Parent Information

Class Organisation

The school is divided into three classes.  The structure of these varies according to our school roll and numbers of children at various levels. Where practical, it is the schools’ intention to keep numbers lower in the junior room where the advantages of a good start are long lasting.

At present we have …

Room 3  - Year 0, 1 and 2

Room 2 – Years  3 & 4 

Room 1 – Year 5, 6, 7 and 8

Outline of Day

8:00 am       1st Bus arrives

8:20 am       2nd Bus arrives

9.00 am       School starts

11:00 am     Morning Interval

11:45 am     Lessons resume

1:15 pm       Lunch

2:00 pm           Lessons resume

3:00 pm       School Finishes

3:20 pm       Buses leave

Cybersafety and Digital Citizenship

Otewa School believes in a Digital Citizenship model for supporting safe and responsible use of the internet in teaching and learning.  An important part of this is that we are able to show others what that responsible use looks like while we are using technology in our learning.

We think a good digital citizen is someone who;

o   is a confident and capable user of ICT

o   will use ICT for learning as well as other activities

o   will think carefully about whether the information they see online is true

o   will be able to speak the language of digital technologies

o   understands that they may experience problems when using technology but can deal with them

o   will always use ICT to communicate with others in positive ways

o   will be honest and fair in all of their actions using ICT

o   will always respect people’s privacy and freedom of speech online

o   will help other to become a better digital citizen

Because we know this is important for us all, we ask everyone, the staff, students and volunteers working at the school to agree to use the internet and other technologies in a safe and responsible way by following the rules laid out in a Responsible Use Agreement.

We ask that parents give permission for students work and/or photograph to be used for school purposes at the discretion of the school teaching staff and for my child’s first name, work or photograph to be put on the school Facebook or school newsletter either for promotional purposes or as recognition of their achievements. Please understand that the school Facebook page is accessible by the general public.

Enrolment

We do not have an Enrolment Scheme in place so welcome students from the Ōtewā Community as well as surrounding areas, including Ōtorohanga township.  

As a child approaches 5 years old, arrangements can be made with the New Entrant teacher for visits to prepare him/her for starting school. A child’s birth certificate is required on enrolment. For all new entrants, an immunisation certificate is also required on admission. For children who were not born in New Zealand, we need to have copies of residency status.

Attendance

At Ōtewā we use an electronic roll to mark attendance each day.  This gives us a very accurate picture of the attendance of students across the school.  We are able to mark students with a variety of codes to meet our attendance reporting requirements to The Ministry of Education. Parents must legally make sure that their child goes to school each day. Under the Education Act 1989, parents and caregivers of children between six and 16 years old can be prosecuted if their child is away from school without a justified reason. The Act does not allow for holidays in school time, shopping or looking after other members of the family.

We use the codes to collate the attendance of students at school.

P

Present, at school and ready to learn

L

Student late for class, arrives after 8:50

M

A caregiver has rung school to say that the student is sick, absent due to short-term illness

D

Medical Appointment – doctor or dentist

J

Justified explanation within school policy, bereavement etc

G

School time family holiday

E

Student is absent with an explained, but unjustified excuse.  Where a parents has chosen to take the child away from school for the day, visiting relatives etc.

T

No information provided – truant: regular truant days result in the school working alongside the Truancy Office and Police

We start school each day at 9.00 and finish at 3 pm.  Students who are picked up during this time are also noted for their absence.  If you are picking students up from school during school hours parents MUST sign students out at the office, students will not be sent down to wait for parents in the bus shelter. 

Please ensure communication with school over changes to bus, early pick ups etc is done by parents.  A phone call to the office or a signed note to the teacher is expected, not a message through the students.

Entering/Leaving School Grounds

Please assist the staff by letting us know if there are any changes to child’s normal after school routine.  If you are collecting your child early you must come up to the office and SIGN your child out. This is a requirement for fire safety procedures.

If you know your child is going to be late please phone ahead to let the school know. When children arrive after the 9.00 am bell they MUST go through the office to announce their presence. This is a requirement for fire safety procedures.

School Bus Information

Children are eligible to travel on the bus if they are more than 3.2km from school and bus travel is free if Otewa School is your closest school.

o   We currently have 2 predetermined routes for our bus run.

o   The MOE has a contract with Go bus to service the school route.  

o   Carolyn Pilton is the bus controller and will liaise with bus drivers to discuss any issues with children’s behaviour.  In the event of bus route changes due to flooding, school will message families to inform them of the bus change. App notifications, text msg, or phone call etc

Behaviour on the bus must be appropriate and safe at all times, please acknowledge the Code of Conduct for using the bus. This is part of our enrolment form.

Safety actions for caregivers

To help make a school bus trip safe, caregivers who are dropping off / picking up students at the bus stop should:

•         when dropping students off at the bus, get out of the car and go with them to the bus stop

•         when collecting students, get out of the car and meet them as they get off the bus, on the same side of the road that the bus has stopped, and go with them to the car.

This will help to stop students running across the road to or from the bus into the path of passing traffic.

Caregivers should also spend time with students to help them understand how they can keep themselves safe and how they are expected to behave on the bus.

Safety actions for students

Students who are given a place on a school bus can do a number of things to keep themselves and other students on the bus safe:

Getting on the bus

•             Wait at the designated place – well back from the road.

•             Wait until the bus has stopped before getting on.

•             If there is more than one set of doors, get on through the door by the driver.

•             Put your bag (and anything else you are carrying) under the seat or on your lap.

•             If there are no free seats, fill the bus from the back, put your bag on the floor, and hold onto a handrail or seat-back.

