Policies & Procedures

1.  Contents

1. CONTENTS
2. FOREWORD: PRIMARY PRINCIPAL 3
3. SCHOOL VISION 3
4. MISSION STATEMENT 3
5. VALUES 4
6. CURRICULUM OVERVIEW 4
7. APPROACH TO EDUCATION: THE SIX IDEALS  5
8. ADMISSIONS POLICY / GRADE LEVEL PLACEMENT 5
9. AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES 6
10. ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL 6
11. HOME WORK 7
12. ELECTIVE PROGRAM (EP) 8
13. ASSEMBLIES 8
14. REWARDS 8
15. ASSESSMENTS 9
16. ATTENDANCE / ABSENCES AND MAKE UP WORK 9
17. BIRTHDAYS 10
18. CAFETERIA & FOOD 10
19. CALENDAR 10
20. CODE OF CONDUCT 11
21. DISCIPLINE PROCEDURES 11
22. OTHER IMPORTANT EXPECTATIONS 13
23. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS 14
24. PARENTS MEETINGS 14
25. PTA RULES 15
26. PUNCTUALITY AND ABSENTEEISM 15
27. AWARD SYSTEM 15
28. SCHOOL UNIFORM 17
29. SCHOOL FEES 17
30. ISSUING OF REPORTS 17
31. BUSINESS ON THE SCHOOL PREMISES 17
32. VISITOR’S NOTICE 17

2. FOREWORD:  PRIMARY PRINCIPAL

Dear Learner and Parent,

On behalf of my staff at DreamHill International School I would like to welcome you as learners and parents/guardians to the 2018 school year.  We are looking forward to an exciting year at DreamHill International School.  We are a learning community dedicated to developing the talents of our student body, build on the remarkable dedication of our staff and the involvement of our parents and the community at large.  Together, we will accomplish a great deal in our mission to provide the best possible education to the learners who have a wide range of needs.  To achieve this, we have a variety of programmes designed to address our learners’ aspirations, both personal and professional, and to challenge them academically.  These objectives are embodied in our mission statement which reads:

“To educate and nurture the young learners of South Africa to create future leaders”

Information is of great importance to all our families.  This booklet is designed for the benefit of the whole school community.  These aspects are vital to the learners’ optimum success at DreamHill International School and they are expected to fulfill their obligations at all times.

Please read all of the information carefully and complete the acknowledgement slip and send it to your child’s classroom teacher.  Keep this manual as a reference to use throughout the school year.  We want to extend a personal invitation to all learners and parents to become active members of our school community.  There are many ways for families to become involved with our school.  Please join us as we strive for excellence at DreamHill.

Have a great academic year!

Ms. Susan Van Eeden, Principal, DreamHill International School.

3. SCHOOL VISION

Promote high quality education to support young learners in their physical, mental and intellectual development that they may play constructive roles in society, with a strong focus on the intuitive skills that every child obtains.

4. MISSION STATEMENT

To educate and nurture the young learners of South Africa to create future leaders.

5. VALUES

Teaching children values improve their self-esteem, their behaviour and raise standards of learning even higher.

• Caring
• Responsibility
• Self-determination
• Unity
• Respect
• Trustworthiness
• Love
• Tolerance
• Honesty
• Simplicity
• Humility

6. CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Our school will setup the curriculum based on CAPS (South Africa) & Cambridge (London). Cambridge curriculum will include the subjects Mathematics, Science and English. CAPS curriculum will include all the other subjects. Fully comprehensive, endorsed student books, mapped to the CAPS & Cambridge syllabuses will be available to all the learners.

This blend of Cambridge and CAPS will address the big void prevalent in South African schools and enables all our learners to compete with the international standards and fraternity and eventually creating future leaders.

7. APPROACH TO EDUCATION:  THE SIX IDEALS

We have a holistic approach to learning built around six IDEALS.

