and phased in over an agreed and reasonable time frame.

Adopted by The Grove Primary School Governing Body on the 20 November 2007

ADMISSIONS POLICY

Cognisance must be taken of the following provision in the Bill of Rights included in the S. A. Constitution of 1996:

· Every child has the right to a basic education (29(1))

· Where education is offered in one language, (single-medium) institutions must take into account:

a) equity

b) practicability; and

c) the need to redress the results of past racially discriminatory laws and practices (29(2))

Cognisance must also be taken of the following provisions in the S. A. Schools Act of 1996(Ch. 2.5: Admissions):

1) Admit learners and serve their educational requirements without unfairly discriminating in any way

2) Entrance tests will not be administered but The Grove Primary reserves the right to interview prospective pupils and parents.

3) No learner may be refused admission:

a) because his parents are unable to pay fees.

b) because parents do not subscribe to the school's mission statement.

4) Age requirements - every parent must ensure that their child attends school (Grade 1) in the year in which they turn seven.
(Application may be made for underage learners subject to the conditions set out in Circular 0003/2002.)

5) "Subject to this Act and any applicable provincial law, the admission policy of a public school is determined by the governing
body of such a school."

Pupils must be admitted with the following in mind:

1 Acceptances are not made in accordance with the date of application.

2 Deferred pupils are given priority.

3 Siblings and Grove Pre-Primary applications are considered preferentially, but admission is not automatic. (A history of poor
fee payment could exclude siblings)

4 Enrolment must reflect the heterogeneity of South African society.

5 Enrolment numbers are limited in terms of the capacity of the building and the agreed on class size limit (below 30 in the case
of Grade 1-6). Parental vote at the annual budget meeting that support employment of SGB teachers to facilitate this.

6 Equal numbers of boys and girls must be considered in the enrolment.

7 Children must be age appropriate:

School attendance is compulsory from the year that the child turns seven;

The Education Laws Amendment Act of 2003 gives the admission age of a learner to a public school for Grade 1 as "age five turning six by 30 June in the year of admission".

The school's experience has been that children entering Grade 1 in the year in which they turn seven derive great cognitive and social benefits therefrom;

Preference will be given to children who will turn seven in the year of admission to Grade One.

9 Children must be school ready as judged by qualified Foundation Phase teacher, Educational psychologist or remedial
teacher:

Pre-primary schools are consulted in this regard

10 Admission must be judged to be in the best interests of the child - every application must be judged on its merits as determined
by the School Head and in consultation with other professionals.

Adopted by the Governing Body at its meeting of 12 August 2008 amended 11 May 2009

RELIGION IN EDUCATION POLICY

The Grove strives to provide education in a multi-cultural context, promoting the values of tolerance and respect for all forms of faith and culture. Consequently the school does not provide religious education whereby children are split into religious groupings for instruction in their religions.

2. Children are taught about world religions in the Life Orientation programme and so exposed to all religions, faith systems and
cultures.

3. It is accepted that religious instruction and observation are the domain of the family and home.

     4. Weekly assemblies do include devotions and these are of a universal nature. When particular celebrations or observations
         occur in one of the main religions of the community these are highlighted in assembly and often accompanied by a particular
         presentation. The aim at all times is to promote understanding of and respect for each others' religions and customs and to
         celebrate our differences. At the same time, through devotions of a universal kind, we seek to promote a sense of what we
         share, of how much we have in common.

5. The school uniform also serves to unite all pupils, removing differences in background and culture as no items of clothing or
jewelry that reflect any of the religions are allowed.

    6. Families are entitled to keep their children out of school for important religious days that are not national public holidays.
         Teachers will be sensitive to the needs of affected children during particularly important religious times or periods (such as
         during holy days or fasts).

7. The school will endeavour to ensure that school functions and events are planned so as not to overlap with any of the main
religious festivals.

     8. The school is considerate of the dietary needs of all members of its communities. The school tuckshop provides both meat
         and vegetarian snacks. The present practice is that all meat is halaal unless parents and children are informed otherwise. In
         the nature of the facilities that we have as well as staff, requirements for strict religious practices in cooking and preparation of
         food cannot be met, whether in the tuckshop or for any functions.

9. Where prayer facilities are requested the school does its best to provide a classroom for this purpose.

10. Where necessary children are allowed to leave school early or for a period for special religious observances. As with
ANY absence from school such requests must be submitted in writing for the attention of the Deputy Head. A family member
has to fetch the child concerned and accompany him at the event.

Adopted by the Governing Body at their Meeting of 21^st November 2006

Reviewed 18^th August 2009