Getting off the bus

•             Wait until the bus has stopped.

•             Get off the bus (through the front door if possible) carefully without pushing.

Wait well back from the road until the bus has moved away. Then, if you need to cross, find a safe place where you can see clearly up and down the road.

General 

• Carry your school bag in front of you when getting on and off the bus so it doesn’t get caught in the door.

• Stand well clear of the bus if it is turning or reversing.

• Don’t leave the bus between home and school (and vice versa) unless you have permission from the Principal.

School Costs

We do not have EFTPOS at school and our preferred method of payment for all school requirements is using internet banking. You are also welcome to make small weekly payments to cover any costs incurred over the year.  Statements/Invoices are sent out each term and receipts will be sent out when requested.

We bank with ASB. Our bank account is: 12 3134 0082041 00

Stationery

Stationery packs are supplied to all children at the beginning of the school year. You will then receive an invoice for this. These are no more than $50 for the year depending on the year and class. If your child starts partway through the year or joins us from another school it may be less depending on requirements. 

Uniform

Our school does not have a school uniform, but we do have a code of dress. All children should be neatly and cleanly dressed. No singlets are to be worn. An Ōtewā T-shirt needs to be worn for sports days, inter-school activities and school trips, they can be purchased from the school office.  We have a special order school hoodie available through the school office. 

School Donations

Ōtewā School has opted into the ministry of Education School Donation Scheme where they pay the school on behalf of our families.  More information can be found at https://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/School/donations/MOE-Donations-Scheme-Info-A3-FA-Web-18-OCT.pdf

Reporting to Parents

At Ōtewā School we aim to use plain language in our reporting and clearly show your child’s progress and achievement in reading, writing and maths, in relation to Ōtewā Schools Learning Expectations.  We have Parent/Child/Teacher Interviews in Terms 1 and 3. Reports will come home in Term 2 and Term 4. We also complete specific testing and interviews for our students in their first year of school.

School House System

The school has three houses that are named after our closest mountains Rangitoto (Green), Kakepuku (Blue) and Pirongia (Red).  Fortnightly house competitions are organised. Each house has two leaders, these students organise competitions and fundraising opportunities in school.

Assemblies

Our school assemblies are held fortnightly on Friday, in the school library at 2:10 pm.  They are run by our senior students.   Assemblies celebrate the learning we have done over the past fortnight.   Parents are welcome to join us for our assemblies.

Sports Events

Students compete in small school’s events for Swimming (Year 4-8), Cross Country and Athletics.  Students who meet COPS (Combined Ōtorohanga Primary Schools) criteria are eligible to attend COPS events.   A Winter Sports day is held for Year 3-8 students in Term 2 and when suitable we send senior students to Waikato Full Primary Association competitions.

Technology Training

Year 7 & 8 pupils are taken by bus to Ōtorohanga South School for technology training on Thursday mornings.  They participate in tasks using wood, food and materials technologies.  There is a specific material cost for these sessions which is added to students’ stationery costs, $60.

Class Trips & Visits

As part of the class programme, day visits and overnight camps are undertaken by classes. These visits are a valuable extension of the class programme. Parents help on such excursions is essential and any offers of transport or supervision at these times are greatly appreciated.

Toys and Valuables

Except in very exceptional circumstances all toys and valuables should be left at home.

Library Books

Children are encouraged to borrow books from the School Library. Each class has a weekly time that they visit the Library for this purpose. Books are available for children of all ages and every class. A love of books will be lasting.

Swimming

The swimming pool is operational over the summer months for as long as the weather permits. The students undertake swimming as part of their school day and periodically an expert instructor conducts lessons.

Home Learning

Homework is not compulsory, but it is recommended. Homework, whenever possible, is a reinforcement of what is being studied and learned in the current class programme.

First Aid Treatment to Pupils

Should a child suffer an accident at school they will be attended to and if it is felt that a doctor’s advice is necessary, then the parents will be contacted immediately. Please advise the class teacher if pupils need to take any form of medical prescription during the school day.  You will be required to fill in a ‘permission’ form for us to medicate any student.

Dental Clinic

The school Dental Nurse caters for Ōtewā children through the Mobile Dental Unit.  This is done either yearly or as required. Should anyone be in need of their services out of these times ring 0800 talkteeth.  Our local unit is Mobile Unit 10.

Scholastic Book Club

Book Club is a means of obtaining good quality books in paperback edition at substantially reduced cost. Every two months children are supplied with an illustrated list to take home. If you wish to order any books, just fill in the online form by the required date. Books will be distributed when they arrive.

Headlice

The best treatment is prevention in the case of head lice. Please be vigilant in checking your child regularly. Ensure long hair is tied back to deter your child catching head lice. If you find your child has head lice PLEASE inform the school as we like to notify parents that head lice have been found and suggest they check their children. Thorough treatment with head lice treatment shampoo from the pharmacy is required to completely treat the condition. Repeat treatments are suggested to ensure total elimination of the problem.

SunSafe Expectations

Students are expected to wear sunhats (bucket type hat) during Terms 1 and 4, if students don’t have hats they will need to sit on the deck/outside staffroom during play times and lunchtimes.  Students are to wear appropriate clothing for maximum protection from the sun at school, singlets are not to be worn.

Rubbish and Recycling

We run a recycling process at school where all our paper rubbish is taken by parent volunteers to Otorohanga.   We are looking into ways to compost our food scraps and make every attempt to reuse items where possible.  Any rubbish the students bring from home in their lunches will travel home again with them.