Information for parents

It is a pleasure to welcome you to Waikuku School.

 

Waikuku School has a lot to offer you and your children. We are a friendly, caring, small school with a family atmosphere. We are a small school with big ideas. The future holds exciting possibilities for us as a school community. Our staff and Board of Trustees firmly believe that this is the place to be, to grow and inspire children.

We are fortunate to be able to offer small classes, an increasing list of ICT equipment to reinforce our learning and programmes, school swimming pool, Education Outside of the Classroom including school camps, good facilities and a bus service to and from school.

Please read through this book and should you have any questions, please ring me (3127842) or Corinda at the office or Nigel, our Chairperson.

We are pleased to have your child with us, and look forward to making memories, and sharing experiences, skills, knowledge and friendships. 

Roger
Roger Hornblow
Principal

 What is in this section..... detailed info for parents on the following topics:

• School Staff
• Board of Trustees
• School Hours
• Assemblies
• Book Clubs 
• Children’s Absences
• Concerns or Complaints
• Contacting Pupils
• Dental Clinic 
• Exercise Books and Stationery 
• Enrolments and our Enrolment Scheme
• Health (Illness and First Aid)
• Helpers in the Classroom 
• Library
• Lost Property
• Lunch Procedures 
• Manual Training/Technology Programme
• Music
• Newsletters
• Outside School Activities
• Pegasus
• Promotion
• Reading Material/Text Books
• Reading Recovery
• Reporting to Parents
• School Bus
• School Donation
• School Office
• School Sport 
• Special Needs Teaching
• Swimming
• Term Plans
• Uniform
• Use of School Facilities
• What did you do today?

SCHOOL STAFF 

PRINCIPAL                        Roger Hornblow
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL           Viv Morgan
CLASSROOM TEACHERS

Room 1                       Sandra Spekreijse

Room 2                       Jemma Williams

Room 3                       Jo Croteau

Room 4                       Claire Lowry

Room 5                       Viv Morgan

Room 6                       Ali Hornblow

SECRETARY                        Corinda Thompson

TEACHER AIDES                Alison Scarlett and Linda Woods

CARETAKING & CLEANING       Peter Doyle

  

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board of Trustees consists of five elected members, a staff representative and the school Principal. 

The role of the Board is to govern the school, oversee the school finances, and set the school’s overall policy.  The day to day management of the school is the responsibility of the Principal.  Elections for the Board of Trustees are held every three years.  The Board meets on the third Thursday of the month.                       

Chairperson                                                   Nigel Sharplin

Principal                                                        Roger Hornblow

Staff Representative                                       Jo Croteau

Secretary                                                       Corinda Thompson

Board Members                                              Stuart Whitham

                                                                     Tania Huria

                                                                     Dax Rieseberg

                                                                     Danelle Asher

SCHOOL HOURS

8:30am                                  School grounds open

8:55am -  10:30am                  Morning school

10:30am -  10:40am                 Feed and Read

10:40am – 11:00am                 Interval

11:00am – 12:30pm                 Morning school cont.

12:30pm – 12:45pm                 Eating lunch

12:45pm – 1:30pm                   Lunch play

1:30pm – 3:00pm                     Afternoon school (On Fridays school finishes 2:45pm)

3:05pm                                    Bus departs (On Fridays bus departs 2:50pm)

 

ASSEMBLIES

Parents are more than welcome to join our assemblies which are held every Friday from 2:15pm.

BOOK CLUBS

A pupil’s book purchase club operates within the school.  This is the Scholastic Book Club and allows children and parents/caregivers the opportunity of buying quality books and computer software at reduced prices.Twice each term the oldest child is supplied with illustrated brochures to take home, where requirements are marked and returned with the money to the school office.  Books arrive in bulk about a fortnight later.

CHILDRENS ABSENCES

The school must be notified of the reason for any absences.  If possible, this should be done on the morning of, or prior to, the absence.A telephone call, written note or personal contact is satisfactory.Where possible, unexplained absences will be followed up with a telephone call to the child’s home.  This is to ensure, as far as possible, the child’s safety while travelling to and from school.

CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS

The best procedure for parents/caregivers who have concerns regarding classroom procedures is to approach the classroom teacher.  Concerns relating to staff members, general school procedures, or ongoing classroom issues should be directed to the Principal. If the Principal is unavailable, the Deputy Principal should be approached. Ring to make a convenient time to discuss any issues. If we don’t know we can’t fix it.

CONTACTING PUPILS

Parents/caregivers wishing to contact their children during school hours may do so by either ringing or visiting the school office. Children may bring cell phones to school but they need to be handed in to the office where they are safely stored.

Dental Clinic

Appointments for our children are made through the Community Dental Services ph 0800846983. All children once they reach the age of two and a half years, can enrol for regular treatment and parent/caregivers are strongly urged to do so. Once your child is at school, appointments are made during the year.  Please don’t hesitate to contact the Dental Technicians with any queries you may have regarding your child’s dental care.
For full information on dental care click here

EXERCISE BOOKS AND STATIONERY 

The school keeps bulk supplies of exercise books etc., and these are supplied to the children as they are needed.  Accounts will be sent to parents/caregivers prior to this being done.  Replacement exercise books and all other items of stationery can also be purchased from the school office.

ENROLMENTS AND OUR ENROLMENT SCHEME

See all the information on our website 

• Four Year Old Programme:

We have a programme for 4 year olds who are about to begin at Waikuku School. The purpose is to help the child (and parents) with readiness for life and learning at our school. Contact the school office for more information about availability of places. Enrolment forms as well as copies of their birth certificate and immunisation certificate are required before they start school as a 5year old. 

• Transfers from Other Schools:

When the necessary enrolment forms have been completed at the school office, the child will be placed in what is considered to be the correct class level.  This will be confirmed when the records from the previous school are received.

• Enrolment Scheme:

Please be aware that we have an Enrolment Scheme. The details of the zone and application process are outlined on a separate sheet.

HEALTH

The school maintains contact and utilises, where necessary, specialist services in the fields of health and education.  These services include:

• Hearing and Vision Specialists
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Public Health Nurse
• Psychological Service
• Children Young Persons and Their Families Service
• Resource Teacher for Learning and Behaviour Needs

As a parent you may request any of the above services by contacting the school.  In all cases the parents and school are kept fully informed.

ILLNESS

If your child is unwell please keep them at home. If your child becomes unwell at school we will notify you. Please make sure your contact details are up to date. 

First Aid:

We have staff with current First Aid Certificates. Minor accidents will be handled by the school staff.  If a child suffers an accident at school and it is felt that a doctor’s advice is necessary, then the parents will be contacted immediately. If parents cannot be contacted then the school will make any decisions required and act accordingly. Please advise the class teacher if pupils need to take medication during the school day and complete the necessary forms at the school office. Records and medication are kept in the school office.

HELPERS IN THE CLASSROOM

Parent helpers are always welcome, particularly in the Junior School.  Assistance can be invaluable in helping with individuals and small groups, preparing materials and helping in the general organisation of the classroom. If you are interested in being a parent helper please contact the teacher of that particular classroom.  Note - parent helpers don’t necessarily have to be parents.

LIBRARY

We are fortunate in having a nice school library, which is being updated and restocked.  All children are encouraged to have library books out on loan at all times so that they will always have a book to read, either at home or at school. However, library books are expensive to buy and it would be appreciated if parents/caregivers could please try to ensure that books are returned to the library in a similar condition to that in which they went out.
Lost Books: Where books are lost or damaged beyond repair, a fee, dependent on the type of book, may be charged.

Library Hours: Each class has a time slot when they have exclusive use of the library.  Parents/caregivers can also use the library if they wish.

 

 

LOST PROPERTY

 

A lost property box is kept at the school outside the staffroom. The accumulated lost property is often displayed for all children and parents to look through. At the end of each term unnamed lost property is bundled up and those in good repair washed, and resold via the PTA’s second hand uniform stand in the office or given to charity.

