Group 11 - Elementary Head Secretary

**Job Summary**:
Under the direction of the Principal responsible for maintaining the efficiency and continuity of the operation of the school office and assisting in communications with staff, students and parents.

**Major Duties**:
1. **Assist the Principal in the daily operation of the school**
- Assist in the interview process for the hiring of new office staff;
- Liaison between staff, students, parents and community;
- Inform Principal of any trends/events/problems;
- Upgrade skills on an ongoing basis by attending workshops and seminars in order to take on new responsibilities as required by the Board and/or Principal;
- Submit the monthly FTE Staffing and Enrolment Summary;
- Prepare statistical reports required by the Ministry of Education;
- Schedule appointments;
- Issue and approve purchase orders, consumable orders, supply teacher approval, time sheets for supply Educational Assistants, part-time secretaries, and lunchroom supervisors;
- Record, verify and approve absences of teachers, educational assistants and secretaries; book supply teachers through Dispatch;
- Receive, distribute and respond to messages and postings on a daily basis;
- Negotiate costs and schedules to arrange transportation for school excursions; contact the busing company or the Transportation Department to solve any busing problems;
- Assist in the planning, scheduling and preparation of school activities such as graduation, teacher/parent interviews, and class trips;
- Prepare letters, reports, teacher appraisals, suspension forms, incident reports, newsletters and information to parents;
- Acquire a wide range of knowledge for response to questions concerning Board procedures, registration requirements, facilities and services available, school boundaries, school locations, school policies, busing, and responsibilities of Board personnel;
- Maintain binders for Postings and Board Policies and Procedures;
- Co-ordinate the annual school year-end procedure to ensure that class lists and records are updated and accurate;
- Safeguard restricted information;
- Provide support to new teachers and supply teachers, including instructions on procedures for reporting absences, classroom register, excursions, consumable ordering, collection and deposit of funds, etc.;
- Prepare and submit time sheets for casual secretaries, E.A.’s, and lunchroom supervisors;
- Co-ordinate the kindergarten registration. Organize, schedule and conduct kindergarten registration and ensure necessary forms are completed;
- Report kindergarten enrolment numbers regularly to the Superintendent of Education/Operations to assist in enrolment projections;
- Register all new students to the school, completing all necessary forms, forward appropriate information to parents and to staff as needed;
- Provide explanations regarding student registration, i.e. boundaries, conditions of registration, age restrictions, etc.;
- Maintain and update Permission to Enrol listing of all out-of-area students;
- Request Ontario Student Records for new students from previous school attended, record necessary information and forward to appropriate staff;
- Prepare transfers and necessary documents when a student leaves the school Forward the Ontario Student Records to the student’s new school;
- Receive the delivery of orders, check deliveries against invoices and purchase orders, forward appropriate forms to Accounts Payable, stamp textbooks, sort and distribute supplies to teaching staff; trace missing items from shipments with suppliers;
- Maintain adequate supplies.

2. **Ensure the safety and security of students**
- Safeguard all students by keeping all custody and child access information up-to-date and advise Principal, Vice-Principal, and staff of restrictions and court orders;
- Intercept non-custodial parents and ensure that they have access to students before releasing students;
- Check identification of C.A.S. workers and drivers before releasing students to their custody;
- Required by the Child and Family Services Act to notify the Children’s Aid Society when a child reports abuse directly to the school secretary;
- Manage the student safe arrival program twice daily;
- Contact parents, guardians, and sitters for all unaccounted absences under the Safe Arrival program;
- Locate parents/guardians for children left at school;
- Supervise the distribution and collection of all printed student registration forms home to parents/guardians every September for the annual up-dating of all student information;
- Record communicable diseases and obtain immunization records for the Durham Region Health Department;
- Inform parents/guardians of any potentially serious problems, illness or injuries;
- Administer preliminary first aid to injured/ill students.
- Contact parents/guardians/sitters when students are ill or injured; call emergency services if necessary; complete accident forms;
- Send Pediculosis letters and information forms home with all students in cla