School Information

Enrolments

Pre-enrolment visits are welcomed.
On the child’s fourth birthday parents are encouraged to indicate to the kindergarten the preferred Primary School.

Enrolment.

• Six months prior to the child’s fifth birthday
• Interview with the Principal
• Enrolment form completed including sighting of birth and immunisation certificates and emergency contact and phone numbers
• Health at Five form completed
• A prospectus will be issued and pre-school education pack
• A tour of the school with the Principal

Pre-entry visits:

• A letter offering 3 transition to school visits will be sent to each parent/caregiver. These visits will be in the child’s prospective classroom.
• First visit 9.30 – 10.30 am
• Second visit 9.30 – 10.50 am
• Third visit 9.30 – 11.30 am

School Hours

The usual school hours are 9.00am to 12.30 noon and from 1.30pm to 3.00pm but these are occasionally varied by mutual arrangement with the school Board of Trustees.  Morning Interval is from 10.30 am - 10.50 am.

School Rules

• No bullying – no teasing, put downs, swearing
  * Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself
  * No tackle rugby(unless supervised by a teacher) or play fighting or branding games
  * No exclusion
• Follow instructions of staff
• Speak respectfully and politely
• Keep our school tidy – put rubbish in the appropriate bins. Remember to use recycle bins!
• Adventure playground
  * no equipment
  * R 7,8,9,10,11,12,13 on Junior playground •
  * R 1,2,3,5,6,14,15,16,17,18 on Senior playground
  * Spider web playground Yr 3/4/5/6
  * if equipment is wet or frosty stay off
• Out of bounds
  * out of school grounds
  * behind the school blocks including the hall
  * swimming pool
  * gardens and trees
  * other classrooms
  * use main doors only
  * Hall
  * loitering in toilets and cloakrooms 7.
• Kicking and throwing balls only on the bottom court before school
• No kicking balls outside the Middle and Junior school
• Wheel bikes or scooters, carry skateboards from school gate to stands
• No throwing sand in sandpit
• No water in sandpit
• No throwing objects into trees/rooves
• Do not go beyond fence
• Red flag: If it is ‘out’ – stay off grass and boardwalk
• Library: Open at lunchtime 1.00pm – 1.30pm.
  Wet Days: If you go there you stay there for the duration of the lunch time.
• Wet Days: Stay in your own classroom – in the room.

Rewards 

• A happy and safe playground 
• Fab 15 J Praise from teachers
• Cracker star cards

Consequences

• Warning
• Sent to Mrs Rae; Mrs Barris notified if Year 0 - 2, Mr Francois for Yr 3 - 4 
• Name in behaviour book, miss lunchtime
  * your teacher notified
  * rubbish duty on Friday
  * no Fab 15
  * behaviour sheet sent home, signed and returned
• Sent to the Principal – parents called in
• If in the book twice in one term-parents called -weekly monitoring by Behaviour Manager or Principal

Donations and Fund-Raising

Donations are presently $50 per child per year. $70 per family. Payment of fees is voluntary.  A request is sent to each family in April/May. (Reminder in September/October) 

The quality and quantity of equipment used in the school depends, to a large extent, on the amount of money raised. Staff members are urged therefore to support parental projects that assist the school financially.

Fund-raising is generally from five sources:

• Board of Trustees projects
• School Council projects
• School projects, e.g. a class stall fund-raising for a camp, calendars
• Sale of products or services through the school, e.g. children's stationery
• Outside grants to school, e.g. Community Trust

School fund-raising projects must only occur following consultation with the staff and Principal. Factors to consider when deciding approval includes the purpose, the amount required, other fund-raising commitments and the ability of the community to donate.

All monies received by or belonging to the school from fund-raising shall be paid into the bank account which is subject to audit.
The Board of Trustees and HSS Fundraising have their own separate bank accounts.

Homework

A small amount of homework may be given e.g.: 15-20 minutes for Juniors, 30 minutes for seniors. Examples – spelling, tables, research. The purposes are to develop a homework habit and to support the daily learning. It should consolidate what has been previously taught, except where interest leads a child to approach new work or undertake extra research. Written homework should be neat and tidy.

Every assistance should be given to parents who ask about the type of work to be done and what help they can most usefully give. Homework should be meaningful, ie: its purpose should be clear to both teacher and pupil and not involve new material.

Absences - Pupil

Daily Attendance Registers (E19/1) must be marked daily. Read the notes on the back of the register thoroughly.

Each day a child is absent, the parent is asked to ring the school prior to 9.00am, stating the name of the absent child and the reason.

Names of absent children will be listed on an absentee sheet that is circulated after 9.00 am. The school office will telephone the homes of children not accounted for.

Absence notes must be brought by the children (unless a phone call or a personal message is received). If you have a concern about the attendance of a child, retain their notes for further action.

Teachers should keep a watch for any child who has a pattern of absence. This should be reported to the Principal immediately.

Irregular attendance:

• It is the responsibility of school to ensure that non-attendance is investigated, recorded, and assessed.
• Serious truancy which does not respond to intervention may constitute a care or protection concern and the Principal will refer to a Care and Protection Co-ordinator under s19 CYF Act or alert the Truancy Officer.

Lateness is not always the fault of the pupil. Where pupils are consistently late for no apparent reason, teachers should notify the Principal. Often by co-operation with the parents this matter can be resolved.

Assemblies

These are held on each Friday, to which parents/caregivers are invited.
These include –

• school notices
• presentation of Principal's awards
• sports results
• singing
• and pupils items

The Principal assumes responsibility for each whole school assembly.
The Assistant Principal assumes responsibility for weekly Junior Assembly.

Each term will finish with a whole school assembly at which Blue Ribbon Awards will be presented by a member of the Board of Trustees.

Swimming Pool

• The Deputy Principal is responsible for drawing up the swimming timetable before each swimming season.
• Teachers must be familiar with the risk management form prior to taking swimming.
• A teacher who is unable to swim must inform the Principal.
• Other schools hire the pool at a rate fixed by the Board of Trustees.
• The city schools use the Hampden Street pool for the Inter-School Sports.
• Each class leaving the pools should ensure the gate is shut and locked.
• The Hampden Street School pool is administered by the Nelson South Swimming Club which is in turn responsible to the Board of Trustees.
• The pool is used by the school between 8.00am - 3.00pm.
• The Nelson South Swimming Club has the right to use the pool for club activities or open it to the public outside these hours.

Lost Property

Lost property should be sent to the Lost Property Box. Arrangements will be made to have it displayed periodically. Unclaimed property is disposed of at the end of each term.
Teachers can assist by reminding children to take their belongings home at the end of the day.
Children should be discouraged from bringing valuable articles to school.
All articles of clothing and equipment should be clearly and permanently name

Visitors to the School

We encourage the students themselves to issue the invitation, make the visitor welcome and put him/her at ease. Children will be encouraged to take visitors to the classroom or office area as required.  Children should offer the vote of thanks and escort them from the grounds.