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New Enrolments
Arrangements can be made for orientation visits for children for the five weeks leading up to their fifth birthday.
To place a child on our ‘Pre-enrolment’ List contacts the office before the child’s fifth birthday. On their fifth birthday, the parent or caregiver must come to the office and ‘officially’ enrol the child. Caregivers should bring their child’s birth certificate for verification.
If you know of any children who are prospective new entrant enrolments, please notify the office.
Newsletters
Newsletters are sent home regularly (usually on Thursday each week) to inform parents / caregivers of coming events, changes or developments in the school. The oldest child in each family is responsible for the delivery of the newsletter. The newsletter is also available on our school website or it can be emailed directly to you if you provide us with your email address.
Office hours
Our school office administrator (Jenny McKenzie) works from 8.00 am until 3.00 pm Monday to Friday.
Parent / Teachers Association (PTA)
This organisation plays a vital role in providing support for the children of our school. The Association involves itself in supporting curriculum evenings, organisation of social occasions, involvement of special projects and fund raising. We are particularly fortunate in the dedication and enthusiasm shown by our PTA.
Meetings of the PTA are usually held twice a term on a Monday in the school staffroom and are open to all parents/caregivers. New members are always welcome.
Physical Education
All children must take part in the school’s physical education / fitness programmes unless a note is sent from home requesting exemption for health reasons.
For the general physical education / fitness programmes, children are required to wear shorts (or, in especially cold weather, track pants) and they should bring these to school every day.
The swimming component of the physical education programme is taught in the school pool and children should bring their swimming togs/towels to school every day during the swimming season.
Children wishing to play games on the fields during the winter term should have a complete set of old clothes to change into. Please ensure that all clothing brought to school is clearly named.
Policies
The Board of Trustees have overall responsibility for setting the school policies and procedures.
Policies are the guiding documents for the governance of our school (eg: Financial Planning, Curriculum Delivery).
Procedures relate to the day to day running of the school (eg: internet use, emergency evacuations, pupil assessment etc).
A copy of the school Policies and Procedures are available from the school office.
Possessions
Children often bring possessions from home (toys, skates, skateboards games etc) to play with or use at school. Whilst every endeavour is made by staff to ensure that the property is looked after while it is at school, we will not accept any responsibility for lost, stolen or damaged property. Please assist us by ensuring that all property is named and by discouraging children from bringing valuable possessions to school.
Progress through school
Children progress through school according to their readiness and ability and it is unwise to compare one child’s progress with that of another. Not only do children begin school at different times but they also progress individually at different rates. Emotional barriers can be set up against learning if comparative or unrealistic demands are made of children before they are ready. Even children in one family have differing educational needs and learning rates. Reporting
Parents/caregivers are encouraged to contact the school at any time during the year if they have any concerns regarding the progress of their children. If you would like an interview, please arrange a time, in advance, with the classroom teacher involved.
Term 1 Meet the Teacher Evening February
Child Centred Conferences - Goal Setting Interviews March
Term 3 Student Led Conferences End of Term 2
Term 4 Written Report December Road patrols
Yr 6 children with adult supervision, operate the road patrol crossing every morning and afternoon. Parents/caregivers are asked to:
Use the pedestrian crossing.
Keep clear of the bus stop, school entrance and No Parking areas near the crossing.
Not call children from across the road. Safety on the roads
Children should know how to conduct themselves on their way to and from school. They should be aware of how to cross the road and on which side of the road to walk. Other safety rules to be taught are:
Look both ways before crossing the road.
Keep to the right of the road if there are no footpaths.
Walk smartly across the road, using a pedestrian crossing, if available
Children should not loiter on the way home from school.
Children should not visit friends without permission.
Children should be warned against going anywhere with strangers
Children below year 5 should not bike to school unless they do so with a responsible adult. School Clothing
Orders are taken regularly each term for the purchase of school clothing. T shirts, sweat shirts with hood, track pants, skivvies, short and skirts (fleecy lined) are available with the school logo and in the school colours of sky blue and navy.
The PTA organises these orders and details will be found in the regular school newsletter, or contact one the of PTA members for more information. School donations
Donations are a vital component in the financial functioning of the school. These are set annually by the Board of Trustees and a request is made to parents/caregivers for the amount on a term-by-term or an annual basis.
The cost of one cultural activity per term is included in the school fee.
