St.
Catherine’s School – Prospectus
St. Catherine’s School
31 Piercy Avenue DELMENVILLE
Parkhill Gardens 1403
GERMISTON
1401 Tel : 827-4102
Fax:
827-4117
E-mail:
stcatherines@think.co.za
HEAD OF
1. INTRODUCTION
St. Catherine’s is an independent Catholic
school. We cater for boys and girls
between the ages of 3½ and 18 years.
Pupils are placed in classes of between 18 and 25 children.
The Board of Governors of the school
determines the criteria for admission in accordance with the Constitutions of
our country and our school.
The school offers
classes from Pre-School - Grade 12.
2. STAFFING
The school has a staff of qualified teachers,
supported by a secretary, a bursar and a maintenance team. All staff members are under direct control of
the principal.
Bursar: The bursar is the business manager of
the school. All school administrative
matters fall under her control, and queries about payment of fees, insurances,
housekeeping, buying; etc. must be referred to her.
3. BOARD OF GOVERNORS
The Board of Governors is the controlling body
of the school. The Board of Governors
controls all aspects of the school, from the appointment of teachers to
decisions on which extra-curricular activities are offered, and how finance is
controlled.
Current Chairperson: Mr.
The Board of Governors comprises of the
following members:
3.1 The Regional
3.2 A Dominican Sister nominated by the
Regional Superior.
3.3
The Head of School / Principal of the Primary
School.
3.4
The Principal of the High School.
3.5 Not less than three or more than eight
nominated members who shall hold office for three years in rotation, and upon
retirement shall be eligible for re-appointment.
4. UNITED PARENTS & TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (UPT)
The UPT is the public relations body of the
school. Every parent is a member of this
body, but an Executive Committee is elected at the Annual General Meeting of
parents called by the Board of Governors in the 1st Term each year. The UPT is a vital part of school life, and
involvement in its activities is rewarding and enriching. Interested parents who are not elected at the
AGM are always welcome to offer their services at any time during the year.
5. SCHOOL FEES
Payment of fees is compulsory at St.
Catherine’s. The school relies solely on
fees for the payment of salaries and the running of the school. Fees are fixed annually by the Board of
Governors during September for the ensuing year. Payments may be made annually (payment in
full, by the end of January, which is then subject to a discount), termly or monthly.
Statements are issued monthly, so that parents can keep track of their
payments.
6. CONTROL OF FINANCES
The Board of Governors controls all funds
collected in the name of the school. The
board draws up a detailed budget in October of each year. Accounts and other matters relating to the
use of school funds are discussed at all Board meetings.
7. INSURANCE
The school carries insurance to cover expenses
incurred as a result of personal accidents to pupils while at school or engaged
in school activities, as well as losses to the assets of the school including
grounds, buildings and equipment.
8. TUCK SHOP
A tuck shop operates where children may buy a
wholesome snack at breaks and after school each school day at a reasonable
price
9. UNIFORM
All pupils, Grade 1 – 12, must wear the school
uniform. Details are given under the
school rules contained in this guide. It
is optional to wear either summer or winter uniform in the months of APRIL and
SEPTEMBER. Winter uniform must be worn
from 1 May to 31 August, and summer uniform from 1 October to 31 March.
STOCKISTS:
Rynfield Drapers and
Outfitters (near Engen Garage and Fire Station)
Ebsons,
10. COMMUNICATION
The school sends out a newsletter to each
family every second week. This is an
essential means of communication, and parents are asked to ensure that they
read the newsletters regularly. The newsletter is published on the Web-page.
Additional notes are sent out from time to time. Parents may make use of the study guide to
communicate with teachers.
11. INTERVIEWS WITH TEACHING
STAFF
Parents are welcome to request an interview
with any teacher on the staff. The best
method is to write a note to the teacher concerned, mentioning the reason for
the request, and suggesting a time. Include
a phone number, and the teacher will get back to you and arrange a mutually
suitable time.
For an interview with the PRINCIPAL or the
BURSAR, telephone the school office. The secretary will then arrange an
interview.
PLEASE do not “pop in” in the hope of seeing
someone at the school. Teachers can not
interview parents during teaching time.
12. THE CODE OF CONDUCT FOR
PUPILS AT ST CATHERINE’S SCHOOL
CODE OF CONDUCT
FOR PUPILS
The following Code of
Conduct is binding on all learners wanting to enroll at St. Catherine’s
School. The Code of Conduct revolves around the word
RESPECT:
God
R E S P E C T
for Self and others
School
12.1 Pupils must pursue their studies with
dedication, honesty and diligence.
