Matron-on-Duty – 05:00

Morning Shift – 05:00 to 12:30

00:50 

Report for duty.

Hostels geysers  may different from Hostel to Hostel but it is the Matron-on-Duty’s responsibility to see to it that the geysers are functional and that hot water will be available at morning shower-time. 

The following items on a matron to do list before anything else can look like this.

  • If your school hostel has an alarm, switch it off.
    • a good reason for having an alarm at an hostel is that for 3 months of the years it may not have any occupants.
    • learners fall under the protection of the school, and must all precaution be taken to ensure the learners safety
    • we need to ensure that all learners are accounted for at any time of the day and night. 
    • where boys are concern, boys will be boys and they will if they have halve a chance to slip out they will.
    • make sure that the teacher on duty also knows the alarm code in the event that the Matron is called out of office
  • Most hostel have only one dining room and one study room. When one building serves boys as well a girls and they use the same study hall and dining room, the doors that provide a separate divide between both the girls and the boys sections should be unlock.
    • as much as this may seem a trivial matter, any transgressions of a sexual nature between the two sexes may have serious consequences for the Principal and his staff. Especially if negligence can be proven.
  • Open the all doors that need to be open for the benefit of the Staff and the learners without compromising the safety of anyone.
    • Where a door lead to a secluded back area, make sure that all gates from the outside remain locked and only to be opened when needed.
    • Gates that allow learners to leave the Hostel grounds to be opened just prior to the learners departing for school.
  • Any driveway gate that is for cars to be open for teaching staff who has cars are parked on site and to be lock after the last staff member has left.
    • Staff members that leave early for school must lock the gate after they have left.  Staff members who work late and find the gate closed and locked must make sure that once they inside that the gate is closed and locked again.
    • Be vigilant when when leaving as well as arriving. Not all school access gates are on a remote-controlled and has a guard on duty 24/7.
  • Matron to unlock the large refrigerator that holds most of the cold produce for the next day. 
    • The reason for locking the fridge may seem as a trust issue with staff as well as learners. This may be an issue but is not the reason why a fridge should locked at the end of the day and unlocked in the morning. People have the tendency to rush and if the fridge is not closed properly, produce may go off during the night or over an weekend when the kitchen may be closed. Make sure it is locked also give you an opportunity to ensure that it closed and properly sealed.
  • The bread may stored in a different room and the matron must make sure that the door to this room is unlocked as well so as to allow the kitchen staff to start to prepare the tables for breakfast.
    • Keeping the bread locked away is important as with boys who have had a very busy and sporty day at school. When they do get hungry, may want to raid the kitchen. 
    • Bread may be made available at the study-interval.
  • Open the door to the outside
    • so as to allow learners to get some fresh morning air.
    • Once the learners go in for breakfast make sure that these doors are locked of if they do have security gates that the security gate is locked if the door is left open

Questions