• INTERNATIONALISM: learners learn to see themselves as global citizens and to look beyond gender, class, race, nationality and culture to understand human nature.
• DEMOCRACY: freedom of thought and speech are greatly encouraged. Learners are trained in self-discipline and expected to participate in the daily functioning of the school.
• ENVIRONMENTALISM: learners learn about the fine balance needed to maintain a healthy, interdependent relationship between human beings and their environment.
• ADVENTURE: the school offers activities that foster a spirit of adventure and allow learners to discover that they are capable of more than they might have imagined.
• LEADERSHIP: learners learn that true leadership is about serving others, rooted in personal responsibility, kindness and justice.
• SERVICE: students come face-to-face with the pligth of those most in need around the world and discover how they can make a positive and sustainable difference through service.

8. ADMISSIONS POLICY / GRADE LEVEL PLACEMENT

DreamHill is open for admission to learners from various cultural, ethnic, gender and expatriate communities. The school accepts learners who will benefit from its programmes. The school is unable to offer programmes to meet the needs of learners with significant mental, emotional, or physical handicaps or who have significant learning difficulties. The granting or denial of admission is the joint responsibility of the Principal and School Board.  Applications for admission will be accepted throughout the school year. The maximum class size is 24 from Grade R to 9 as per the standard practice in private schools in South Africa. However, DreamHill will limit the class size to 20 and will only be increased to 24 depending on the relevant PTA’s approval.

The following table further clarifies the criteria:

Applicants are placed into a grade level according to the above birth date guidelines and the pre-requisite criteria. Maturity, educational background and level of achievement are considered, but the school reserves the right to place each child in the class and grade level deemed to be the most appropriate and beneficial to the applicant. An assessment will occur to confirm the initial placement decision. Learners proceed from the Primary School to the Secondary School on successful completion of Grade 6. Learners entering the school for Grade 7 should have successfully completed the Grade 6.

9. AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Please be advised that parents are responsible for the supervision of their children after dismissal at 13:05 for Grade R and 14:15 for Grades 2 to 9. Teachers are only on duty for those learners who participate in after care activities until 5:30 pm.  Parents will be informed of the activities offered by means of the monthly Newsletters, our mass‐mail system and through the school communicator.

10. ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL

The school day begins at 7:30 and finishes at 13:05 for Grade R and 14:15 for Grades 1 to 9.  The school is open from 07:10 until 17:30. Upon arrival, learners should place their school bags at the designated area and then go directly to the playground.  The first bell will ring at 7:25 for learners to line up at the designated area according to the grades.  The second bell will ring at 7:30 for learners to enter their classrooms. If learners arrive at school before 7:10 they MUST be supervised by a parent outside the premises in the parking area, as teachers will be busy preparing for the day during this time.

If learners arrive after 7:45, they must report to the Primary School office to sign in and then receive a pass to report to their class.  Learners are not allowed into classrooms without the pass. Learners arriving after 7:45 will be marked as late. Learners are expected to remain on campus during the school day. Learners, who need to leave school early, before normal dismissal time, must have a note from a parent and they must be signed out at the Primary School office by a parent/guardian. Parents who come to collect their child early must report to the Primary School office to sign them out. If someone other than the parent/guardian is collecting the learner, the school must be informed before the learner will be allowed to leave the school.  Learners may not leave the school early for medical appointments such as dental appointments.   Parents of learners in Grade R through to Grade 9 must wait to meet their children outside the school campus after dismissal. The school is not liable for learners and parents outside the gate of the school campus.

11. HOME WORK

Aim: Home-work is an important school-home-school link. Parental support and encouragement is vital. Adults completing home-work for children are strongly discouraged.

To help the child with homework, parents should:

• Set aside a quiet time for doing home-work
• Ensure the child is sitting comfortably at their table or desk.
• Allow time for oral work as well as written work.
• Encourage their child to keep books and copies clean and tidy.
• Praise their child’s effort at every available opportunity.
• Communicate any problems that their child is having to the teacher.

Time spent on homework will vary from child to child. Parents are asked to let the teacher know if the child is having difficulty completing their homework. The following times are approximate and are at the teacher’s discretion –

Grade R to Grade Three                :           20 – 30 minutes

Grade Four to Grade Six                :           30 – 40 minutes

Grade Seven to Grade nine            :           40 – 60 minutes

Homework is given every Monday for Grades R to Grade Three and should be completed through the course of week and handed in on Friday.