* Remember that naming things usually ensures that they find their way home.

LUNCH PROCEDURES 

MANUAL TRAINING/ TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME 

All Year 7 and 8 children attend Kaiapoi Borough Technology Centre. The year’s programme is divided into three sections – Homecraft / Workshop, Technology and Graphics & Design. Groups are rotated around these topics. There is a requirement for appropriate footwear for safety reasons. A charge of approx. $52 is levied for materials used. Children travel to and from the Technology Centre at Kaiapoi Borough School by bus.

Music

Music is covered as part of the curriculum and the children are encouraged to participate in all musical activities.  A school choir is formed annually, and children are also able to have piano and guitar lessons at school.

Newsletters

Our Waikuku School Newsletters come out fortnightly on a Thursday.  You will receive copies via the oldest child, of your family at school.  We regard the newsletters as an important contact between school and community and this is reflected in content which hopefully makes interesting reading. They are available from our website too.

OUTSIDE SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

 As a staff we are committed to Education Outside the Classroom, and endeavour to provide a wide range of challenging experiences.  We are always sensitive to cost requirements and we believe that no child should miss an opportunity because of financial reasons.  Parents should always feel that financial options can be discussed in confidence with us. There are a variety of activities with which the children may be involved outside the normal school programme.  The majority of these involve the middle and senior sections of the school and include: Ashley and Christchurch Music Festivals, Cantamaths competition, as well as various promotional competitions, sporting activities and local community activities.

PEGASUS

This school will close 'shortly' and move to a new school at Pegasus. There are updates in the newsletters and on our website. If you want to know the latest information then please ring Roger.

PROMOTION

Ministry of Education policy is that all children, except those in exceptional circumstances, should have their 14^th birthday outside the primary school, so making the overall primary school course seven and a half to nine years.This allows some flexibility in movement so that the best interests of the child can be considered.  This time adjustment is usually made in the junior school area, and is particularly relevant for children being promoted to Years 3 and 4.Other adjustments may take place later in the school but this would have to be a very unusual circumstance, and no such step would be taken without full consultation with the parents/caregivers concerned.

READING MATERIAL/TEXT BOOKS

Children are often required to take home school books for work in a particular subject.  Parents/caregivers are asked to ensure that these books are returned to school and treated with care. Junior class children take home books to read to, and with, their parents/caregivers, and you are asked to support these children by showing an interest and encouraging them in their activities. Improved fluency through more reading is the aim, so please don’t make a “reading lesson” out of the books. If your child is a reluctant reader please be flexible in how you use these books e.g. use them for bedtime reading, child reads a page then parent reads a page. Reading needs to be warm and nurturing.

READING RECOVERY

We are part of a cluster of 4 schools that share a Reading Recovery teacher. This is a very specific programme designed for six year old children who are struggling with reading. They receive 1 to 1 tuition and then have their future progress continually monitored by the Reading Recovery teacher. The Reading Recovery programme is aimed specifically at the six year old who after a year at school is not progressing in reading as well as could be expected. These children may then be given a 30 minute, one-to-one reading instruction each day for approximately sixteen weeks, but this will vary depending on the particular child.

If a child is being considered for entry to the programme, the parents/caregivers will be contacted and the programme discussed with them together with ways in which they can help.

Older children having difficulty with reading will be helped from within the classroom through remedial reading lessons, or an individual programme that can incorporate the RLit. Teacher or our Teacher Aide. 



REPORTING TO PARENTS

Formal reporting is carried out twice a year. A report or portfolio book is sent home with each child in Term 2 and Term 4.  These are followed with interviews. Portfolio books show samples of your child’s work in each curriculum area. These contain a full report and achievement levels. There is also an interview held at the beginning of the year to set goals for your child. Parents are encouraged to contact teachers at any time regarding any aspect of their child’s progress, make an appointment and you will find staff happy to discuss any concerns.

