INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

SCHOOL HOURS/TIMES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

8.30 am - School begins

8.30 am – 10.00am BLOCK 1

10.00am - 10.40am Morning break

10.40 am – 12.40 pm BLOCK 2

12.40 pm - 1.20 pm Lunch time

1.20 pm – 2.30 pm BLOCK 3

2.30 pm - School ends

Unless catching the bus, students are expected to be collected from school or to be walking home by 2.45pm. Children under 10 are expected to be collected by parents if not catching a bus.

Please note that the term Parents also refers to Legal Caregivers responsible for our students.

ABSENCES

It is a legal requirement for schools to keep a roll and enter data accurately. For safety reasons, if your child is away from school we need to be notified by phone or note. The school number is 868 4838 please leave a message if your call is not answered, the phone is regularly checked. The school is required to keep a record of attendance and we may need to follow up on unexplained absences through the Thames Truancy Service if we are unable to ascertain the reason for continued or unexplained absences.


BEHAVIOUR

A high standard of behaviour is expected at all times.

The school rules are simple;

1: BE KIND - Don’t hurt anyone by what you say or do. Don’t punch, kick, hit, swear, name call or hurt people’s feelings

2: BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME DOING THE RIGHT THING ­ - Play in the correct areas. Don’t leave the school without permission.

3: RESPECT PROPERTY - Look after school property and other people’s property. Put rubbish in the bins and take home lunch wrappers and uneaten food.



CONTACTING THE SCHOOL

Parents/Caregivers are very welcome visitors to the school. There is always a cup of tea available in the staffroom. You can either phone or email if you are not able to call in in person. If you need to discuss a specific matter it would be advisable to make an appointment at a time to suit you and the staff.


CYCLING TO SCHOOL

Children 10 years or older are allowed to cycle to school. They must wear helmets and walk their bikes into school when they reach the gate. An uncovered cycle rack is provided for storing bikes during the day. Bikes are not permitted to be ridden around during the school day. The school endeavours to ‘keep an eye’ on the bikes but the final responsibility for the security of these rests with the family.


COMMUNITY USE OF THE GROUNDS AND FACILITIES

Our grounds and facilities are open to the children at all times for the children to play and enjoy. They are strictly NON-SMOKING and we request that no bottles or cans are brought on to the property. Motorised vehicles are not permitted on the grounds at any time unless on school business. If you bring a dog onto the property it must be on a lead and under controls at all times and you must clean up after it as this is a children’s learning and play environment. Anyone using the grounds out of school hours does so at their own risk and we ask that the grounds are treated with respect. Please note the signs displayed around the school and leave only your footsteps behind.

CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Schools can be a breeding ground for infections and illnesses. Please keep children away from school if they have a bad cough or cold, diarrhea or vomiting, or feverish.

Some children may not be fully immunized so please notify us if any of these that occur with members of your family so we can notify other school families. As with most schools, head lice are our main offenders. Please check your children’s hair regularly and treat if required. The lice love clean hair and it is not a reflection on hygiene.

DENTAL THERAPISTS

The Dental Therapists are supplied with up-dated contact lists of the parents and then they contact you directly to make appointment times for screening and completing any necessary work on your children’s teeth. Please let the school know when you will be taking your child/ren to these appointments so we can amend the roll accordingly. The Dental Therapists will let you know where they are parked when booking upcoming visits. For urgent dental work you need to contact the Thames Dental Centre in town.


ELECTRONIC GAMES, PHONES, AND TOYS

These items are not permitted at school unless by prior arrangements with the Principal. Toys, phones and devices can easily be broken, lost, or be the source of arguments so we ask that these are left at home. We also ask parents to be vigilant and completely aware of their children’s activities on any social media sites, including games where comments can be left.