Homework is given every day for Grades Four to Grade Nine

From time to time some of the senior children may get some research or project work to do during the weekend. The following arrangement for subject related homework exists:

All learners should also be engaged in a Programme of reading through the Oxford Reading Tree, and or, library books. This is continuous and should give each child another 30 minutes of reading and discussion with parents or guardians in addition to the homework times quoted above.

12. Elective Programme (EP)

The Elective Programme (EP) is intended to raise the level of balance each child gains from our curriculum to develop them in all ways including social, physical, emotional and academic. The EP offers a range of activities from music and dance to sports and languages from which your child can choose. For Grades 1 to 9 the EP will only be offered on Tuesday and Thursdays during School hours.

13. ASSEMBLIES

Assemblies will be held each Friday. Grades R – 9 at 12:30. This information will be published in the Events Calendar and regularly in the school News and Notes. Each class takes a turn to organise and present an assembly during the year and grade levels work together with the music department for special assemblies. Our assemblies may also be used to celebrate special cultural events that are significant to an international student body. Recognising birthdays, achievements, welcoming new learners and saying farewell to learners who are leaving DreamHill is also a regular part of our assemblies. Parents and friends are encouraged and always welcome to attend.

14. REWARDS

Upper Primary Rewards [Grade 4 – 9]

Assembly prizes

Certificates are awarded to learners in assembly who excel in their class.

House Points

The House Point system is a reward scheme where children are given points for academic achievements, sporting endeavour and responsible or helpful behaviour. House points can be awarded for such things as

• Excellent marks, progress or effort
• Helping learners or staff

Learners who receive the most house points in each year group are rewarded with a prize at the end of each term.

Lower Primary Rewards [Grade R – 3]

Assembly prizes

Certificates are awarded to learners in assembly who excel in their class.

15. ASSESSMENTS

During Term 1 and 3, the School will administer a series of cycle tests to all Grade 4 to 9 learners. Examinations will be conducted from Grade 4 to 9 during Term 2 and 4.

The results of these assessments will provide parents and teachers with valuable information on each individual student’s level of achievement, identify areas of strengths and weaknesses and diagnose gaps in the above‐mentioned areas. This important information will help teachers meet the academic needs of individual learners which will result in the improvement of student learning. Further, the results of these assessments are normed which means that DreamHill will be able to compare the performance of our learners with those learners who attend other international schools throughout the world. DreamHill will be able to use this assessment data, in its aggregate form, to evaluate curriculum and instruction quality in relation to objective evidence of student performance.

16. ATTENDANCE / ABSENCES AND MAKE UP WORK

Learners are expected to be in attendance every school day. The school is aware that learners, on a few occasions during the academic year, will be unable to be in attendance due to illness, family matters or emergencies. It is strongly recommended that travel and vacation plans be scheduled according to the school calendar to avoid missing any school days. 

Learners must attend a minimum of 85% of all school days to successfully complete the requirements for that grade and to be promoted to the next grade. The school will also expect Grade R learners to attend on the same basis, although they are not legally obliged to do so. Parents are requested to please notify the appropriate school office in writing or digitally, ahead of time, if a learner is to be absent. If an email is sent to the teacher to notify sickness or unexpected leave, please put the Primary School office in copy.

In the case of illness or some other unexpected absence, parents are required to email or make a telephone call to the office on the morning of the absence. Upon returning to school, a note signed by the parent explaining the reason for the absence is required. In some cases, a doctor’s note stating any restrictions may also be required. Learners who miss school for a few days for good reason, should arrange to get assignments, (assuming they are well enough to do the work), from a friend in the same grade, or the teacher may send a copy home with a sibling or via email if it is possible.

Learners who miss school for extended periods, (whether due to illness or other reasons), can request a list of assignments and recommended work to make re‐entry as smooth as possible. However, a lot of what happens in school is work which cannot be made up later. The interaction with the teacher, other learners, and performing hands on activities, etc., cannot be recreated. Teachers are NOT expected to create extensive individual programmes for learners who miss school for long periods.

17. BIRTHDAYS

Teachers will recognise student birthdays as appropriate for the age in question.  Invitations to private birthday parties may be distributed at school only if all children in the class are invited. DreamHill discourages special arrangements made by parents for parties at school during the day.

