2021 Start of Year Information

Important Information To Start The Year

Stationery

To purchase stationery the easy way, go online to https://www.myschool.co.nz/

From there, you can select your school, your child's class and see the requirements.  You can untick anything you already have and then order straight from there.

Alternatively, simply note what your child needs and go into a stationery store and purchase.  Office products also has a hard copy of the lists if you wish to go in store there.

Our requirements are pretty simple and as cost effective as we can make them.  All we ask is that you please get the books that are stated ready for the start of the year.

Need To Know Items To Start The Year

- All children need a drink bottle full of water each day.  No juice or sugary drinks.  

-Please do not send lollies to school with your child.

-All children need a hat with a full brim, or a flap at the back at school each day.  No hat, no sun.

-Please ensure children wear sun smart clothing to school and apply sunscreen in the morning.

-If your child has medication they need to take during the day, please see our admin staff so we can follow procedures in relation to this.  No medication should be left in their bag.

-Please ensure all children's clothes are named so that they are easy to locate and make sure that children know what their own clothing looks like.  All children also need a change of clothes in their bag.

-We will swim throughout term one, so all children need their togs at school.  Your child's teacher will let you know what days the class swim on.  As it cools down, we will turn on the heater again to ensure children can still swim comfortably. 

- We are a zero waste school, please be part of our team and consider ways of excluding rubbish from your child's lunch box.  There are many ways to do this, and you can find ideas on this blog.  We do not have rubbish bins, any rubbish your child does bring to school, needs to go home with them.  Zero waste lunch boxes are a way we can help the environment in a small way, but also a way we can help children develop positive habits for the future.  We appreciate your support.

- Our main form of communication is seesaw, please make sure you are connected and using this regularly.  Children's 'reports' will be filled in each term cumulatively and sent home via seesaw.  You can also expect updates on your child's progress in other ways via seesaw when the teacher has it at hand.  Our aim is to give you information when we have it and useful ways you can support your child's learning at home rather than waiting for a 'reporting' time.

-We do not hold parent interviews.  Please make an effort to get in and meet your child's teacher if you do not already know them.  You are welcome in your child's class in the mornings and after school, but please make an appointment if you need to discuss something at greater length.  As questions or concerns arise throughout the year, make an appointment with your child's teacher straight away so these can be sorted out ASAP.  We are more than happy to catch up with you.

- Newsletters will be uploaded on Facebook, will be emailed and shared through seesaw.  If you require a hard copy, please let us know.  These are usually sent out every second Wednesday.  Newsletters are also kept here on the school blog that serves as our school website.  

Below are some dates you need to know for the start of year.

2021 Start Date For Children - 2nd of February

2021

Term One

Office Open - 25th Jan

Teachers Only Day - 27th and 28th of Jan

Children start back - 2nd of Feb

Good Friday - 2nd April

Easter Monday - 5th April

Easter Tuesday - 6th April

Beach Trip - 26th of February - whole school

Term one Ends - 16th April

Term Two

Begins 3rd of May

Ends 9th of July

Term Three

Begins 26th July

Ends 1st October

Term Four

Begins 18th of October

Prize giving 10th of December at 1pm

Ends 12.00 December 14th

Class Room Numbers - Name Change

This year, the teachers have decided they would prefer to have a class name, rather than a number.  This is to reflect that our classes are multi-level and don't really go in a linear order as the numeral system represents.  Children often think that they bigger the number, they 'higher' the class, or will think they have 'skipped' classes, when in truth, there is no one way to progress through the classes. Each year some children remain in a classroom or may even appearing to move 'back' a number some years.  

We decided on bird names to identify our classrooms, to not only help to alleviate this 'concern' but also to reflect more what our school is all about, a team that values the environment around us.

Indicated on the photo below is the class number that was used last year, so you know which bird name indicates your child's class.

We acknowledge that this change will take time, so will merge this over slowly, we will keep a copy of this in the office and in our classrooms as it will take us just as long to stop referring to the classes with a number.  This is also new information for the children.