Admissions

Welcome to Shani school admissions. Before you proceed, we highly encourage you to go through the following rules and regulations.

Rules and Regulations

  1. The parent’s participation in the school is of paramount importance to Shani. Therefore, parents are encouraged to co-operate in the activities of the school e.g. Seminars, Parenting courses and briefings.

  2. Immunization for children up to 18 months is very vital. The school therefore requests that an immunization card is attached to the school admission form.

  3. The school is unable to cater for special diets and thus advises the parents of any children with special requirements to bring their own lunch and break.

  4. All articles worn to school should be clearly marked with the child’s name to avoid any confusion. Any unclaimed items at the end of the term will be donated to children’s homes.

  5. The school has a supervisor on duty from 6.45 am. Classes begin at 8.00 am and end at 3.00 pm. There will also be a supervisor from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. The school therefore requests parents to keep to the stated hours to minimize the child’s exhaustion. It is highly advised that parents ensure that their child is picked up in the stipulated times since no staff member will be on duty after 6 pm.

  6. Every care will be taken at all times to ensure the safety of each and every child. However, should an accident or a sudden illness occur, the school will take the said child to Gertrude's Hospital in Lavington and the parents will be informed as soon as it happens. The school will not be liable for the above.

  7. The school has a supervisor on duty from 6.45 am. Classes begin at 8.00 am and end at 3.00 pm. There will also be a supervisor from 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm. The school therefore requests parents to keep to the stated hours to minimize the child’s exhaustion. It is highly advised that parents ensure that their child is picked up in the stipulated times since no staff member will be on duty after 6 pm.

  8. The school would appreciate if parents write in the diary or call the school to inform how the child will go home in the event that parents are not able to collect the children from school. No child will be allowed to leave the school compound unless the person collecting the child is well known to the school administration. The school requests that the official drivers be formally introduced before hand to the school to ensure the safety of the children.

Admissions Procedure

  1. The parent or guardian comes to the school and expresses an interest in their child joining the school.

  2. The Admissions Secretary then gives the parent or guardian a brief overview of the school structure, the school fees schedule and also the document requirements following the Ministry of Education guidelines in The Basic Education Regulations, 2015 (Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 37 dated 8 th April 2015, Legislative Supplement No. 21), which stipulates in Clause 61 and 62 that:
    61. Every institution shall maintain the following data on every learner:
    a) The name and date of birth
    b) The name and contact information of the learner's parent or guardian
    c) Medical history and other special needs

    62. Every institution shall maintain the following information on the parent or guardians of the learners:
    a) Full name, nationality and place of residence
    b) Occupation
    c) Two telephone contacts

  3. Once the parent has been verbally taken through the school requirements, they will fill out their details in the Admissions book and then will be requested to pay the Application Fee at the Accounts Department where they will be issued with a receipt.

  4. The Admissions Secretary will give them the Application form which they will fill out ensuring that they give all the details that are requested to the best of their ability.

  5. The form must be returned to the school as soon as possible, filled out with the necessary attached documentation which includes a Passport photo of the child, copies of the Child’s Birth Certificate, Child’s Immunization Card and the Baptism or Dedication Card – if any. Note that the immunization for children up to 18 months is very vital. The school therefore requests that the copy of the immunization card must be attached to the school admission form.

  6. Parents or guardians will be notified about their child’s acceptance into the school via an Acceptance Letter that is sent at least 10 months in advance. So if your child will be enrolling into Shani for the 2021 Admissions, then you will receive your acceptance letter by February 2020. The notification to collect the letter is sent via SMS to the contacts provided in the application form so ensure that you indicate your contacts clearly.

  7. Once this is done, the parent or guardian is advised on when their child will be admitted into the school, which campus they will be going to and then requested to begin making provisions for the Admission Fees, part of the school fees which includes the purchase in full of the school uniforms. This payment ensures that your child has secured a place in the school and will be admitted once the admission date falls due.

  8. The amounts to be paid and the deadline in which they need to be paid are also indicated in the Acceptance Letter. Failure to comply with the said deadlines indicates to the school that:
    You have changed your mind about enrolling your child to the school and thus Shani School is at liberty to give your place to other students on the waiting list. ✓ Normally, the deadline to commit to the Acceptance letter’s requests is about 1 month from the issue of the letter


  9. Upon financial commitment on your part on or before the stated deadline, the Accounts department will issue you with an Admissions Card. This card serves 2 main purposes:
    1. It is proof of full payment for your child’s uniform. Shani School uniform is issued at the school. Please ensure that you come with your child AND the Admissions Card when you come to fit and collect the school uniform
    2. It is proof of part payment of the 1 st Term school fees and will allow the Head Teacher to admit your child into the school on the first day of reporting to school.