Parents who would like their child’s birthday celebrated must make arrangements with the teacher in advance. The celebration must be limited to cupcakes and a drink ‐ no gifts or treat bags ‐ and should not last longer than 15 minutes.

18. CAFETERIA & FOOD

Parents need to make provision for each of the following breaks: a mid‐morning snack, lunch for their child and a snack for the afternoon recess. There are several alternatives:

1. Parents of all Grades provide a mid‐morning snack, a lunch for their child and a snack for the afternoon recess. These are sent to school in a named plastic box.
2. Parents of all Grades may order a mid‐morning snack, lunch and the snack for the afternoon recess from the school tuck shop.
   1. Each learner will be provided with a lunch card, which is like the bank debit card and parents can load the card with the money as per their budget. Parents can control the daily and monthly budget their child is allowed to spend at the school tuck shop and also control the food their child is allowed to buy.
3. All learners should bring their own water bottle that is marked with their name. They can refill the water bottle with filtered water available at the school as and when required.
4. Please support us in encouraging a healthy lifestyle by not sending chocolate, candy or sodas to school at any time.

19. CALENDAR

The 2018 school calendar is approved by the Board and can be found on the school website. Calendar of events is sent out at the beginning of each term and can also be found on the school website.  Important events are published regularly in the school News and Notes or details are emailed direct to your email account.

20. CODE OF CONDUCT

At DreamHill International School (DHIS) we believe in the development of each student’s potential for learning in a positive, safe and orderly school environment. We are proud of the excellent behaviour that has been displayed by learners over the years. The following section in no way should indicate that misbehaviour is an ordinary occurrence. However, in fairness to learners and parents who are arriving from many different schools throughout the world, we believe that we must state behavioural expectations and discipline procedures in a manner most likely to be read and understood.

Discipline at DHIS is based upon the following assumptions:

• All learners are innately good and have the capacity to behave responsibly and make good choices.
• A school environment, in which appropriate behaviour is consistently expected and recognised, creates a sense of security for learners that will increase their attention to learning and to self‐responsibility.
• Disciplinary consequences should be productive, reasonable and related to inappropriate behaviours.
• Learners benefit from the educational process best when teachers, administrators, counsellors and parents work cooperatively to ensure that learners gain the most from their mistake.

The aim of disciplinary procedures at DreamHill are as follows:

• To help learners recognise that freedom and responsibility go hand‐in‐hand.
• To help learners learn from their mistakes.
• To help learners develop effective communication skills, problem solving skills and other important social skills.

21. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

The School reserves the right to take appropriate disciplinary action, including suspension or expulsion, for activities of a learner, whether on‐campus or off‐campus, which are considered detrimental to the welfare of the school, student body or individual.

1. DreamHill learners are subject to school rules and disciplinary responses for incidents of misconduct or breaches of discipline occurring during school or while attending school sponsored activities.
2. DreamHill learners are subject to school rules and disciplinary responses while away from school should actions by them be considered detrimental to the welfare of themselves, others or the school.

Breaches of discipline shall be dealt with by applying progressively serious measures, which appropriately meet the seriousness of the offence. These may include behavioural or academic issues.

Disciplinary Measures

• Verbal warning
• Time out
• Complete “Reflection and Action Plan” (see Appendix) and /or Letter of Apology
• Loss of privileges or do extra jobs in class
• Visit to Primary School Principal or Deputy Principal
• Conference

The teacher or Primary School Principal will confer with the student. The parents may be conferred with in person or by phone. As a result of the conference process, one or more of the following consequences may be imposed as a result of a student’s inappropriate behaviour.