ENROLMENT

Prospective students can be enrolled prior to their fifth birthday but can only legally attend school once they do finally turn five. It is best to contact the school a few weeks before hand to familiarize yourself, and your child, with the staff and school, and get uniform items sorted. Prospective new entrants are encouraged to attend morning and afternoon sessions, at a time to suit both the class teacher and parent. This will allow them to spend time in their classroom and meet their classmates. Please note that during pre-School visits, children remain the responsibility of their parents, not the school. On enrolment day bring the following documents and information along to school with your completed forms.

Ø Full Birth Certificate

Ø Child’s full name

Ø Pre-school Immunization record and COVID vaccination records for over 12’s

Ø Parent(s) / Caregiver(s) name(s)

Ø Occupation

Ø Residential & Mailing address

Ø Telephone number

Ø Alternative Emergency Contact name & ph no.

Ø Name of family Doctor

Ø Information on any serious illnesses, allergies or other health

concerns your child may be prone to or have suffered

Ø Medication if required.

It is also a good idea to bring an extra set of clothes along for the first little while in case of unexpected mishaps. Every care will be taken to ensure that your child’s introduction to school will be as smooth and pleasurable as possible.


FIRST AID

First aid is administered, where appropriate. In the event of serious injury, every endeavor is made to contact a parent, but if this is not possible, we may need to call an ambulance for your child. In all cases of sickness or injury, the safety, comfort and well-being of the child will be top priority. All staff on site during school opening hours have a current first aid certificate.

HEARING AND VISION TESTING
The Hearing and Vision Technician visit the school each year and tests new entrants and Year 7 students. If at any time you feel a student needs to be referred, please contact the school.


HOMEWORK
One of the best thing you can do with your children after school, if you have the chance, is play with them, talk with them or engage them in other activities with yourself. That is where children often develop their imagination, creativity and collaborative skills.

The main focus of homework at Tapu School is to build on learning especially in developing literacy and numeracy. All children are expected to read every night at an age appropriate level and length of time. Children have individual spelling programmes which is relevant to their current needs. This will range from basic sight words through to more difficult words as they become more competent. Each child also has a Mathseeds/Mathletics and Reading Eggs/Reading Express/Fast Phonics password which allows them to access mathematics and reading activities at home through the internet. We also encourage parents to help their children to learn their basic facts including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.



LITTER

Tapu School prides itself on its wonderful, clean and tidy environment and surroundings. We ask parents to minimize lunch wrappers and students are asked to bring home their lunchboxes scraps and wrappers.

LOST PROPERTY

We do not keep a special lost property box or bin as such, and students are expected to be responsible for their own clothing and footwear. Naming all clothing greatly assists us to make sure all items are returned to their rightful owners before the students leave school each day. This is particularly important for the younger members of the school who often will not recognize their own belongings.


LUNCHES

Tapu Students participate in the Ministry of Educations' Healthy Lunches in Schools Programme and have the opportunity to enjoy delicious meals provided by this programme each day. There is no obligation to eat these meals and children may bring along their lunchboxes with food for the day or for extras if they do join with the lunch programme. We encourage parents to provide healthy options for their children. Children are requested to return all lunch wrapping and other rubbish home in their lunchboxes.


MANUAL/TECHNOLOGY CLASSES

Year 7 & 8 pupils travel to Thames High School to receive tuition in technology-based experiences. Our children experience a different area of technology each term. Students currently pay about $15 per term to Thames High School for the take home component of materials used during their sessions. An invoice will be issued and this is payable to the High School office.


MEDICATION

Medicines may be brought to school to ensure continuity of prescribed courses. These should be clearly labeled with name, dosage and storage recommendations. Medicines are to be handed to the Principal or another member of the staff for safe keeping and/or refrigeration. If at all possible sending just the daily dose along rather than the whole script is appreciated – also it makes things easier if you arrive home without the medicine you need for an evening or early morning dose if it is still at school. Parents whose children have severe allergies or conditions that require special treatments need to discuss this with the Principal to arrange and action plan for this in conjunction with the Public Health Nurse if appropriate.