  10. Please ensure that you keep the Admissions Card safe. The loss of this card and the issuing of a replacement card will attract a small fee at the Accounts department

  11. The full school fees for 1 st Term should be paid before your child reports for the first day of school. Please adhere to this to avoid your child being sent home due to lack of school fees payments. Kindly note that School fees in Shani is paid twice a year in 2 instalments namely 1 st term and 2 nd term – January and May. No school fees are charged in the 3 rd term.

  12. Students who join Shani School from another school will be given a Shani School Reference Form for them to have their former school fill out. This form is MANDATORY and must be filled and sent back either physically or via e-mail to admin@shanischool.com from the school the child was in last.

Shani School Culture

Shani School is governed by Roman Catholic principles and values. We expect that all children, parents, teachers and other staff adhere to these principles. The school teaches the Roman Catholic Church doctrine during the Christian Religious Education (C.R.E) and Program of Pastoral Instruction (PPI) classes. The parents’ participation in the school is of paramount importance to Shani.

Therefore, parents are encouraged to cooperate in the activities of the school e.g. Seminars, Parenting courses and briefings. We run these parenting courses and seminars once a year per class which are compulsory for both parents to attend. Shani School mission is to provide value based education aimed at the full development of the parents, teachers and the children at an affordable cost resulting in successful citizens not only of this world but also of the next; to this end, these parenting seminars and courses are pivotal to attaining this vision.

Another aspect of the Shani School culture is the provision of classes for the child minders at least twice a term.We believe that teaching only the parents and children is not sufficient enough to have our children become successful citizens. The principles and morals must also be reinforced at home with the help of the child minders working in together as a team with the parents and the school. Shani Taji School hosts within their premises the Family Network International (FNI) office. This is the organization through which it carries out seminars for parents and activities for couples. The following activities are run to better foster family life:-
✓ Monthly dinners for couples during which an invited guest talks to the couples about a pre-selected subject relating to family life
✓ An annual weekend outing for couples
✓ Pilgrimages
✓ Charity Activities
✓ Women’s and Men’s Evenings to discuss topical issues affecting the family
✓ Family picnics
✓ Family Fun days
The above activities are geared towards fulfilling the Shani Mission.
With this in mind, the parents of all new primary admissions will attend a mandatory Basic Parenting Course. For our upper primary parents, there is a mandatory Pre-Adolescent Course known as “Nipping the Bud” that will be run for the STD 5 parents. Both courses are run in the 3 rd Term. In Shani, English and Kiswahili are the only languages allowed in communication among students/teachers and other staff. Use of vernacular language within the school is prohibited.

The Shani School culture would be incomplete without the Shani School Diary. This diary is mandatory for each and every student. The diary is the written means of communication between the parents and the school. Please ensure that the parents’ and emergency contact details are accurate and updated. Communication between the parents and the school should be channelled to the head teacher or class teacher either through the school diary or calling the school. The Shani School Staff has very cordial relations and an effective team spirit. This has been evident during the school sports days and plays staged over the various years involving all the pupils in the school, the academic success achieved by the students as well as the day-to-day running. It is impossible to achieve such feats without a high degree of dedication and close collaboration. All 4 campuses have a day and night watchman ensuring 24 hour surveillance of the premises so that the students, teachers and staff are safe at all times.

School Hours and Holidays

For the School Office, the working hours are from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday. The office is closed on weekends and public holidays.
For the Kindergarten, the following school hours apply:
6.45 am – 8.00 am – Reporting times
3.00 pm – 5.30 pm – Children go home

For the Primary, the following school hours apply:
6.45 am – 7.15 am – Reporting times
3.30 pm – 4.10 pm – Clubs and Games
4.10 pm – 5.30 pm – Children go home
NO student should leave the school compound during school hours without written permission from the School Administrator. Mid Term and School holidays dates are indicated in the School Calendar. Please familiarise yourself with these dates. Shani Kindergarten children can celebrate their birthdays in school by sharing their birthday cake with their classmates.

In the event that you would like to bring a birthday cake to celebrate your child’s birthday in school kindly bring the cake to school before 10 am so that the children can have the cake with their class during the 10 am tea break. The birthday cake SHOULD NOT BE ACCOMPANIED BY ANY OTHER SNACKS. Kindly adhere to this. SHANI PRIMARY children are advised to celebrate their birthdays at home. No cakes or snacks will be allowed in school. If you would like the school to assist in giving parents’ contacts to invite your child’s classmates and friends to a birthday party at home, kindly do so in writing to the School Administrator 2 weeks before the party. The School has child supervision before and after school hours. The supervisor is on duty from 6.45 am until 8.00 am. The supervisor(s) duty is to receive the children and direct them to their respective classes.

