Communication

At Mount Barker High School, we strive to foster a thriving and inclusive learning community by cultivating positive partnerships between our school and our families. These partnerships will be supported by highly effective communication channels between the school and home, which help foster the presence, participation, and progress of students.

We have numerous ways of communicating with our families.  These range from Daymap, sending SMS messages, Edsmart broadcasts or slips, the Barker Chronicle newsletter and through our social media pages.

Daymap is our school's student management system. Daymap holds your child's attendance, assessment, reports, and any other information recorded by staff. Daymap enables communication between the school and families, teachers and students, and teachers and parents/caregivers.

Communication can occur through the internal messaging service built within Daymap, or you may receive text messages from the school or staff. Text messages can be replied to; however, for urgent matters, please call the school directly. 

Through these communication methods, Mount Barker High School will:

• create a culture of open, kind, and respectful communication that promotes stronger collaboration
• foster close communication between parents and the teachers, as we all work in partnership to support your child
• keep parents regularly informed about our expectations, and their child's activities and progress at school
• ensure there is well well-structured formal program of communication with parents, with both school and family responsible for ensuring there is effective communication outside these formal opportunities
• be inclusive in providing accessible information for all our families; we aim to provide materials in families' first languages where possible and facilitate interpretation services when required
• uphold our obligations to consult with parents and students about learning adjustments and support

To support student success, we ask that parents/caregivers:

• provide up-to-date contact details such as email address, phone, postal address and living/custody arrangements
• provide us with any information that is critical for us to know to best support their child, for example, student wellbeing issues, sickness, family concerns or bereavement; all information shared will be handled with sensitivity and confidentiality
• connect with the parent portal through Daymap
• participate within our school community by attending events at school and connecting with teachers regularly
• work in partnership with the school to improve the progress of their children through open
  communication
• read the Barker Chronicle and other communications from the school
• check the school website and social media pages for regular updates