St Peter’s School values community engagement and works hard to promote and nurture positive relationships working in partnership with families.
Our St Peter’s staff are passionate about providing a positive learning environment and supporting all students in partnership with families. This requires us all to engage in positive and productive ways of communicating.
Email Communication
Families are encouraged to use email as a communication tool rather than a conversation tool when communicating with St. Peter’s staff. Email is ideal for seeking clarification, sharing information or scheduling, but it is not an effective medium for discussing concerns, incidents, student progress, or personal and confidential matters that may carry emotional weight. For such topics, in-person meetings or phone calls are more appropriate, as they allow for a more nuanced and empathetic exchange whereby our concerns can be effectively conveyed and addressed.
To ensure that all discussions are productive and efficient, meetings with St. Peter’s staff must be pre-arranged via email. This procedure allows us to adequately prepare and schedule time to address your concerns thoroughly. Unscheduled meetings cannot be accommodated, except in emergency situations.
Important considerations
Regulating your emotions before sending an email or attending an in-person meeting is essential for maintaining clarity, professionalism, and positive communication. Taking a moment to pause, reflect, and manage any strong emotions ensures that your message is thoughtful, respectful, and focused on resolving the issue effectively rather than responding impulsively. This helps foster constructive dialogue and better outcomes for all parties involved.
To ensure we address your concerns effectively, we kindly ask that you provide us with a way to contact you. Anonymous communication limits our ability to respond and resolve issues.
The purpose for communicating via email is to:
| Purpose | Example |
| Clarify questions: Seek clarification on class material, homework, or any instructions given to your child. | Dear X,
I am seeking clarification on which day my child has their PE lesson? Kind regards, X |
| Provide information: Share any relevant information, such as upcoming absences, or changes to specific needs of the child. | Dear X,
My child, (name) will be absent from school next week on (date) due to an appointment. Kind regards, X |
| Express gratitude and provide positive feedback: Acknowledge and thank the teacher for their effort and support in the classroom. | Dear X,
Our family wishes to acknowledge the incredible impact you are having on our child’s learning… Kind regards, X |
| Request a meeting: Schedule a parent-teacher meeting to discuss concerns, incidents, student progress, or personal and confidential matters in greater detail.
*Please note: all meetings with St Peter’s staff must be pre-arranged via email. |
Dear X,
Can we please arrange a meeting to discuss an incident that occurred with my child in the yard today? Kind regards, X Please be mindful of safeguarding and refrain from using the names of children other than your own in emails, especially regarding concerns, to protect their dignity and privacy. |
When raising concerns, the first point of call is your child’s classroom teacher.
The process followed includes:
See Complaints Handling Policy, Complaints Handling Procedures for further information.
Response times for email communication:
St Peter’s School recognises and respects all employees’ right to disconnect and not respond to work-related electronic communications outside of designated work hours. Exceptions are stipulated below. These protocols meet the requirements outlined in the ‘Right to Disconnect’ legislation and support compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
- The School holds an expectation that staff engage and reply to email communication from the School, students, parents, colleagues or others that occur within the staff members designated working hours.
- Where contact is made outside a staff member’s designated working hours, staff are encouraged to respond within 48 hours from the staff member’s next designated working day. Staff prioritise urgent matters.
- Staff are encouraged to stipulate their working hours within their email signature and responses to emails will be provided within these hours.
- Staff are required to utilise automatic responses when on leave and provide an alternative contact at the School for urgent matters. Staff will respond to emails upon return.
- Staff members may be required to connect and/or respond outside their designated working hours in circumstances such as:
– public emergencies
– critical incidents
– receiving information about expectations for the start of school terms or return from leave
– where potential harm to others may otherwise result; or
– where it may be necessary to comply with legal obligations.
These guidelines and protocols will be reviewed every two years (or as the need arises) to take account of any changed technology, legislation, expectations or practices.
The next review date is the end of 2026.