General Rules & Procedures

Attendance

Attendance at school in Queensland is compulsory by law to the end of a student’s 15th year. Continual or excessive non-attendance can lead to deregistration or in the case of compulsory-aged students, prosecution for non-attendance. It is primarily the responsibility of Parents and Caregivers to ensure that their student attends school regularly and promptly. The College makes every effort to support Parents/Caregivers in this role and commits to working with families and our community to facilitate regular and prompt attendance by all students.

Absences

Students who have been absent from school for any reason must provide a note upon their return to school from their parent/caregiver with a reasonable and legitimate explanation for their absence. Any and all absences must be notified in writing to the College.

Leave

If a student has to take leave from school for part or all of the school day, a letter from their parent/caregiver providing a reasonable and legitimate explanation must be presented to the form/class teacher at least 24 hours prior to the planned leave. Where sudden or urgent leave is sought and prior notification cannot be given, a telephone call directly from the Parent/Caregiver at the earliest opportunity is required (note: leave requests from friends, relatives and other unauthorised people other than the Parent/Caregiver cannot be approved). Please state your student’s name and form/class. An explanatory letter must accompany the student on the day of return and is to be handed to their form/class teacher.

Please note: Under no circumstances may a student leave the College grounds during school hours without prior arrangement with the College office. Students with permission to leave must sign out at the relevant office (Primary are to sign out at the Admin Office while secondary students may sign out at Student Reception on the Secondary Campus).

Excursions

All excursions are advertised either on the College annual calendar, or in the case of excursions which are organised during the course of the year, via letter to parents/caregivers. All excursion costs are charged directly to your fees account as applicable.

Homework Diary

Students are issued with Homework Diaries for the purpose of documenting homework and communication with parents. While diaries are issued to students, they are the property of the school, and as such are to be treated with respect. They are not to be defaced or grafittied in any way.

Mobile Telephones

Students are not permitted to have mobile telephones at school. If circumstances necessitate a student bringing a mobile telephone to school, it must be handed in to the respective office immediately upon arrival at school (Primary – Admin Office; Secondary – Student Reception). Mobiles may be collected when leaving in the afternoon. Parents who need to communicate with students may do so by calling our Admin Office.

Money

Students are discouraged from bringing large sums of money or other valuables to school. Parents are asked not to send fees payments with children to school. The College cannot take responsibility for lost or misplaced monies, valuables or fees payments. If it is unavoidable that your child brings money or valuables to school, please instruct them to hand them into the Admin Office (Primary) or Secondary Student Reception (Secondary) for safekeeping.

Newsletter

A copy of the ‘BAC Chat’ is given to students each Thursday. As this is our only means of regular communication with families, please make a habit of asking for your copy, and keep it on file for reference. Students who are absent on a Thursday should ask for a copy upon returning to school.

Parking and Driving within College grounds

Please drive slowly and carefully at all times within the College grounds. Access to the College is as follows:

GATE 1 Administration Office is from Broadwater Road

GATE 2 Access to the Primary Campus is also from Broadwater Road

GATE 3 Our third Broadwater entry is for Upper Primary student set down and pickup via the “drop and go”

GATE 4 & 5 Gate 4 and 5 on Wishart Road are not public accessways and are for BAC staff and buses only.

GATE 6 Public access to the Secondary Campus is from Wishart Road into the ABC car park

Staff members are rostered on duty at appropriate times during the day and during special events. Please follow any directions they may give. Please do not use designated teacher car parks.

Student Drivers

Eligible students wishing to drive to school must apply directly to the Secondary Administration Assistant. College approval for students to drive to school will only be granted upon written application using the College’s formal application form. This is available from the Secondary Student Reception.

College Buses

The College operates an extensive bus service. An information booklet is available from our Admin office explaining bus routes and charges. We can also provide you with information regarding assistance by way of the ‘Conveyance Allowance’ or ‘Bus Travel Assistance’. This information is available from our Admin Office.

Please note: Conveyance Allowance and Bus Travel Assistance documents will soon be available to download from this website. In the mean time, please contact us at BAC for your copy.

Public Transport

The College has excellent access to public transport. Students represent the College while in uniform and it is critical that all students who travel to and from school on public transport behave in a way that is respectful and reflects well on the College.

Personal Records

Please inform the College of any changes to your name, address, telephone numbers (work, home and mobile) and email address/es. This information is vital in providing effective lines of communication and ensuring the Duty of Care for our students.

Awards Night

Each year-end we celebrate and reward student and staff success during our Awards Nights. Each campus holds its own Awards Night and parents and family members are invited to attend these special evenings.

Parents & Friends Association

The Home and School meets regularly and details of meeting times are advertised in the College newsletter ‘BAC Chat’.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are to be paid in four instalments during the year and are due at the commencementof each term or upon receipt of the account. Students for whom there are outstanding and unpaid fees may not be allowed to return to school in the following term unless the outstanding amount has been paid or a satisfactory payment plan has been arranged. Fees accounts queries and fees assistance applications can be made in confidence with our Accounts Officer.

Fees can only be paid at the College Administration Office. Parents are asked not to send fees payments with children to school.

Student Uniform and Appearance

At all times students must be in full College uniform and be well groomed, neat and tidy.

Hair

Students must wear their hair tidily and extreme hairstyles are not permitted. This can be a contentious area, and students and parents are advised to choose modest and conservative styles. Appropriate style, natural colour and length are determined by the College Administration and descriptors are provided below for student and parents/caregivers:

Girls - Hair styles should be neat and conservative, kept clear of the eyebrows and off the face. Hair colour should be natural and be retained for the duration of the school year. If shoulder length or longer it must be plaited or tied back neatly. Hair tidies may be blue, black or white.