As a school we endeavour not to ask parents for regular money for school activities (ie: a dollar for this, a dollar for that). School grounds
Families are welcome to use the school grounds during out-of-school hours. However, parents/caregivers must accept responsibility for the behaviour of their children and the sensible use of the facilities.
The school grounds are monitored by video security. School hours
7.50 am School opens
8.30 am Classes begin
10.30 - 11.00 am Morning interval
12.30 - 1.15 pm Lunch
2.30 pm Classes end
2.45 pm First bus departs (children meet in Manawanui - hall for the roll)
3.00 pm Second bus departs (children wait in the grounds to be called for the roll) Any remaining pupils must wait at the school gate but not go outside the gate.
We do not close early on wet days. School rules
Children are encuraged to demonstrate care, thought and consideration for people, property and the physcial environment. We hope that, by giving children guidance, trust, responsbility and a framework of acceptable behaviour, they will develop in dependence and self-discipline. The onus for responsible behaviour is on the children themselves
We operate a behaviour management programme throughout the school which is based on the premise that teachers have the right to teach and children have the right to learn. The children are given a clear outline of the behaviour rules to be observed (for classroom, playground and bus travel) and the consequences of non-compliance. These are available in our school Behaviour Management document which is available from the school office.
The following should be observed to avoid misunderstandings:
Jewellery should be kept to a minimum (and inexpensive). Earrings are to be sleepers or studs.
No chewing gum or sweets.
Children are not permitted to leave the school grounds unless permission has been granted by a dated parent / caregiver request
Equipment in the school should be used in accordance with safety considerations.
Serious breaches of behaviour are managed using the Ministry of Education guidelines for stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions. Soundfields
Many of our classes have ‘Soundfield’ systems. These are surround sound speaker systems where the teacher / the person talking has a headset microphone to talk into. Research has shown that these systems improve the quality of sound heard in the classroom, thus improving focus and learning.
Sports / Cultural Activities
Our school offers opportunities for sports / cultural activities. These include:
Kapa Haka Netball Hockey Choir
Cricket Guitar lessons Keyboard lessons Gymnastics
Soccer, gymnastics and rugby are both run through local clubs. Stationery
Most lines of stationery used in the classrooms may be bought at the office between 8.00 am and 8.30 am daily but we prefer you purchase you stationery at Paper Plus prior to starting school. We receive a 10% rebate from Paper Plus when parents buy anything from them. Advise Paper Plus that you are an Ohope Beach School parent.
Sun sense
Our health teaching programmes make constant reference to the need for sun sense and the children are frequently reminded to wear hats, shirts and sun block when playing outside. Sun block is available in all classrooms.
Our school has adopted a 'no hat, no play' policy for terms one and four. Each child is required to purchase a blue sun hat from the school office to wear.
Swimming Pool
As part of the school’s aquatic programme children are expected to bring named togs and towel to school each day from the beginning of term 1. If children are unable to swim for medical/health reasons, a note to the class teacher in explanation is expected. Children are not allowed to swim if they have school sores.
The swimming programme extends for up to the first eight weeks of term one, weather permitting.
Uniforms
Are not compulsory but can be purchased through the P.T.A. Some uniform articles are on display at the school office. Order forms are also available at the office.
Warrant of Fitness - Pupils
Education is a partnership between home and school. It would be appreciated if children were sent to school with a current ‘warrant of fitness’ which includes:-
Plenty of sleep. We can’t work with children who have watched too much TV or stayed up late—10 hours sleep for primary children is recommended.
To be well fed! Children can’t learn who do not have a balanced diet with regular meal times—breakfast is essential before a 6 hour school day. Children need both mid morning and lunch time food and drinks.
To be secure. Ohope Beach School pupils come from caring homes. However children need reassurance and to have realistic expectations from their parents.
To have a positive attitude. If children expect good things to happen at school in all areas of learning they will have a keen and sparkling approach to their day. Don’t dull this with your worries, fears and niggles!
To have the correct gear. Comfortable working clothes, stationery, lunch, library books and swimming togs for the next few weeks. Don’t let children ring you to bring things—we encourage independence and self organisation.
To be on time. Social things happen before school and children are disadvantaged who come late. They are not ready for the day’s learning and playing. Consider 8.00 a.m. onwards for your child to arrive at Ohope School.
Please parents ensure your child / children have a current warrant of fitness for Ohope Beach School. |
