Starting School
It is always a concern and a bit stressful for both parents and students when starting school, particularly in the case of a five-year-old, who is starting for the first time. This is a critical time for a child as this first impression of school can often be a lasting one. Hampden Street School has given a lot of thought to making students transition to school a smooth one. We have developed an effective transition programme which has proven highly effective in making the first day at school a stress-free occasion.
We encourage parents to enrol their child at school at 4 ½ years. This allows us to sort out class placements and gives time for an easy transition. The enrolment is generally carried out by the Principal who will talk about the school, answer any questions and give both child and whānau a guided tour of the school. Once the enrolment form is complete a preschool student pack will be given to the child. This pack contains a number of fun activities, games and equipment that the child can use to help them prepare for school. Children love the packs because most are very excited about starting school, so this special kit is the first real introduction to school. Enrolled students can also attend our “Just Gymnastic” programme, which the school provides for free for all four-year olds.
Closer to the students starting date the school will send you out a letter advising of pre-school visits to the child’s class. Parents join their child for these visits and they are an important part of the transition process and we encourage parents to bring the children along for three visits.
In addition to our “in-school” programme our Junior Syndicate leader will visit all the local pre-schools and Kindergartens to meet the children and discuss their progress with the teachers. This information often helps us with class placement and socialisation when the children arrive.
Stationery for new entrant (5-year-old) students is available from the school office. For all other new student’s stationery lists are available at the school office on enrolment and can be purchased at a number of local outlets.
ENROLLING YOUR CHILD
We are located in Nelson South. Hampden Street School is between Waimea Road, Van Diemen St, Hampden Street and Ngatitama Street. The Office is located at 250 Hampden Street.
Our School Prospectus is currently being updated. A link will appear here when the update is complete.
Hampden Street School believes in a digital citizenship model for supporting safe and responsible use of the internet in a teaching and learning context. Students need to recognise the importance of taking responsibility for their own actions and using digital technology safely and correctly.
Year 3 - 6 Digital Citizenship Treaty
Junior Digital Citizenship Treaty
Please check this zoning map to see if your child is eligible to attend Hampden Street School.
If you would like to enrol your child please download and complete all sections of the enrolment form and email to office@hampdenstreet.school.nz with a copy of their birth certificate / passport, a copy of your child’s immunisation certificate and the signed relevant digital citizenship treaty depending on the Year level of your child. Or if it is easier pop in to the school office and we will take the copies of the relevant documents for you if that is easier.
You are welcome to come and visit the school. Please contact the principal to arrange a visit.
A to Z - What you need to know!
Absences - All parents/caregivers are asked to ring the school if their child is to be absent for any reason. Teachers inform the office of any child not present in the morning and the administrator makes a phone call to parents/caregivers. This can be very time consuming, so it is important to be diligent about ringing the school and leaving a message on our answer service. When leaving an absence message, it is important you state why your child is absent. Parents can text in absence messages to 0275 Absent (0275 227368).
Accidents – If your child is injured at school, staff will take any appropriate first aid measures. If the injury is of a serious nature and/ or involves the child’s head, we will notify you. Please make sure your contact and emergency details are always up to date.
Assembly - Full school assemblies are held every second Friday afternoon at 2.15pm. We encourage parents to attend if possible.
Biking to School – Students under the age of seven are not permitted to bike to school. Students between 7 and 10 years may bike to school accompanied by an adult. Older students may bike to school on their own. They must bike directly to the bike stands and must not ride their bike around the grounds. The bike stands are out of bounds during the school day.
Board of Trustees - The Board is comprised of 5 elected parent representatives, a staff representative and the Principal. They are responsible for all areas of governance. Meetings are open to the public. Minutes and other meeting information are available from the school office. Meetings are held in the staff room the third Wednesday of every month at 6pm.
BYOD - The school allows students to bring their own device for learning. However, there is documentation which needs to be filled in before this can happen. We also prefer devices to have certain specifications to allow them to safely work on our network. Details of this can be obtained from Karen Linyard our ICT Manager.
Class Placement - In early November parents and whānau will be advised of their child's placement for the following year. Where possible we leave students with the same teacher for two years to ensure consistency of learning and make the most of the relationships formed. Students will get to meet up in their new classes in three transition visits. This gives the students a chance to get to know their classmates for the new year. The teachers and Principal are responsible for all class placements. Any changes to classes are made after review at the end of February. Most of the Hampden Street School classes are composite (i.e. two levels in one classroom). This is to make best use of the available teaching staff. Programmes in mathematics, reading and language are based on individual needs and rates of progress. There is opportunity for extension and attention to special needs in all classrooms. There is no advantage in being the older or younger class level in a composite class as teachers adjust their programmes to meet the needs of all children.
