Frequently Asked Questions
What denomination/church is the school associated with?
We are not associated with one denomination or church. Our teaching staff comes from a range of evangelical churches. In matters of faith, we focus on the Christian Gospel as outlined in our Statement of Faith. Any matters that may see variations between the churches are referred back to the authority of the parents' teaching through discussion at home and church.
Christian content?
Each class holds devotions in the morning before commencing class work. This may include Bible reading, prayer and Bible study. The Christian world-view is not an add-on but is integrated into the whole curriculum. In Secondary School chapel services are conducted once per term.
What age can a child start school?
Children start Preschool at age 3 (part-time), and start full-time school (our Kindergarten in the ACT) at age 5. As a general rule, we require children to have turned 5 by the 31 December before their Kindergarten year.
Do you have to be a Christian to send your child to Emmaus?
No, but partnering with a Christian school that provides Christian education, you implicitly approve your child to be taught from a Christian worldview, and to be exposed to and join in with a variety of Christian-related activities including singing and worship, prayer, celebrations (including Christmas and Easter). Our Christian worldview perspective begins with our Core Purpose Statement and Values. We aim to have a majority of children from church-attending Christian families in order to maintain our culture of faith, hope and love. We can achieve far more as a community when there is common unity - and this is what a faithful walk in Christ produces in each person.
Why Christian Schools?
If you have questions about the role of Christian Schools and Christian Education go to: Why Christian Schools.
How many students are at Emmaus?
Our student numbers are currently between 350 and 360 from K-10.
Are uniforms compulsory?
Yes. See the Uniform Policy for details.
Are there plans to expand to Years 11 and 12?
We are currently exploring the possibilities of continuing to Year 11/12.
What is the school's stand on bullying?
We simply don't tolerate it. We take student complaints very seriously and each incident is followed through, whether it is a case of a student trying to exclude another from a game, to ridiculing another student, to online, verbal or physical abuse. Students are trained to handle conflict and disagreement in a positive manner.
How are talented students catered for in a small school situation?
A small school is a perfect place for particularly gifted students, because we are able to flexibly create new groupings and activities as needed. Our Learning Support Coordinator will provide more information if needed.
Is After School Care and Vacation Care available for working families?
Yes
What is PIP (Parent Involvement Program)?
Emmaus encourages parents to be involved with their child's education and school life generally, as this benefits the student as well as the school. We are a small school and'need our parents to help us keep our running costs at a reasonable level. This involvement is formalised through our Parent Involvement Plan (PIP). It is designed to encourage all parents to offer practical assistance to the school in a variety of areas.
Is Emmaus affiliated with any broader families of schools and/or independent schools?
Emmaus is a member of the Association of Independent Schools ACT and Christian Education National including their membership of the Australian Association of Christian Schools