Homework must be done and thorough preparation must be carried out
before tests and examinations. No
disruption of classroom routine will be tolerated.
12.2 Pupils must preserve and protect all school
property entrusted to them.
12.3 Pupils must attend school regularly and must
attend all classes during the school day.
12.4 Pupils must respect the dignity of all other
pupils, staff and members of the public.
Pupils must
greet teachers/adults both in classrooms and on the corridors.
12.5 Pupils must respect the religious beliefs of
others.
12.6 Pupils must not engage in any activity that
may jeopardise the safety, security or academic progress of any other person at
school.
12.7 Pupils must know, obey and respect the
School rules as contained in the school handbook and as published from time to
time and displayed in all classrooms and the Media Centre.
12.8 Pupils must respect the Constitution and
Laws of South Africa.
12.9 Pupils shall obey all directions given by
the Principal, Deputy, HOD, Teachers, Administrative and Ground Staff of the
school, as well as Learner Executive / prefects.
12.10 Pupils will display no form of racial
discrimination whatsoever.
12.11 Pupils will display good sportsmanship when
competing in sport. Pupils chosen for teams are required to attend all
practices and matches, dressed in the correct sport uniform.
12.12 No eating is allowed in classrooms during
class time. Eating is only allowed on
the playground.
Pupils are warned that serious breaches of the
Code of Conduct MAY result in suspension and possible expulsion from the
school.
Persistent breaking of
school rules will be regarded as a serious breach of the Code of Conduct.
13. SCHOOL RULES
All pupils must abide by the Code of Conduct
and the following school rules, approved by the Board of Governors of the
School, and formulated for the safety and comfort of all people in the school.
13.1 Times
All pupils must be inside the gates by 07h30 each
school day, but for safety’s sake, should not be at school before 07h15. School starts at 07h40. Pre-School &
Grade 0 pupils finish classes at 12h45, Grade 1 &
2 pupils finish classes at 13h00 each day, pupils in Grades 3 finish at 13h30,
Grade 4 - 7 pupils finish at 14h00, Monday, Wednesday & Friday and at 13h40
on Tuesday & Thursday. High school pupils finish at 14h40 Mon, Tues &
Thurs, 13H25 on Wed and 14h10 on Fri.
Pupils waiting for lifts home after 14h45 must
wait at the main gate in
13.2 Out of Bounds
The school grounds are out of bounds to pupils
outside of school hours, unless they are under the supervision of a teacher or
other person authorised by the Principal.
During school hours, pupils may not enter the
following areas unless instructed to do so by a teacher:
* Area in front of main door (around the
circle)
* Teachers’ car parking areas
* Tennis courts, cleaners’ rooms, garage
and swimming pool
* Hall, stage, tuck shop, staff room and
admin area beyond enquiries counter.
13.3 Dress
Pupils are expected to be neatly dressed in
proper school uniform during school hours.
Every item of clothing must be labeled with pupil’s name.
13.3.1 Uniform
GIRLS: Summer: Blue
dress, white socks, black shoes and blazer.
Winter: Black tunic (with V-neck and no pleats)
or long black trousers, plain white long-sleeved shirt, school tie, black socks
or tights, black shoes, school jersey and blazer.
Dresses
may not be more than 3cm above the knee.
BOYS:Summer: White
V-neck shirt with the school emblem on the pocket, grey shorts, grey socks,
black shoes and blazer.
Grade
7 boys may wear grey longs if they wish. High school boys wear long trousers
all year.
Winter: Grey longs, plain white long-sleeved
shirt, school tie, grey socks, black shoes, school jersey and blazer. No coloured jackets may be worn.
With all the above variations, the cardigans
and jerseys worn must be in the school colours i.e.
black cardigan or jersey with white stripes on rib. Ahigh
School pupils may wear the sleeveless pullover. Matrics
may wear the white jersey / pullover with black stripes on the ribs.
Plain black raincoats / drymacs
may be worn on rainy days.
Plain black
beanies may be worn on very cold mornings. These may not be worn in class.
13.3.2 Dress for P.E. Lessons (Boys & Girls)
ALL boys must wear black boxer type shorts;
girls may wear black boxer shorts or the regulation quantec
P.T. shorts. All pupils wear the regulation school sports shirt - obtainable at
the suppliers and white takkies or majority white
running shoes and white socks.
Hair
Hair must be
kept neatly trimmed and groomed at all times.
No colouring or perming of hair is
permitted.
No pupil is
permitted to have shapes or names shaved in their hair.
Hair may not
stand up in spikes.
Boys : off
the face, ears and collar. Shaped according to shape of head. No braiding (except for
matric boys) or dreadlocks are permitted. Boys’ faces must be clean shaven.
