The Religious Education Program in the School The Catholic School has been established to assist parents in the Faith Education of their children. This is carried out in the context of an education in all of the important areas of instruction necessary to prepare children for adult life.
1. When a parent applies to enrol a child at St Joseph’s, they will be made aware of the aims of the school and their need to support these aims.
2. All parents to be briefed on the Religious Program carried out in the school. All parents, whether Catholic or non-Catholic, will be asked to give the Religious Education Program in the School their full support.
Age of Children
Children who turn five years old on or before July 31 are eligible for enrolment into Kindergarten for that year.
Application Forms
Application Forms Each applicant for enrolment will be asked to supply:
a) a photocopy of their birth certificate
b) a photocopy of their Baptismal certificate
The return of the application form does not mean automatic enrolment. Notification will be sent to parents by the end of Term 3.
Interviewing Parents
After the application form is completed the principal and parish priest will interview the parents/guardians, including those who may already have children enrolled at the school. This is an opportunity for the principal to explain in some detail the vision and mission of the school and the expectations of parents with respect to supporting their child’s spiritual and faith formation, general education and the school through the payment of school fees and support of fundraising activities.
It is also an opportunity for parents to express their expectations of the school.
Enrolment of children with disabilities
The term disabilities refers to those children with a physical, sensory, intellectual or emotional disability.
When considering an application for enrolment, the principal shall take the following steps:
1. Interview the parents about the nature of the disability and obtain relevant written medical records.
A copy of both the school’s Enrolment Policy and the Enrolment and Support Group Guidelines (E. & S.G.) must be given to the parents/guardians.
To ensure that the enrolment is in the best interests of the student, parents/guardians will be made aware that a request to:
2. Consult with the Parish Priest and the school staff about the consequences of such an enrolment. Consideration should be given to the following:
a) will the enrolment of this child have a detrimental effect on his/her education or the education of other children in the school.
b) are the staff, particularly those teachers who will be directly involved with the child, willing to positively accept the challenges in such.
c) can the school provide a comprehensive learning program for the child, and the necessary educational and capital resources (ie. ramps, special toilet facilities) to meet the needs of the child.
3. At the conclusion of the initial meeting, the principal will make a further appointment to interview the parents/guardians and, if appropriate, the student. At this interview the principal will explain the purpose and structure of the E. & S.G. and the procedures to be followed.
4. At this point, the parents/guardians may choose not to proceed, with the enrolment. If the application is to proceed the parish priest/school committee/staff will be advised as well as the Diocesan Office.
5. The principal has the responsibility of deciding the outcome of the application for enrolment after a careful consideration of the recommendation(s) from the E. & S.G. If the decision is, that the child is enrolled, then the principal will write to the Diocesan Office outlining the steps taken in making this decision and indicating the extent of community financial support. Relevant medical documents will need to be attached to this letter.
6. The principal also has the responsibility to apply for Integration Grant from the Department of Education when applications are Called for. The receipt of these grants, which have to be applied for annually, cannot be assumed. Small Integration grants are also available on application from the Diocesan Office.
Right of Refusal
The School reserves the right to refuse to enrol a student who has additional educational or other needs if the accommodation of these needs would impose an unjustifiable hardship on the school.
The school may review any student’s enrolment from time to time and may cancel the enrolment if the school, in its absolute discretion, considers that it can no longer appropriately meet the student’s educational or other needs.
Applications for Enrolments during the Year
When applications occur, the principal (and parish priest consulted) should interview the parents/guardians of the children to ascertain the reason. The principal with the parents’ permission will also contact the principal of the child’s previous school to develop a greater understanding of the child.