NEWSLETTERS

Newsletters are sent home throughout the term. They are dated and contain notices of forthcoming events, general information etc. If you miss one, additional copies are available from the office. Newsletters are distributed via the eldest in the family. You can also view our updated newsletter on our school website.www.tapu.school.nz


PRIVACY ACT
We are bound by this act. Tapu School requires accurate information in order to communicate with parents/caregivers, to determine appropriate educational and pastoral support needs and to complete statistical returns. The Privacy Act 1993 places rules on the collection, use, storage and access of information that is received at enrolment, and from student academic records. All reasonable care is taken in the collection, storage and security of this information. From time to time it needs to be updated. Individuals have the right of access to personal information through the Principal who is our school’s Privacy Officer. At the discretion of the Principal, under Section 76 and Section 77 of the Education Act 1989, this information may be shared with the following groups of professionals on a need-to-know basis – school staff, Group Special Education, Public Health Nurse and Doctors, Ministry of Education, Children and Young Persons and their Family Service, Police and other professionals approved by the Principal. This includes student files, enrolment information etc.

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION – BIBLE IN SCHOOL

Religious Instruction at Tapu School occurs at the discretion of the Board of Trustees. Due to COVID restrictions, Religious Instruction has been put on hold until further notice.


REPORTING TO PARENTS

Parents receive a written report on the progress of their child/ren twice each year – once around the middle of the year and again at the end of the year. Parents have the opportunity to come to a parent interview after the first report is issued. Being a small school we are fortunate to know most of the parents and have the opportunity to speak to them should problems arise between designated reporting times.



SCHOOL ATTIRE/ UNIFORMS

Wearing the school uniform is expected as part of being a Tapu School pupil. Information on how to obtain your uniform can be obtained from the Office Manager. All clothing should be named. Students who do not wear uniform to school should wear clothing and footwear appropriate for the activities and expectations of a primary school. The only jewelry permitted is a watch or sleeper/s or stud/s earrings. This is for safety reasons. Cultural necklaces are permitted but are the responsibility of the owner.


SMOKE FREE
In accordance with Government legislation, Tapu School as with all public venues, is a smoke free environment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This covers the buildings and grounds.



STATIONERY

A stationery list will be issued on or prior to enrolment and at the end of the school year in with your child/rens reports. We do not sell stationery at school and request that parents try to obtain necessary items as soon as possible at the beginning of each year. We work hard to keep the requirements as minimal as possible as we understand this can be an expensive time of the year for a lot of families these days. We are happy for books to be carried over from one year to the next to use up any empty pages.



SUN HATS & SUNSCREEN:

The wearing of the Tapu School hat is compulsory during Terms 1 & 4. This is a hat approved by the Cancer Society. Those children who don't have a school sun hat must remain on the deck under the shade. School hats are to be left at school so they are available every day. Hats can be purchased from the school office. The School Sun Smart Policy is promoted and supported by the Cancer Society of New Zealand. Parents are encouraged to apply Sunscreen to their children before coming to school during the hotter months and may choose to provide additional sunscreen for the child to apply during the school day.


SWIMMING:

The school pool usually operates from the end of November through to the end of March. The teachers will not take the class swimming if the weather becomes too cold – just like you, we don’t want the students to become sick. Swimming is part of the summer PE curriculum so pupils are expected to come prepared for swimming each day during this time. If a student is not to take part, a note is required by us advising us of this.


TRANSPORTING STUDENTS
Students sometimes require transportation in private motor vehicles when we go on school trips. In line with school policies, all private motor vehicles transporting children must have a current WOF/COF and registration, and the driver must hold a current NZ full license. Children are only permitted to sit in seats with over the shoulder sash belts - full seat belts. They are not permitted to sit in seats with lap belts only. Students are required to sit in the back seats of cars and only the oldest students can sit in the front if these are already taken. This is for everyone’s safety so please don’t feel uncomfortable if you are asked any questions around this. All Children under the age of 7 are required to use a car seat or booster seat.