Girls : short
or tied or clipped back with a band or clips as required -
white or blue in summer, black in winter.
Nails
Nails must not
show above fingertips.
No nail varnish
is allowed.
13.4 Jewelry
The wearing of jewelry
by pupils is STRICTLY prohibited, but for these exceptions :
* Plain gold or silver studs or sleepers
may be worn in pierced ears - one
per ear lobe, girls only.
* Medic Alert necklaces or bracelets are
permitted.
* A Religious emblem on a chain, below the
neckline of the uniform.
* A wristwatch is permitted.
13.5 Forbidden Activities
Pupils are
forbidden at all times to engage in the following activities
:
* The riding of bicycles, skateboards,
roller-skates or any other vehicle inside the school grounds
* The chewing of any form of gum
* Running on corridors or in the
classrooms
* Selling of any article unless such sales
have been organised by a teacher with the Principal’s
permission
* Use of foul language
* Bullying or fighting
* Throwing of stones or similar objects
* Littering
* Shouting
inside the school buildings
* Bringing of toys of any description to
school UNLESS requested by a teacher for lessons - a ball is permitted for play
at break.
* Rough games likely to cause injury
* Bringing onto the school’s premises, any
dangerous items, drugs, weapons or pornographic material
* Do not be tempted to take or tamper with
anything that does not belong to you.
Theft is a serious offence and will be referred to the SA Police.
* Any damaging or defacing of school
property and/or other person’s property will be regarded as a serious offence
and parents will be held responsible for the costs incurred.
* Disrespectful
behaviour or impertinence is totally unacceptable.
* Boys
and girls walking hand in hand or hanging on each other.
13.6 General Rules
Children are
not allowed in a classroom unless accompanied by a teacher.
School bags must be of a type which gives
adequate protection to school books. The
school reserves the right to withhold text and library books from children
whose school bags do not conform to this requirement.
Pupils are
expected to take pride in their school.
Punctuality is
essential and is a mark of respect.
Move in a quiet
and orderly fashion in the passages and stairways.
Keep to the
left in the corridors and use the correct stairways.
Cloakrooms are
to be kept clean.
Remember that you are regarded at all times by
the general public as being a representative of St. Catherine’s.
14. OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO
PUPILS
14.1 Homework
All children in the school will be required to
do some school work at home from time to time.
The following principles are applicable :
The child will be issued with a homework diary
and this will contain their homework on a daily basis. Parents need to check and sign this diary on
a daily basis.
14.1.1 Junior Homework - Grades 1 - 3
All Grade 1 - 3 pupils have a homework
book. All homework is written in this
book. Homework is to be done on Monday -
Thursday. Homework should not exceed 20
minutes.
Mathematics is given on occasion. Parents are requested to sign the reading
marker daily and to ensure that the homework book is in the suitcase at all
times.
14.1.2 Senior Homework -
Grade 4 - 7
Pupils in Grades 4 - 7 will receive a homework
diary. There will be Mathematics and
English homework most days - Monday - Thursday. Cultural subjects - homework
will be given once a week on the day of that subject - to be completed by the
following period. Grade
4 & 5 pupils should not spend more than 45 minutes and Grade 6 & 7
pupils not more than 1½ hours a day at homework. High school pupils will
be required to do a minimum of 2 hours homework per day.
Pupils
can be expected to spend a minimum of two hours a day on homework.
If your child regularly says they have no
homework, please contact the class teacher who will investigate the matter.
14.2 Assessment of Progress
Classwork and assignments
are evaluated throughout the year. Marks are
recorded and incorporated into the final assessments. Grade 4 – 7 Cycle tests are written once a
week with additional tests as necessary. Pupils must prepare for these cycle
tests as they comprise a large proportion of the term mark. Pupils must
complete all projects issued. High school pupils do not have Cycle tests but do
write class tests regularly. Progress reports are issued once a term.
Pupils in Grade 1 - 3 do not write any formal
examinations. Evaluation is
continuous. Progress reports are issued
once a term.
14.3 School
Attendance
The Education Act (84 of 1996) makes it
compulsory for children of school going age to attend school on each school day
unless they are ill. The school
principal does not have the authority to excuse any child from attending
school. Pupils may be absent from school to take examinations conducted by
certain schools of Music, Dance or Ballet.
PLEASE AVOID APPOINTMENTS AND ARRANGEMENTS
WHICH REQUIRE YOUR CHILD TO
Casual absences are disruptive to the school programme and engender casual attitudes towards
learning. CERTIFICATES OF MERIT are
awarded to pupils who complete a full school year without missing a day.