Concerns - An open-door policy exists in our school. If you have any concerns relating to school, we encourage you to talk to us about them. Feel free to approach the class teacher, senior staff, or Principal at any time. The school complaints policy is available on the school website.
Contact Details – It is vital that the school has up to date contact details for every student in the school. If you change cell phones or shift house, please try to remember to contact us.
Emergencies – The school has a comprehensive emergency plan which can be viewed at the school office. In the case of natural disaster such as an earthquake, providing the school is still safe, all children will be kept at school until parents or caregiver collect them.
Enrolments - New Entrants - when enrolling your 5-year-old for the first time it is important to provide their full birth certificate and if possible, an immunisation certificate obtained from your doctor. To make the transition to school easier we encourage parents to bring their children in for a pre-entry visit. This is arranged by the school office. Other enrolments - The Principal is happy to enrol any new children and show prospective families around the school.
Facebook - The school has a popular Facebook page. This is great place for school notices, including sports and also to celebrate successes in the school.
Fashion verse Sensible – Students are expected to dress in a way that will allow them to participate in normal school activities, ie PE, Art etc. Tight fitting or “revealing” clothing is not appropriate at school as is the “Gangster” type clothing – hoodies, bandanas, low rider pants. Students will be required to go home and change if they turn up to school inappropriately dressed. The school encourages children to wear their hair in a tidy fashion.
Food, Fizzy and Lollies - Hampden Street School encourages students to bring a full healthy lunch. Children are not to bring lollies or fizzy drinks to school. Hampden Street has a Water Only policy when it comes to drinks.
Fundraising - Hampden Street School has an active parent fundraising committee. This highly successful group of parents run a series of events throughout the year, including a fantastic school gala and Quiz Night, which bring in a significant amount of money for the school. New members are always welcome.
Head Lice - Head Lice are a common problem at all schools. If left untreated they can easily spread and cause discomfort and sleeplessness for the infected children. When you discover your child has head lice you need to treat them immediately and the child should not return to school until all the live lice have gone.
There are a wide range of treatments available and information about these is available at the school office or from your local chemist. Regular brushing of hair is the best method to prevent head lice out breaks.
Holidays in School Time - The school discourages families from taking holidays in school time. However, if parents do decide to take their children on a holiday during the school term they must write a letter explaining the absence, specifically noting the dates the children will be absent. This is a Ministry of Education requirement.
Homework - Apart from Junior readers, Hampden Street Student do not receive regular homework as research tells us it can be counterproductive to student achievement. Students may bring homework home and generally this is in the form of work they needed to complete.
Internet - Internet is available all around the school and is used under strict supervision by the teacher and in accordance with our school internet safety policy. All new enrolments sign our Digital Citizenship Agreement. Our internet is monitored by the nationwide Network 4 Learning schools’ network.
Library - Children are encouraged to take library books home on a regular basis. Please do not attempt to mend any damaged books at home. There are no penalties for overdue books, but we do charge replacement cost for books that are lost or seriously damaged.
Lock Down - The school has a Lock Down procedure for when we feel safety requires us to lock students in classes. When we go into Lock-down we will inform all parents. However, we ask that parents do not come down to the school until the all clear is given.
Lost Property - Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own property, particularly clothing. There is a lost property bin outside Room 6. Lost property is often displayed in the playground. Please remember to label your children’s clothes.
Mobile Phones – Children can bring their mobile phones to school for the purpose of contacting parents before and after school. Students do not use their phones in school time and during the breaks. Students must hand their phone into the school office or to their class teacher, and they bring them to school at their own risk. If students abuse the privilege of having a phone at school they will be told to take it home and leave it there.
Newsletters - Our informative school newsletter comes out fortnightly on a Thursday. It is emailed to you or alternatively you can request a hard copy. It is also available on our website.
No School Fees - Hampden Street School has opted into the Government no fees scheme. This means we charge no school fees. We only ask for a contribution towards school camp. All other trips and activities associated with the curriculum are covered.
Office Hours - The Hampden Street School office is staffed from 8:00am until 4:30pm. Principal and/or office staff are available at this time. The school has an answer phone outside of these hours which is checked regularly by staff.
Parking – Parking can be difficult at times around our school, particularly at 3pm. Parents picking up children need to be patient and maybe park a little further from the school, rather than double park, park in our disabled parking spaces, or park across driveways.
