FAQs

Does the school value my input and how can I communicate with the school or my child’s teacher(s)?

Our school values the importance of cooperation and communication between home and school. Please feel free to discuss any problems you have with your child’s teacher or the Deputy for the Secondary Section by making an appointment with the front office.  If it is an urgent matter and neither the teacher nor the Deputy is available please feel free to speak to the Headmaster.

Your child’s school diary is also an important tool to be used in communicating between school and parents. Kindly check your child’s diary regularly to keep yourself updated with the activities done in school as well as to see if there is a new circular or communication from the school. You may also set up appointments with your child’s teacher through the diary.   Please place a paper marker in the diary if you have left a note for the teacher so that the teacher is made aware that there is a note.

Please refrain from calling a teacher out of the classroom for any reason during school hours as it tends to disrupt lessons.

The school has an Open Door Policy with regard to consultations with parents or guardians. The Headmaster and the Deputy Heads are available for meetings with parents when they are not in class or in meetings.   However, we do encourage that parents set appointments with academic staff so the meeting can be properly prepared for and that your needs or concerns are addressed properly.

Is my attendance at parent meetings important?

The school normally invites parents to come to the school for briefings and conferences. Much information is shared between school management, teachers and parents during these times. It is most beneficial for parents to take these opportunities to find out more about the school or to discuss children’s progress at school and find solutions to academic or behavioral problems. Parent Meetings are held regularly at the end of the term when report cards are distributed, as well as in the middle of each term when interim reports are distributed; you may check the diary for the schedule of these distributions. However, on occasion, the school also calls for parents to attend other meetings for other specific needs. Kindly read the circulars for the schedule of such gatherings. If you are not available, please send a representative so that you may be updated with the information shared during those events.

Parent involvement is very important in children’s education and it shows exemplary citizenship. Thus, parent attendance at school meetings will be a component in computing your child’s citizenship grade, which will be reflected on their report card.

What time should I ensure that my child is at school and when may I collect my child from the school?

The school day begins for most classes at 8:00AM every day of the week except for Mondays when the school holds the mandated flag ceremony at 7:45AM; students coming into the classroom past this time will be issued a tardy slip. The exception is the children from Nursery to Reception 2 start classes at 8:30AM and have different release times. We ask for your cooperation in ensuring that your child/ward is dropped off at school not earlier than 7:30 AM.

Pick up is at 3:30 PM for children in secondary school with no after-school activity, or at designated times on days when an activity that the child chooses to join meets.

We firmly request that your child be picked up promptly right after school dismissal. The school cannot provide supervision at the end of class time and/or the end of after-school activity.  If for any urgent reason, parents/guardians are unable to pick up their children/wards promptly, we advise that you contact the school for special arrangements for the care of your child.

What security arrangements are in place to ensure that my child is safe, especially at the start of the school day and the end of the school day?

The school management is very conscious of its responsibility in ensuring the safety of each and every child during school hours and whilst the child is on school property.  Three security guards are on duty at all times to ensure that unauthorised persons do not enter the school building.  Parents and others authorised to be in the school buildings will be issued with a school ID card.

All corridors, the main entrance to the school and the main parking areas are covered by close circuit television cameras to monitor the arrivals and departures at the school.

In no case shall your child be released to any person that is not on the list of those authorized to pick-up your child/ward. Upon enrolment, all those who have been authorized by parents/guardians to pick the child up will be required to secure an ID from the IBA Registrar’s office and shall be included in the list of those authorized. In case of an emergency or if a family or friend was unable to secure the necessary ID, the school will only allow the release of the child if a request is submitted ahead of time either directly by telephone or by fax.

Some parents also have children take public transport to and from school on occasions. Others also have a sudden change in routine for going home; please make sure that you communicate such changes in writing before the occurrence or give the school a call to inform us of such deviations ahead of time.

What do I do if my child has to leave school for an urgent matter?

Children may also not be pulled out during the course of the day unless for emergencies. On such occasions, kindly secure a Permit to Leave Slip from the Guard or the Registrar’s Office and have it signed by the Headmaster and Form Tutor.

What are my responsibilities as a parent when visiting the school?

When you enter IBA you can expect to be greeted and assisted by friendly and helpful people. Likewise we expect parents to be equally friendly and pleasant when visiting the school. We want the children’s environment to be peaceful, joyful and free from stress.

Let us all serve as good role models for our children. Since we are working together towards the best interest of our children, let us avoid directing harsh words towards any IBA child, staff member or project hostility in the IBA environment. In rare cases that this happens, matters shall be referred to and handled accordingly by the Headmaster.

For any parental concerns please feel free to approach the Headmaster or the Deputies so that they can be addressed privately.

What is the schools stand-point on bullying in all of its forms?

We are a “telling school” and we treat bullying reports very seriously. We believe that students should feel secure in our school environment and, thus, act immediately and appropriately on bullying concerns. For more information on the school’s anti-bullying policy, which more than meets DepEd requirements in this regard, please refer to the Student Handbook found in the front of the diary.

What are my responsibilities as a parent regarding the health of my child and what should I do if my child is ill or if my child falls ill at school?

We must have a current Certificate of Immunization on file at all times. It is our policy, for the benefit of our overall student enrolment, that no student may start school unless we have an adequate Certificate of Immunization on file. The admission for continued enrolment of any child may be denied when a child has an illness or disability that the school management, in its sole discretion, deems potentially harmful to any other student or staff member; and whose illness or disability is beyond the capacity of the school to properly handle. No child with a communicable disease will be permitted to attend.

