Pullenvale Environmental Education Centre is committed to maintaining a safe, healthy and supportive environment for our staff and our visiting students and adults.
It is our expectation that we will all work together in pursuit of Pullenvale Environmental Education Centre’s vision:
Connected Teachers Growing Connected Learners
Central to this vision is our way of working, which is displayed, discussed and enacted with all visiting students and adults:
Speak and Act with Respect: to Self, Others and Place
Following this way of working, in addition to specific safety instructions given throughout the day, helps to keep us all healthy, safe and happy and allows us to respectfully manage student behavior.
Health, safety and wellbeing is everybody’s responsibility and we ask all visiting students and adults to:
Wear closed in footwear, comfortable weather appropriate clothing (we strongly recommend long pants and shirt for bush walking) and a hat.
Apply insect repellent and sunscreen at home/school prior to your visit & bring your own to reapply if necessary.
Wear large, clearly written nametags that are easy to read at a distance (see your Teacher Guide for more detail).
Comply with our 'code of conduct' while in attendance at the centre. Any person unable to do so while at PEEC will be removed from programs, and the visiting school's administration will be contacted to arrange an alternative activity, supervision and/or transport.
We also request visiting teachers to:
Complete an Excursion Information Form and a Class List (also contained in your Teacher Guide; these must be submitted to PEEC at least 1 week before attending) to notify us in advance of any important information about visiting students or adults and how they can be supported (ie. Special needs, medical conditions, allergies, learning styles, mobility, behavior, anxieties etc). This information may require PEEC to make adjustments to the program which need to be planned in advance.
Bring a copy of your Class List with you - especially if there are changes from the form submitted. Please discuss this information with your PEEC teacher as soon as you arrive on the day of your excursion. It is also worth noting that PEEC invoices for excursion once your visit is completed, and only charges program fees for students who attend on the day (you will not be invoiced or charged for students who may be listed on your Class List but were not able to attend on the day).
Ensure that all non-staff adults attending the program have completed an induction within the last 12 months, and collect a copy of their declaration to hand to PEEC staff upon arrival. The induction document can be found here: MAST Key messages guide .
Prepare your volunteer adult helpers to be actively involved in the day and remind them not to bring younger siblings.
Prepare to become involved in the day and enjoy yourself. This models that it is OK to imagine, pretend and have fun.
Work with us as a co-teacher on the day to collaboratively and actively encourage positive behaviour for learning and manage behaviour as needed. Please be mindful that 'unfamiliar' excursion day routines can sometimes trigger emotions and/or behaviour in students that may not be consistent with their regular behaviour you are familiar with at school. Open communication with PEEC teachers is appreciated, who will work with you to provide differentiated support as needed, so as to ensure all students experience a successful visit to PEEC. Our behaviour management procedure summary for visiting teachers can be found here.