Essential Information

Absence

Teachers are expected to take a roll call in MUSAC or in the EDGE app at 9.00am and 1.30pm every day. They may select a code from the drop-down menu. Our office administrator checks the roll at 9.15am and corrects any codes, contacts whānau, records voice messages/reasons for absence in MUSAC. The afternoon rolls are checked at 9.00am the following morning by the office administrator. All coded absences are as per ministry guidelines. All communication around absence or late attendance is done immediately.

Appointment Procedure

Support staff appointments are subject to change and often rely on external funding, outside of the normal school funding from the Ministry of Education. Therefore, many teacher aide contracts are short term, fixed term and for a specific need to be met.

Attendance

We are part of the everyday counts initiative which monitors our school attendance records and collates our attendance data. Any staff member that has concerns about a student’s attendance must communicate this directly to the principal.

Home Learning

Issued weekly in student homework books through pēke mahi kainga (homework bag). The format in which it is issued is at the classroom teachers’ discretion.

Library

Our school library is open before 9.00am and we warmly welcome whānau to come in and enjoy a good book with tamariki. There are many to choose from our vast selection of quality titles. We also welcome volunteers to assist with storytelling and reading mileage for our student.

All students can access the library at playtime when it is being supervised by our librarian. Books can be issued during class library time or playtime. Children may take 2 at a time. List of issued books is kept by librarian or classroom teacher during library time. No food in the library. No loud noise in the library. Only use the library with an adult. Children can play quiet board or card games, knuckle bones or do knitting in the library. A request to purchase new library books can be made with the principal via email.

Lost Property

Lost property is in a box in each class. It is displayed twice a term.  Lost property is donated to thrift stores if it is not collected by the start of each school holiday period. Whanau are notified of this often prior to the start of the school holidays.

Medicine

Children with medical conditions are listed in the medical register in the office. These are also shared in weekly staff emails and at staff hui. We expect all staff to be familiar with students who have medical conditions and allergies. All staff are expected to familiarise themselves with the medical list of students who have medical needs.

Prescription medication from home must be stored in a lockable cupboard at the school.  Parents are to be reminded twice a year about updating their child’s medical records.  For children with severe allergies/medical needs, their condition and treatment will be  posted on the staffroom wall. They must complete a medication administration consent  form for our records at school.

Staff who administer a student’s medication must record it on the accident,  injury/medicine, behaviour incident report form in the office. The form must be given to our administrator for digital entry and filing.

Reporting to Parents

  • We deliver written reports twice a year, mid-year and end of year.

  • General school wide and policy review updates are reported to parents through whānau hui and whānau pānui.

  • Reporting to the wider community is done through our community newsletter twice a term, after the first half of the term and after the second half of the term.

  • All digital copies of student achievement reports must be forwarded to the principal for filing in office shared folder, in one drive. Hard copies are filed in student portfolios.

  • Incident reports of a medium to major nature must be shared with whanau by the principal. See behaviour procedures in School Docs.

Sun Protection

School hats are for sale at the beginning of term 1 and term 4. They are itemised on our stationery list. Hats are compulsory during outdoors time in term 1 and 4. Any child not wearing a hat is asked to play in one of the shaded areas, this is the adventure playground, under the trees or under the shade house by the office.