• Weekly Progress Report: The Principal may place a learner ʺon reportʺ due to academic and/or behavioural concerns. The school will closely monitor the learner’s academic performance and/or behaviour for the week. A learner on report will be required to have his/her teachers complete a report at the end of each lesson for the entire week. After the report is completed, the learner will sign it and acquire the signature of parents.
• Contract:A formal written contract between the school, parents and learner may be required which specifies expectations and consequences of behaviours.
• Detention / In School Suspension: Detention/In School Suspension shall mean a disciplinary measure, which requires a learner to remain in a designated and supervised area of the school for a specified period of time. Learners may be assigned specific work during a detention. Detention may result from inappropriate behaviour in class or on the playground, and may be imposed by the faculty or the Leadership Team.
• Suspension of learner: Behaviour judged to consistently deviate from accepted standards, or in a single more serious incident, will lead to suspension by the Primary School Principal for a period of from one to five days. Consistent unacceptable behaviour or serious infringements of the rights, safety or welfare of others may result in suspension. The Director and the parents will be advised of the circumstances and action to be taken. A suspended student may not return to school until a conference is held between the administration and the student, parent(s) or guardian. A student shall be referred to the Counsellor on returning to school.
• Probationary enrolment: A learner shall be placed on probationary enrolment as a consequence of behaviour judged sufficiently serious that repeated similar behaviour will result in automatic recommendation for expulsion.
• Expulsion of learner: Very serious and/or chronic offences may lead to expulsion, resulting in a student being removed from the school register.

A learner will be expelled in the following cases:

1. The learner is found to be in possession of, using or selling prohibited substances.
2. The learner commits an offence in relation to firearms or dangerous weapons.
3. The learner commits a serious offence in relation to theft or property damage.
4. The learner’s actions and attitude demonstrate that his or her presence in the school has been or may be detrimental to the safety and well‐being of others.

Once expelled, a learner may not seek re‐admission to DreamHill for a period of at least twelve months.

Note – Drug use of any kind on campus or at a school sponsored events will result in the immediate expulsion of the learner and reported to the police.

Note – Accumulation of three major infractions or repetition of any major infraction will result in the learner’s case being consideration for possible suspension or possible expulsion. In all cases, the circumstances surrounding the infraction will be reviewed and aggravating and insinuating factors will be examined. Specific policies governing the Academic Honour Code, Dress Code, and Attendance Policy are described separately. DreamHill reserves the right to examine the contents of learner’s pockets and bags at any time.  DreamHill also reserves the right to cancel or deny the future registration of any child if their or their parent’s behaviour or attitude is deemed inappropriate or harmful to the general school population.

22. OTHER IMPORTANT EXPECTATIONS

Personal Appearance

Learners are expected to wear school uniform at all times.  A learner, who is not wearing the school uniform, will receive a demerit.

Electronic devices, Electronic Toys and Cell Phones

Learners are not allowed to use personal cell phones, electronic toys or any electronic device to school.  In accordance with school policy the electronic device, toy or cell phone will be confiscated, and the learner will only allowed retrieving it from the Principal’s office at the end of the school day.

Movement around Campus

Learners are expected to walk on the right-hand side of the hall and staircases and move quietly and carefully throughout the building. On the playground, learners are expected to move quickly at the end of break and assemble in their lines. All classroom teachers will come to the playgrounds to meet their class at the end of each recess and lead them back inside the building.

Food

Students should not chew gum or consume chocolate or candies during the school day. 

Conferences

As part of our regular reporting procedures, conferences involving the learner, Parent and Teacher will be scheduled twice a year. These conferences are held during school time on specific dates as indicated on the School Calendar.

23. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS

• Parents must make sure that:
• their children are punctual at school
• their children come to school every day
• that they inspect the uniform and school bags before their children leaves for school
• the rights of their children are upheld and respected
• their children follow school rules and code of conduct
• they inform the school authorities about any problems their children may be encountering
• supply their children with basic needs of the school
• pay school fees on time
• they collect termly/yearly reports
• they provide a suitable place, time and the necessary equipment to ensure the successful completion of the homework task
• they take an interest in their child’s homework, give help and guidance where necessary.

24. PARENTS MEETINGS

• It is the responsibility of parents or guardian to attend general meetings or any other official meeting convened by school authority
• Parents meetings will be held on a Quarterly basis.
• Parents will be kept posted with the dates of the said meetings by the School Management.

