Only some children are eligible to travel on school buses. They need to meet the Ministry of Education requirements of living a certain distance away from the school.

Please notify the office staff if you would like your child to start taking the bus. Bus rolls are kept at the counter in the office. The roll for each run is checked off each afternoon before the children board by our bus monitors. If your child is on a bus roll and you pick them up from school, please pop into the office and mark them absent off the roll before 3pm so the buses are not held up while looking for missing children.

Student and Parent Guide to using School Buses

Before children start travelling to or from school on the bus, they need to know their full name, where they live, which bus stop they get on or off at, and which bus run they go on. New Entrant children need to be settled into school and used to routines before they can start travelling on the bus (usually 2-4 weeks), unless they have a big brother or sister at school who can look after them.

Meeting and Boarding Buses

• Parents, when dropping children off at the bus stop by car, park and walk with them to the bus stop, especially in the early days to point out safe actions.
• Children need to wait in the designated place - well back from the road.
• Wait until the bus has stopped before approaching the bus.
• Carry your bag in front of you so it does not get caught in the door

Getting off the Bus

• Stay seated until the bus has stopped
• Carry your bag in front of you so it does not get caught in the door
• Get off the bus through the front door if possible
• Get off the bus carefully without pushing
• Wait well back from the road until the bus has moved well away
• If you need to cross, find a safe place, wait until the bus has moved away and you can see clearly up and down the road

Parents

• Parents should also spend time with children to help them understand how they can keep themselves safe and how they are expected to behave on the bus
• If parking, please try to be on the same side of the road and walk to the bus stop, rather than across the road and moving in front of the bus as it pulls in
• Junior School children must be met by a parent/caregiver at the bus stop
• Parents, when collecting students, get out of the car and meet them as they get off the bus, on the same side of the road that the bus has stopped, and go with them to the car
• Please think safe! Not blocking childrens' line of sight if they have to cross roads, modelling safe behaviours, allowing the bus plenty of room to pull in and out
• Please encourage your child to wear their high visibility vest

Getting on the Bus at School

• Children go to the courtyard between the admin block and hall (inside hall if wet) and line up in their respective bus lines.
• The duty teachers will supervise bus monitors checking names off the appropriate roll
• All children must wear shoes
• Duty teachers will escort bus lines to correct bus and supervise seating arrangements. Bus monitors will assist here as well.
• Children cannot take skateboards, skis or snowboards on the bus

Bus Behaviour Expectations

Students who travel on a bus may continue to do so while they behave in a reasonable and safe manner. The following behaviour is expected of students using buses to help make sure the bus is a safe place for everyone.

• Children must sit down straight away and remain in their seats for the whole journey
• Do not eat or drink on the bus
• Do not throw objects inside or out of the bus
• Children are to use socially acceptable language when talking to the driver and/or other students, and speak quietly so they do not distract the bus driver
• Children are to respect the bus operator's property at all times (e.g. refrain from standing on seats or vandalising the bus in any way).
• Children are not to harass, bully, or abuse other passengers or the driver in any way, whether verbal or physical.
• Children are to respect others' property and do not interfere with it in any way.
• Children are to listen to and follow the requirements and instructions of the bus driver and the teacher/s on duty at all times.
• Children are not to engage in any behaviour that could put other passengers, the driver, or themselves at risk.

Process for dealing with behaviour incidents is as follows:

1. Generally the bus driver will deal with minor behaviour issues (Stage 1).
2. Repeated minor offences, serious misbehaviour or unsafe behaviour will be reported by the driver to the bus controller (Mrs Cochrane) for appropriate action to be taken at school (Stage 2).
3. Parents will be informed of incidents at Stage 2 by the bus controller. A daily reporting system (driver to bus controller) will be put in place to assist with behaviour.
4. Further incidents of misbehaviour may result in a stand-down from the bus for a specified time (e.g. one week) or removal of bus privileges altogether in extreme cases.

Bus Controllers

A school's bus controller plays a vital role in the provision of school transport. Bus controllers are the main point of contact within a school for transport for caregivers and are responsible for bus route administration and safety for their school.

The bus controller for Queenstown Primary School is Mrs Sandy Cochrane. Sandy can be found in the Junior School Office. If you wish to discuss any aspect of the buses please arrange a time, either through the office or speaking to Sandy at the bus area after school.

All the office staff deal with bus inquiries and can advise on bus times, plus organise getting your child started on the bus.

Bus Monitors

The bus monitor has an important role in assisting students, teachers and the bus driver.

The bus monitors selected are:

• Senior students
• Responsible and reliable
• Near the end of the run - so they are on the bus for the full run (as much as possible)

In agreement to taking on the role of bus monitor the bus monitors will...

• Have permission from a parent/caregiver
• Be trained in their duties

The bus monitors responsibilities are to communicate with teachers on

• Bus behaviour, procedures and concerns
• New students

Frequently Asked Questions...

How do I get my child registered on the bus?

• Contact the school office staff, let them know when you want your child to start on the bus, and if they will need a buddy to help them in the afternoons
  
• Collect the bus information from the office or download it off our website

Who will help my child catch the bus in their first week at school?

• Your child will be assigned a bus buddy, who will come to your child's room just before 3pm to show them where to go. The class teacher will monitor this and provide backup should the bus monitor be unavailable. Do be aware that many senior children have after-school activities and are not always on the bus. We do our best to find someone who is on the bus most of the time.
• The new student bus orientation check list will also be completed on the first day which will provide additional support for your child

What do I do if my child is not travelling on certain days?

• Either phone the office staff, who will mark them off the bus roll, or pop into the office and mark them off yourself when you come to pick them up.
  
• If you wish your child to stay at school for pick up rather than going home on the bus please advise the office as early as possible in the day. It MUST be before 2pm.

What if my child wants to bring a friend home on the bus to play?

• We must have permission (verbally or written) from the other child's parents given to the office or bus controller - without this permission from the friend's parents they cannot ride on the bus
  
• There must be room available on the bus. If it is full, friends will not be able to travel.

What if I want my child to go on a different bus?

• As in the question directly above, you need to notify the office and there must be room on the bus

Can I contact the bus driver on their cell phone?

• Contact is to be made through the school office. We try to restrict this to emergencies as it is illegal for drivers to answer cell phones while driving.

What happens if there is an accident?

• As soon as the school is aware of any incident they will make immediate contact with parents to advise of the situation and the procedures in place.

How do I know what time the bus comes in the morning or after school?

This is provided in the Bus Transport details notice. Also, check with your neighbours if you are new to the area.

Download the PDF version here