• A health certificate and immunization form signed by your child’s physician must be on file at IBA within 30 days of enrolment.
• Shot records must be updated each time your child is due for another immunization.
• A health check is made every morning by your child’s teacher and the Headmaster is notified if a child is thought to be ill.
• Your child must be well enough to participate in everyday activities to be at school.
• If your child has any allergies, special diets, etc., it must be brought to the attention of school upon enrolment by declaring such in the Health Form which is part of the application documents upon entry.  The Health Form is on file at the school clinic.

IBA promotes good health habits such as hand washing before and after meals and after playtime and follows simple rules of safety and hygiene.

In the interest of the well being of the rest of the children, we can only accept well children. Please do not bring your child if he/she shows signs of illness such as a fever within the past 24 hours, intestinal disturbance accompanied by diarrhoea or vomiting, any undiagnosed rash, sore or discharging eyes or ears, profuse coloured nasal discharge, and/or a communicable disease. For the well-being of all the students, we will call parents when a child is found to have a fever or communicable illness. Please make arrangements to have your child picked up within 30 minutes of our phone call. We do not have personnel on hand to care for seriously ill children.

A child with a fever cannot return until 24 hours after the fever is gone. A child with diarrhoea cannot return until they have had a normal bowel movement. Notify us immediately if your child has a communicable condition. Please keep in mind, a sick child will get better faster if they stay home until they are completely well.

All children become ill at some time or another.  Unfortunately, that time may be while in school. You will be called if your child becomes ill during the day. You are expected to promptly pick up your child when called.

Reasons for calling include:

•  a fever of 38 degrees or higher
•  a constant cough causing the child to become blue or red in the face
•  difficult or rapid breathing
•  diarrhea
•  stiff neck
• conjunctivitis (pink eye)
• unusually dark urine and/or grey or white stool
• nasal discharge
• yellowish skin or eyes
• vomiting
• severe itching of scalp (lice)
• any other unusual signs or symptoms of illness
• Should your child become ill while he or she is in the care of the school, we will take proper action as deemed necessary. If the school finds it necessary to seek further medical attention and care for your child, IBA will contact the necessary medical personnel. Parents will be notified immediately at the time of accident/incident. Transportation will be provided by the school.

Parents agree to immediately notify the school office in writing of any changes in telephone numbers, addresses and / or persons authorized to pick up the child, etc. so our files remain current.

What should I do if my child is on medication and needs to take that medication during school hours?

IBA takes the position that when children are ill, it is best to develop a treatment plan with the consultation of a physician. When possible, the treatment plan should provide for administering medication at times other than during school hours. This can often be accomplished with the use of time-released medication or dispensing medication before or after school hours.

However, the school recognizes that there may be instances when medication must be administered during the school day. It will be necessary for parents to provide the School Nurse with parental AND physician consent/prescription.

If it is necessary for a student to take medications, either prescription or non-prescription during the school day, the Authorization for Prescription or Non-Prescription Medication Form must be completed and signed by the parent AND physician. The form is to be submitted when initially requesting administration of medication during school hours.

A parent/guardian or a responsible adult parental designee is required to deliver medication to the school clinic. Medication must be in a pharmacy labelled or original container and accompanied by a doctor’s prescription.

The nurse may also administer medication through a Nebulizer machine with the necessary prescription. The school nurse can administer treatment for as long as a written request accompanied by the signed doctor’s order is made. In no case will the school nurse administer medication based on an oral request by phone unless it is extremely needed and the child’s safety is in peril.  In such a case, the parent must render the school free from any liability due to the administration based on an oral request.

Please remember your child will not be able to receive his/her medication if these procedures are not followed. All medications, prescription or over-the-counter, must be accompanied by a physician’s authorization in order for the medication to be administered by school personnel.

Please feel free to contact the School Nurse if you have any concerns regarding this matter.

What happens if my child is involved in an accident at school?

We understand that we will be caring for your most valued “treasure!” You can be assured that our top priority will be the safety and well being of your child. First Aid will be administered to minor injuries in case of accidents.

Should your child be involved in an accident while he or she is in the care of the school, we will take proper action as deemed necessary. If the school finds it necessary to seek further medical attention and care for your child, IBA will contact the necessary medical personnel. Parents will be notified immediately at the time of accident/incident. Transportation will be provided by the school.

If an accident is such that further treatment is indicated, we will:

• Call you at home or work.
• Call emergency numbers listed on the enrolment form.
• Call your child’s physician.
• A written report would be written in the diary.

If a pupil is unfit for school, parents/guardians are asked to contact the school on the first day of absence by 9:00 AM. When the pupil returns, he or she must bring a written note (or the excuse slip at the back of the diary filled out) which is signed by the parent/guardian. Please refer to the Student Handbook found at the back of the diary for accepted reasons to excuse absences.

May my child bring personal belongings to school?

Please DO NOT send unnecessary items to school (including bracelets, rings, balls of any kind, electronic gadgets etc.) unless it is requested as part of the curriculum. If your child brings in a prohibited article:

• For the first time, it will be confiscated and kept at the Head of Students’ Office for one week and the parent will be called in for a conference with the Head of Students.
• For the second time, it will be confiscated and kept at the Head of Students’ Office for one month and the child will serve lunch detention for one week.
• For the third time, it will be confiscated and kept at the Head of Students’ Office for rest of the school year, and the child will serve lunch detention everyday until the end of the school year.

For more information regarding personal property, kindly check the section discussing this issue in the student handbook.

Students are asked to bring an extra shirt or two (plain white) everyday to change into after play during breaks or any other incidents that may call for a change in clothing. We request that anything your child brings to school be labelled with their name.

How does the school reinforce good discipline amongst its student body?

Our school operates on a credit (to reinforce positive behaviour) and debit (to curtail undesirable behaviour) policy. However, there are other guidelines prescribed depending on the infringement. To be guided accordingly, kindly refer to the Student Handbook.