Orana Parent School Partnership Charter

At Orana Steiner School, we want to inspire our parents and families to contribute to our positive, respectful School environment where every member of our community can feel safe, valued and empowered to thrive. We work in an intentional way together for respectful relationships with our Orana students and the staff, through our words and actions, underpinned by our School values of curiosity, collaboration and compassion.

The Orana School Experience and Respect for Others

The health and wellbeing of our students and our staff are of utmost importance to our parents who engage with staff in an open, respectful communication including on online forums involving others in the School community.

We encourage parents to:

• follow the School’s communication guidelines as outlined in the School Handbooks and policies and encourage your child to raise their concerns with confidence to the School

• understand staff will respond to emails, calls, or work-related requests inside their regular working hours

Respect for Inclusion and Parent School Partnership

We welcome diversity in all its forms and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for students and staff.

Parents can contribute to this culture by:

• treating all individuals fairly, regardless of gender, race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or cultural background

• volunteering at School events to see our positive School culture in action. This can include activities unrelated to your child such as working bees, community markets, fairs and other activities as a volunteer

• supporting the School to foster inclusion at the times in which selections are made for participation in programs and competitive activities

• celebrating your child’s achievements with pride and guiding them through disappointments with resilience and encouragement

• supporting the School’s decisions, helping to shape the student experience, so that they learn to thrive in both triumphs and challenges

Belonging and Families

Our students’ sense of belonging is key, and this is optimised through your respectful relationship with the School.

Parents and Guardians can:

• raise issues with the School and maintain open dialogue so we can work to resolve concerns

• share your parenting and challenges with safe technology use in the digital age

Parent Support

We recognise that parenting and fostering respect is a continuous journey of love between you and your child/ren. Orana provides education and wellbeing programs to our parent community. In addition to our pastoral system, the School Counsellor and Pastoral Care Co-ordinators can be important points of connection, reflection and support for our families.

• Partnership requires a reciprocal commitment from staff and parents to work together to improve student learning and wellbeing

• Parent and Guardian feedback will be addressed promptly and confidentially

At Orana School, we commit to respectfully partnering with our families for the care of students and staff. Thank you for adopting this respectful partnerships guideline, as we work together to collectively ensure that our School remains a safe, inclusive, and respectful place for all.