SCHOOL BUS

We have two runs – In the morning the runs are as follows: Kings Ave, Queens Ave, Allen Drive and the Waikuku Beach Store on the first run and Pegasus on the second. In the afternoon, Pegasus is the first run with Kings, Queens, Allen Drive, and the Waikuku Beach Store on the second run. Our bus driver is a great lady who does a fine job. She picks our children up as soon as school finishes and drops them at various stops along the route. Children arrive at school from the first bus run at 8.30am and from the second at 8:45am. New pupils need to contact the school office to arrange pick up and drop off place and times. A bus roll is kept and marked when the children assemble at the end of the day to return home.  To avoid confusion and searching for children, could parents whose children are not travelling home on the bus please ring the school office.

To officially qualify for travel on the school bus, children must live approximately 3.5km from the school if under the age of 10, or 5km if 10 or over. Most of our older children do not qualify but are conveyed at the generosity of Ngaire and the contractor.

Children who do not live on a bus route but would otherwise qualify may be eligible for travel assistance.  Parents/caregivers should contact the school office for further information. 

School Donation

An annual school donation of $40 per student is charged along with a $10 Photocopying/Activity fee. 

SCHOOL OFFICE 

The school office is open for enquiries from 8:30pm to 3:30pm.  During these hours our school secretary Corinda will be available and it is often best to make inquiries through her.

SCHOOL SPORT

School activities are guided by the overall policy that children should be introduced to a wide variety of sports as well as achieving some facility in the more common ones.  On a yearly basis the sports programme may include swimming, softball, T-ball, cricket, netball, rugby, hockey, soccer, basketball, athletics, jump-rope, tabloids, volleyball, and tennis.

North Canterbury Primary School’s Sports Assn:

This group is also centred on Rangiora and is more concerned with activities with the larger schools.  Waikuku Primary School takes part in the swimming sports, Winter tournament and twilight athletics championships.  If good enough some children also have the opportunity to attend championship events at Christchurch.

SPECIAL NEEDS TEACHING

When children require specialist help in coping with a particular learning problem, extra time is sometimes allocated to them by the Ministry of Education so that a part-time teacher, or teacher aide can be employed. This teacher is then required to work closely with the various agencies set up to give assistance in cases such as these.  Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get an allocation of time. However, our Board of Trustees budget money to be used on special needs teaching.  This allows for some children to be given extra help and these children are selected very carefully by the whole teaching staff. 

SWIMMING

The swimming season begins in early December and continues until mid March. Children are asked to bring swimming gear every day even when the weather appears to be unsuitable. As swimming is part of the school curriculum, parents/caregivers must notify the school if for some reason their child is unable to take part. Our pool is also available, (during term time) to the wider community after school hours and keys can be hired from the school office for a small fee.

SCHOOL WEBSITE 

A lot of time is spent on our website and we receive about 300 hits per week. You can find newsletters, info about our school and links to great sites like our class wiki’s. Have a browse at www.waikuku.school.nz

TERM PLANS

Term plans are produced at the beginning of each term so that parents can plan to be at events or know of upcoming transport requirements.  If you are a new family to school and a term plan is not enclosed with this booklet please phone the school office. 

UNIFORM

Have a look at the section on Uniforms on the website for full info .... with pics!

USE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES

The school buildings and grounds are often used by community groups for meetings and a variety of other reasons.  The Board of Trustees, which administers the school property, is happy for such groups to make use of the school facilities in this way and only asks that a donation be made. Interested persons or groups should contact the school secretary or Principal so that bookings can be made to avoid any doubling up.

WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY?

The most frequent question students are asked on arriving home is “What did you do today?”  This often gets an inadequate reply. “Nothing” is not only inaccurate, but if accepted by parents it undermines work done at school.  “What good things have we done today?” is an opportunity for you and your child to share the positive things that you have both done that day.  It will show what you have achieved, what they have learnt, and provide the basis for a positive and more thorough daily report.