Boys - Hair styles should be neat and conservative, kept clear of the eyebrows and off the face. Boys’ hair should be off the collar. Hair colour should be natural and be retained for the duration of the school year.

 Nails - Coloured nail polish and false nails are not permitted.

Jewellery, Body Piercing & Tattoos - Jewellery is not to be worn with College uniform. Students who have pierced ears, may wear one pair of clear or transparent, low profile studs may be worn in the ear lobe to keep the holes open. No other body piercing is allowed. Tattoos and other bodily adornments are not permitted.

Shoes

Students attending Brisbane Adventist College must wear traditional style polished black lace-up school shoes. Primary students may wear brown Roman sandals without socks during summer.

College Uniform Shop

The Adventist Book Centre (ABC) stocks all uniform requirements, excluding shoes and belts. It also stocks stationery items. The ABC is located adjacent to the Secondary car park on Wishart Road. It opens from 8:30am – 4:00pm Monday to Thursday and from 8:30am – 12:30pm on Fridays.

Second Hand Uniforms

We invite parents to sell any school garments that are in good repair through the second-hand uniform shops. These are located at both Primary and Secondary Campuses. Please contact the respective office for location details, opening times and methods of payment.

The following conditions apply:

• Only recognised uniforms will be accepted for re-sale.
• Stained or faded uniforms and uniforms in need of repair eg, buttons missing, hems or seams coming unstitched, WILL NOT be accepted.
• The items must be freshly laundered, and for items such as blazers, please attach the DRYCLEANING docket.
• Each garment must have attached to it: details of the vendor's name, address, telephone number and student's name and grade/year - all of which are very necessary for our records.

Clothes in good condition can be expected to sell for half the new retail value.

A commission of 20% for handling of sales will be deducted from monies received. A cheque for the balance will be forwarded to the owner, accompanied by details of the articles which have been sold. Articles not sold within twelve months will be returned to the seller.

NOTE: Queensland Government Legislation prohibits us from selling second-hand hats.

Please note: Student Uniform and Appearance is a very important part of establishing and maintaining a culture of excellence in our College, and all students are expected to support and comply with these requirements at all times.

Sickness/ Medication

Parents are advised to keep sick students at home until they are well enough to return to school. This is very important if the illness is viral or contagious. Nursing an individual at home to full health is in the best interests of our entire student population.

The College has sickbays located in the Childcare/Pre-Prep and Secondary campuses to serve all students. Primary students who are ill will be directed to the Administration Office by the class room teacher. Secondary students who are ill will be directed to the Secondary Student Reception. In the unlikely case of an emergency needing professional or emergency medical attention the school will act in the best interests of the student and make every effort to contact/inform the parents/caregiver.

As a general rule the College will not provide medication. Exceptions apply in the case of prescription medication where legislated protocols will be observed. STUDENTS MUST NEVER ACCEPT ANY MEDICATION FROM ANOTHER STUDENT.

Disease Control

Staff and students follow the guidelines below to prevent the spread of contagious disease at school. These diseases include hepatitis (A, B, C), HIV and CMV, but similar precautions apply to colds, flu, school sores, measles, mumps etc:

• Students must wash hands with soap before preparing or serving food, before eating, or after using the toilet.
• Students must cover cuts, broken skin and open wounds with waterproof dressings.

Sun Care

The College provides significant shaded areas for eating and playing. Students are to use these shaded areas whenever possible. The College provides sunscreen dispensers in all Primary classrooms, at the Secondary PE areas, and at all sports carnivals and outdoor excursions. Sunscreen is also available from Duty Teachers during lunchtimes.

The College enforces a “no hat; no play” policy for Primary students. Secondary students are permitted to remove their hat while playing rigorous sports such as basketball and touch, but are to wear them at all other times when they are in the sun.

Parents and Visitors to the College

All parents and visitors to the College during school hours are to report to the Administration Office to sign in. Entry to the College is a ‘privilege’ and not a ‘right’ and we respectfully ask that parents especially assist us by complying with this requirement. “Stranger Danger” is a reality in today’s world and the College takes strict measures to ensure adults entering our grounds are here on legitimate College business. Compliance with this is important in maintaining high standards in our Duty of Care to our students. All students are asked to report strangers and/or suspicious individuals to a teacher or staff member.

Deregistration

Parents/caregivers of students whose attendance drops below 90% of the eligible days of attendance will receive a letter of notification from the College. Parents/caregivers of students whose attendance drops below 80% of the potential days of attendance will receive a letter of notification of de-registration. A re-registration fee will apply. The College Administration reserves the right to review each case on its merits.

Bullying

Definition - Brisbane Adventist College defines bullying as the deliberate, persistent physical or emotional intimidation, harassment or exclusion of a person by another person or group which causes hurt or discomfort.

Brisbane Adventist College…

•   is totally opposed to bullying in all its forms: physical, emotional and verbal (written and/or spoken, and including SMS and email).
• believes prevention through the development of a caring and inclusive school culture is the most effective way to combat bullying.
• aims to create an environment of understanding and cooperation in which students feel safe to identify and report bullying.
• students involved in bullying will be helped through a programme of support and guidance to change their hurtful behaviours. Parents and caregivers will be involved at all times as is practicable and appropriate.