25. PTA RULES

The DreamHill PTA is a Home and School Partnership. It consists of people connected with the school i.e. parents, friends of the school, teaching and non-teaching staff. A committee is elected to serve as:-

• Chairperson
• Deputy Chairperson
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Publicity Officer
• Parent Teacher

The group consists of other members who attend meetings about once a month on a Monday evening. New members are always welcome.  The aim of the PTA is to participate in the mission and vision of DreamHill School and also raise funds towards extra needs of the learners of DreamHill School. All the learners are encouraged to participate in raising funds along with the PTA. For example, when raffles are held, Senior Learners will help by selling the tickets as a collaborative effort of the PTA.

26. PUNCTUALITY AND ABSENTEEISM

The starting time of DreamHill International Primary School shall be at 07h30 and should be honored by all learners and parents. Should a learner arrive late, she/he must report to the main office for a pass to enter the classroom.  The pass gives permission to the learner to enter the classroom to avoid tardy learners to have excuses for being late for class.  Tardy learners without a pass should be sent immediately to the Principal’s office.  No learner is permitted to be outside classrooms during teaching time.   Consistent tardiness or absenteeism from school will result in a meeting between the parents/guardians and the principal.

27. AWARD SYSTEM

A primary goal of DREAMHILL is to guide and teach its learners the steps of reaching academic excellence. The school makes every effort to assist learners in the achievement of this goal. DreamHill motivates and encourages learners to keep high standards and grades in order to reach the highest level of their academic excellence; consequently, learners are given a number of awards and certificates of achievements.

DreamHill has always encouraged learners and parents to maintain regular attendance and promptness as number one priority due to its high importance at all levels of schooling and work place; accordingly, DreamHill awards The Perfect Attendance Certificate to learners with no school absence and a high level of promptness.

Learners are awarded at the end of each term with an Academic -, Citizenship-, Improvement-, Arts – Merits and Sports Certificates to motivate and encourage learners who show improvement or academic excellence in their grade level.  This is not necessarily given to the highest average among class learners.

DreamHill also awards its learners in Grades 4 – 6 with the Student Honor Roll Certificate for achieving an average above 80% in ALL the subjects at the end of the year and his/her name are permanently displayed on a glass frame in the reception area. In addition, learners are granted the Principal Honor Roll Certificate for achieving an average of 90% in all the core subjects.

PROCEDURES FOR AWARDING MERITS AND DEMERITS:

MERITS (POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT)

A learner may receive merits and / or house points for:

• Achieving results considerably superior to past record
• Consistently supportive behaviour
• Consistent involvement in school life
• Constantly displaying respect
• Diligence
• Helpfulness / kindness
• Neatness
• Reliability / dependability
• Exemplary behaviour
• Friendliness / politeness
• Good sportsmanship
• Honesty
• Initiative
• Positive attitude
• Promoting good name of school
• Good work
• Good test results
• Effort

Incentives are also awarded after a number of merits have been received by the learner. Merits are awarded during Assembly at the end of the Term. Merits do not cancel out demerits.

DEMERITS

• Demerits will be given to learners for the breaking / infringement of School and classroom rules.
• Every 5 demerits obtained over a specific period of time (i.e. one week from Wed to Wed) will result in a detention
• If a learner receives 3 detentions in a term, the parents together with the learner will meet to discuss the matter and strategies put into place.
• If this continues, the learner will be required to attend a Saturday morning detention.
• Persistence could lead to a Governing Body disciplinary hearing where certain recommendations will be made.

28. SCHOOL UNIFORM

It is our policy that all learners wear a well-maintained School uniform when attending school and school related activities where appropriate. Our policy on uniforms is based on the notion that the School uniform:

• Promotes a sense of pride and unity in the School
• It is formal and smart
• Prevents distractions in class
• Creates a learning environment that enhance quality among peers
• Is designed with health and safety in mind
• Creates an identity of learners within the School
• It is a requirement for all learners and should be worn at all times
• If a learner fails to comply with this requirement, the learner will be sent home to put on school uniform.

29. SCHOOL FEES

All fees must be paid at the beginning of the month/term/year, as agreed at enrolment.

30. ISSUING OF REPORTS

Parents are expected to collect their children’s report at the end of each Term.

31. BUSINESS ON THE SCHOOL PREMISES

Business of any nature for personal gain shall not be conducted on the school premises without permission from the Board of Directors.

32. VISITOR’S NOTICE

The School shall not be held responsible for the lost or damage of any personal property caused by any reason.