14.4 Extra-Curricular
Activities
Children are encouraged to participate in the
after-school activities. These vary
according to seasons, but include Choir, Cricket, Media Centre, Netball,
Soccer, Swimming, Athletics, Bible club, Computers, Drama, Ball skills,
Gymnastics, Ballet, Hockey, Brownies and Debating.
Other activities may be introduced from time
to time. A programme
of activities is published each term.
Extra-curricular activities for Grade 1 - 2
classes may start at 13h15 and end at about 14h00. Parents will be kept
informed.
Grade 3 - 7 pupils USUALLY finish
extra-curricular activities by about 15h00, but some matches, especially
Cricket, may end much later. Pupils chosen for teams are expected to attend all
practices and matches, dressed in the correct sports uniform.
14.5 Safety
at School
All visitors MUST call at the office. The secretaries will take messages for
children when necessary. Parents should
not go directly to the classrooms. This is to protect your children from
potentially dangerous strangers.
In the afternoon, children who wait for lifts
after 15h00 MUST wait at the main gate in
14.6 Public Telephone
There is a public card telephone at the back
gate of the building (near the swimming pool), which children may use IN
EMERGENCIES. Pupils must obtain written
permission from a teacher before using this phone during school hours. Please ensure that your child knows how to
use a card phone. Children may not use
the Secretary’s telephone unless the public one is out of order.
14.7 Pre-School and Junior
Primary children
Pre-school and Junior Primary pupils will be
cared for on the Pre-School playground between 13h00 and 14h45.
If they are not taking part in an activity,
they MUST stay here. They will be supervised
and you will know where to find them. In
the event of rain, they will be in the hall or Mrs. Henry’s classroom.
15. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
Positive involvement of
parents in the activities of the school is welcomed. Ways in which parents can play an active role
include:
1. Attending
such meetings as may be called from time to time.
2. Volunteering
to serve on the UPT Executive Committee.
3. Making
themselves available for election to the Board of
Governors.
4. Volunteering
to help in the Tuck Shop or at UPT functions.
5. Offering
their professional services to the Board of Governors where appropriate.
6. Promote
the school and its personnel in a positive manner (e.g. build up the teachers
in front of your children - do not criticise).
7. Assist the school in enforcing all the
school rules e.g. punctuality, uniform, behaviour,
school attendance, care and respectful use of school property e.g.. ablution facilities, etc.
8. Support the staff in their decision when
dealing with pupils who have disregarded these school rules.
9. Observe the correct channels of
communication e.g. speak first to the class teacher, then if need be to the
teacher in charge, following that, the Head of Department, etc.
10. Keep the school well informed of matters
that could affect your child’s performance at school e.g..
reasons for absence, problems at home, etc.
11. Inform the school secretary of any changes
of address, phone numbers,
name/status, etc.
12.
Pay all school fees promptly.
13. Assist your child in taking part in
extra-mural activities, especially the compulsory ones like Sports Day, etc.
14. Ensure that your child is adequately
equipped for the activity he/she is involved in e.g.. tennis racket, correct shoes, correct attire, etc.
15. Ensure that suitable transport arrangements
are made for your child to be fetched promptly after school and activities each
day.
16. Not to coach from the side or interfere
with referee decisions during sports practices, matches or meetings.
17. Ensure that your child has an approved-type
suitcase to avoid damage to school books and property.
18. Ensure that all articles and items of uniform, are marked with your child’s name.
19. Supervise your child’s homework and sign
the diary daily.
20. Attend parent’s evenings.
21.
Provide your child with a loving, caring,
well-disciplined home environment which reduces the necessity for discipline to
be done at school.
22. Allow your child to become independent and
responsible (e.g.. do not bring “forgotten” items to
school, etc.).
23. Sign an indemnity form and have medical
insurance.
24. Ensure that your child has a well-balanced diet and good eating habits to enable him/her to work to his/her best ability.
APPLICATION FORM
St. Catherine’s School
Germiston
Delmenville
1403 Germiston
Tel: (011) 827-4102 E-mail:
secretary@stcatherines.org.za
Fax: (011) 827-4117
Pupil’s
Surname
Christian
Names
Date
of Birth
Sex
Religion Home Language ID Number
Has
your child been:
Baptised YES/NO Made his/her First Communion
YES/NO Confirmed YES/NO
School
last attended:
Grade
at date of application
Grade for which application is made
in year
If
candidate has sister(s) / brother(s) attending this school, state name(s) and class(es):
Person
responsible for paying fees:
TITLE
INITIALS SURNAME
Are
accounts to be sent to father or mother?