Parent Help - Hampden Street School actively encourages parent help in the classes whether it be reading with a junior class, transporting children, or doing a small job in the office. If you would like to help out, feel free to talk to your child’s class teacher or the Principal.
Playgrounds - The junior and senior children have separate adventure playgrounds. All other areas of the school can be used by all ages.
Punctuality - It is important students get to school on time. Students that are late often miss important school notices given first thing in the morning and miss the morning roll call so would be marked absent for the morning. If your child is going to be late for school, please phone the school office and let us know. Late students must call into the office on arrival at school
Removing children from school - Often parents need to collect children from school for appointments or out of school activities. Please ensure you notify the teacher and sign your child out at the office when you do this. If the activity happens on a regular basis, please notify the school office in writing explaining time and dates of absence and reason for absence. This is a Ministry of Education requirement.
Reporting to Parents - The school reports on student achievement to parents four times a year, in written form in Terms 2 and 4 with oral interviews in Term 1 and 3.
Scholastic Book Club: If you wish to purchase books, this can be done online using the information in the bookclub pamphlet, or by returning the order form to the office with cash or EFTPOS payment.
School Bank Account
Our ASB account number is below, when making payments please use your child’s name as a reference and if possible a short description of what you are paying so that we can ensure we credit the right invoice. Eg. swim, camp, pcopy, dona
We will be sending out statements each term so that you are aware of what has been paid or is still outstanding.
ASB Bank Nelson 12-3165-0041437-00
We are happy to take payments in the office, we accept cash/cheque or eftpos. Please ensure if you are paying cash that you are given a receipt.
School Hours - School hours are 9am until 3pm. The break times of our day are below.
9 - 10:30 am Block 1
10:30 - 10:40 am Read and Feed
10:40 - 11 am Play
11 am - 12 pm Block 2
12:00 - 12:15 pm Lunch
12:15 - 12:30 pm Play
12:30 - 1:30 pm Block 3
1:30 - 2 pm Play
2 - 3 pm Block 4
School Lunches – Subway lunches can be purchased before 9:00am on a Monday, through lunchonline.co.nz website, for Monday lunch. Sushi can be purchased, with cash payment, outside the school hall on Thursday mornings between 8:30am and 9:00am for Friday lunch.
School Trips – School trips provided are a key part of our class room programme. We encourage parents to come along on trips as we have a set ratio of adults to students that we must adhere to for student’s safety. On enrolment parents sign a general permission slip that will allow us to take students on trips within walking distance of the school. However, for any trips that require transport we will require a permission slip filled in for every student in that class.
Smoke-free School – Hampden Street is a Smokefree school and smoking is not permitted in the school grounds or buildings at all times and at events, camps and outings associated with the school.
Sports – Hampden Street School offers a wide range of sports out of school hours for students from Years 0 to 6. Details of these sports can be obtained from our teacher in charge of sport or the sports co-ordinator in the school office. Our participation in these sports is reliant on support from parents for coaching and managing of teams. The school can provide training for coaches through Sport Tasman.
Sports Uniforms – The school provides uniforms for all out of school sports and inter-school sports events. If a student borrows a uniform for a sports team they must look after it. Students will be required check their uniform out when they collect it and if the uniform is seriously damaged or lost the student will be required to pay for it. Individuals can purchase these from the school office.
Stationery - Stationery lists are available from the school office or on our School News page. Boxed stationery sets can be purchased from Nelson PaperPlus. Bookbags for junior students can be purchased from the school office.
Sun Smart - Hampden Street School is a “Sun Smart” School and has a “no hat then play in the shade” policy. School Hats are available for sale at the school office.
Swimming - The swimming programme runs for the first 6 weeks of Term 1 and the last five weeks of Term 4. Swimming is compulsory unless a note from a parent/caregiver is supplied. Swimming lessons are available at the school pool after school hours.
Toys at School - We would prefer it if children would leave their toys at home as they can be a distraction and often cause conflict if lost. If your child has a special toy they wish to share for news, send it to school with a note from you and the class teacher will store it away until the appropriate time. Marbles are allowed at school during our designated “Marble season.” Classes will be informed when this is going to happen.
Zero Tolerance to Bullying - Hampden Street School prides itself on its safe learning environment. For this reason, we have no tolerance for bullying what so ever. If your child has been involved in bullying expect a call and if you suspect your child is a victim of bullying please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, the DP, or the Principal.
