At Applecross Senior High School, we believe that parents are a crucial component of the three-way partnership that maximises student learning and enhances the school experience. Parents should be comfortable contacting all staff members and feel that they are being listened to and that their concerns are being addressed in a timely and professional manner. We encourage all teachers to make email (or SEQTA/Connect) contact with parents and encourage parents to contact teachers via email or phone. The following information is offered as a guide on how to contact staff members.
At Applecross Senior High School, we use various forms of electronic communications to parents. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the forms of communication and their uses.
Email is our most commonly used form of communication to parents. Please ensure the school is kept up to date with your email contact details.
Connect
Connect is an integrated online environment developed by the Department of Education for staff, students and parents in public schools.
On Connect, you can view:
- The classes in which your children are enrolled
- Class calendars
- Week by week attendance information
- Assessment Outlines information
- Assessments for your child
- Notices from classes that automatically generate an email notification to you
Upon enrolment, you will be sent log in details from Connect to enable access.
News, events, student achievements and workshop information etc. are broadcast daily via the Applecross Senior High School Facebook page, which is used to post news stories as they occur, in place of producing a bulletin/newsletter.
Please like and follow us – www.facebook.com/ApplecrossSeniorHighSchool/
We encourage parents to interact with our Facebook page by liking our posts regularly. This tells Facebook that you like our stories, and Facebook will then continue to place our articles in your news feed.
Website – www.applecross.wa.edu.au
Our website contains important information regarding the school’s operations and policies.
News – For families who do not use Facebook, we encourage you to visit the News section of our website weekly to keep up-to-date with all the news and events information.
School Calendar – An online, live school calendar can be found on the calendar page.
Text Messaging
Text messages are sent each morning to inform parents if a student is absent without parental notification. Messages of an urgent nature may also be sent via a text message.
Student Absentee Notifications
If your child is absent from school, please send an SMS by 9.00 am to 0437 280 794 stating the student’s name, year, Homeroom, date and reason for an absence. If a student needs to leave school during the day for an appointment, or leave school early, please send an SMS as soon as possible to the number above advising the reason for leaving early or provide a parent/guardian note explaining the reason.
How do parents find out what is happening at Applecross Senior High School?
- The school sends regular Parent Update emails home to all parents – so make sure you inform us of changes to your email via Connect or by completing a Student Update form. These forms are available from reception. They can be collected by the parent, brought home by a student, or parents can call 9314-9393 and request a scanned copy be emailed if this is more convenient. Current and previous Parent Updates can be viewed via our website https://www.applecross.wa.edu.au/parent-update
- The School Website www.applecross.wa.edu.au contains an enormous amount of information on current events and upcoming activities.
- The school Facebook link is https://www.facebook.com/ApplecrossSeniorHighSchool/
- Learning Areas, individual teachers and programs will also send updates as required.
How do I find out who key teachers and other staff members are and make contact?
- You can locate your child’s current teachers from their timetable. Parents are advised to scan or copy these at the beginning of each semester.
- By phoning 9314 9393 (switchboard)
- This is the link to the Contact Us page of the school website https://www.applecross.wa.edu.au/contact-us
- To contact staff members by email go to this link https://www.applecross.wa.edu.au/staff, click on the red arrow beside the relevant Department to display a list of staff members. To send an email to a staff member, click on their name.
Guidelines for contact if you have concerns that a staff member has not responded to, or handled an issue appropriately.
We will do our best to ensure that your child’s educational needs are being met and that we create a supportive, motivating and safe learning environment. However, suppose you feel that a concern regarding your child’s progress or learning environment has not been resolved to your satisfaction. In that case, we’d like the opportunity to investigate further to ensure that we are meeting and supporting your child’s learning needs and goals.
Who should I contact if I have a problem or concern?
- If you have concerns about a subject teacher, it is best to speak to or communicate with that teacher (email) in the first instance. If you do not feel that your concerns have been resolved, you should then approach the Head of Learning Area (HoLA) for assistance.
- If you have concerns about a Non-Teaching Clerical or Support Worker, you should contact the Manager Corporate Services for assistance.
- If you have concerns about a Year Coordinator, it is best to speak to or communicate with them in the first instance. If you do not feel that your concerns have been resolved, you should then approach the relevant Program Coordinator for assistance.
- If you have concerns about a Head of Learning Area or Program Coordinator, it is best to speak to or communicate with them (email) in the first instance. If you do not feel that your concerns have been resolved, you should then email the relevant Associate Principal. (MESH Subjects – Toni Jones; Non-MESH subjects – Paul Currie.
- If you have concerns about an Associate Principal or Manager Corporate Services, it is best to speak to or communicate with them (email) in the first instance. If you do not feel that your concerns have been resolved, you should then email the Principal’s PA for assistance from the Principal (Kelly.Nightingall@education.wa.edu.au).
- If you have concerns about the Principal, it is best to speak to or communicate with them (email) in the first instance. If you do not feel that your concerns have been resolved, you should contact the Coordinator Regional Operations at the South Metropolitan Education Region for advice or assistance.