In the afternoon/evening the supervisor will be on duty from 3.00 pm to 5.30 pm. The supervisor(s) duty is to guide the children to the cars that have come to collect them or the school transport with which they go home with. The School therefore requests parents to keep to the stated hours to minimize the child’s exhaustion.

Please note that the supervisor leaves the school at 6.00 pm and as such any child that has not been picked up by then will be in the school alone with the security personnel. Punctuality in dropping off and collection of your children is a primary rule to observe. The School would greatly appreciate if parents write in the diary or call the school in advance to inform how the child will go home in the event that parents are not able to collect the children from school. No child will be allowed to leave the school compound unless the person collecting the child is well known to the school administration. The school requests that the official drivers be formally introduced before hand to the school to ensure the safety of the children. In the event that this introduction is not possible – for example in the case of an emergency – kindly call the School Administrator giving the full names of the driver, their National ID number, car make and registration.

Shani Parent Briefings

These are one hour long parents meetings that are held every year in first term. They are normally held in Shani Taji in the afternoon from 4 pm to 5 pm. Each Kindergarten level has its own briefing day where the parents are taken through the school year’s syllabus. The parents are briefed on what their child will be learning through the year and what to expect academically from their child.
The school rules and regulations are also restated in brief by the school’s Management

Absentisim

It is required by Kenyan law that students between the ages of 5 to 18 years to regularly attend all classes scheduled for their class or level, as well as, the activities chosen at the beginning of the year. Regular attendance is important for students to be successful learners. When a student is absent, they miss out on the sequence of instruction and must spend extra time catching up with their classmates upon returning to school. The School Administration must be informed of any absence by 9.00 am that same day.

PLEASE CALL EACH DAY YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT. Also, in order to be admitted back into class, the student must present to his or her teacher a letter or note in the diary from his/her parents justifying his/her absence. If you would like to collect your child before the school day is concluded that is 3.00 pm for the Kindergarten and 4.10 pm for the Primary, kindly notify the child’s class teacher via the school diary or call the office to notify the School Administrator and/or Head Teacher. Once this is done your child may be collected no later than 1.30 pm. Please note that NO student will be allowed to leave the school premises after 1.30 pm. A student shall be excused from school when the absence is:
✓ Due to his or her illness.
✓ Due to quarantine under the direction of a county or health officer.
✓ For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic services rendered.
✓ Due to illness or medical appointment during school hours – however, parents are strongly encouraged to schedule medical appointments during non-school hours.

Shani School Uniform

The purchase of the Shani School uniform is done ONLY at the school. This is to ensure uniformity of the Shani School uniform in all the students. A new student is issued with 3 sets of uniform and 1 set of P.E. kits for the kindergarten whilst the new primary student is issued with 2 sets of uniform and 1 set of P.E. kits.

Please note that uniform is only issued once payments have been made. Fitting and issuing on uniforms is done on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8.00 am – 4.00 pm in Shani Nyota School. A parent may also opt to purchase for their child a fleece jacket and or a tracksuit for the cold seasons. These are also available at the school at an extra cost. During the cold season, the Shani children are permitted to put on stockings. The stockings will be worn underneath and the school socks put on top of them such that the socks for all students are visible. The Kindergarten boys and girls will be permitted grey and white stockings ONLY whilst the Primary boys and girls will be permitted black stockings ONLY.

The School uniform should be worn tidily and correctly both at school and between home and school. The full school uniform must be worn at all times. Shirts are to be tucked in; socks are to be pulled up; heel straps in place and shoe laces tied. Where a situation arises concerning a student’s uniform, written requests for temporary wearing of non-uniform items must be referred to the class teacher and head teacher. In the event that one of the younger kindergarten children have soiled their school uniform, the class teacher will ensure that the child is changed and given a change of clothes temporarily as his/her clothes are cleaned and dried. Please ensure that you pack a change of clothes especially for the kindergarten children. All children are expected to have their hair neatly done. A student’s hair must be kept clean and tidy at all times.

For the girls, the hair should be neatly plaited with no beads or coloured bands in it. Alternatively the hair can be unplaited but neatly combed and tied if possible. For the boys, their hair should be cut short (not longer than a “number 2” razor cut) with no fancy hair cuts or designs on their heads. The style of the hair should not be extreme including but not limited to Mohawk, untidy afros, shaved styles and/or patterns. The colour must be the student’s own natural colour; no dye or highlights are allowed. No make-up or jewellery is allowed to school. These will be confiscated if found and returned to the student at the end of term. Students are not permitted to have tattoos.