Parent Information
ASSEMBLIES
School Assemblies are on most Fridays from 2.00 – 2.55 and everyone is welcome. Please ring the school for confirmation.
BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT
Behaviour Management at Eketahuna School is based on the following philosophies:-
Respect, Responsibility, Relationship
At Eketahuna School we will:
1) Respect others by:
a) Using appropriate language
b) Treating others the way we would like to be treated.
c) Respecting others property and space
d) Being a good sports person
e) Using good manners
2) Be responsible for our own:
a) Property
b) Behaviour
c) Actions
d) Work habits
3) Have good relationships with others by being:
a) Kind and considerate
b) Caring and Sharing
c) Unselfish
At Eketahuna School we take pride in ourselves and in our school, and celebrate our achievements.
BOOK CLUB
Regularly children are issued with order forms from the Scholastic Book Club.
Any orders are to be taken to the office for Sarah Dandy to look after.
BUSES
Eketahuna School is serviced by 4 buses
The buses are: Rongakokako, Rongamai and Newman.
Children on the Newmans Bus gather at 2.45 on the decking outside the staffroom when Sarah will take them to the gate to catch their bus. Children on the other buses line up when the bell rings at 2.55pm on the netball courts. The bus monitor of each bus will ensure that the bus list is checked and then take the children down to the end of the driveway.
If children’s circumstances change then they must bring a note, which must be passed into the office.
We do have a code of conduct policy for students who ride on the bus. This will be given to all parents who’s children use the bus service. Parents will be rung if there is a problem.
COMPLAINTS
Please refer to the complaints policy for details. Ensure that in the event of an incident that may result in a parental complaint that the Principal or teacher is notified as soon as possible.
CLASS TRIPS
Parent help and assistance is both necessary and greatly appreciated with all class trips. A charge is made for each trip to partially reimburse parents for help with using their vehicle. Money collected is later divided up amongst parents who have provided transport. It is appreciated that, where possible, parents providing transport could stay with the class during the trip and help with supervision if required.
CLOTHING
Please ensure that your child’s clothes are clearly named. Many items of clothing are identical or similar and some children genuinely have difficulty in recognising their own. Encourage your children to develop a sense of responsibility for their clothes. Shoes/boots are not to be worn in the classrooms. The school does not have a compulsory school uniform, but we do have a school distinctive T Shirt and track suits which are at times worn on school trips.
COMPOSITES CLASSES
As we are a full primary school, with new entrants to Year 8 students, it is usual for a teacher to have 2 (sometimes 3) class levels in one room. This also means that a particular class level may be split between 2 teachers. At the end of the year when class lists are organised, great care is taken by staff to ensure that any class level split is sensibly done. We take into account the children’s progress, siblings, friendships, personalities, behaviour, maturity and the boy/girl mix when determining these classes.
CLUSTER EVENTS
Eketahuna School is a member of the Bush Cluster Group of Schools, which include:-
Alfredton, Mangatainoka, Ballance, St.Anthony’s, Makuri, Mangamaire, Pongaroa, Hillcrest, Kohinui, Pahiatua, Papatawa and Woodville.
Various events occur during the year and Eketahuna takes part in some of those events including swimming, maths quiz, chess tournament and athletics.
CUSTODY
It is important that the school is advised of any custody and visitation procedures especially in the case of split families. This is to ensure the safety of our students. This particularly applies when children are to be collected by someone other than who usually does this. In this case it vital that the school is notified.
If you are unsure of what procedure to take, please consult the Principal.
DENTAL THERAPIST
The Dental Therapist visits Eketahuna School for approximately one month a year and can be reached at our dental clinic during that time on 375 8071. At other times when she is visiting other schools she is based at Pahiatua School Phone: 06 376 8596
ENVIRONMENT
Pupils are encouraged to keep the school grounds and buildings free of rubbish, to care for plants and trees, and wherever possible to keep the school environment pollution free. There are numerous rubbish bins, both for food scraps and rubbish situated in strategic places in and outside the school buildings. The school is part of the Recycle for Trees programme and we recycle cardboard, paper and plastic.
The school is smoke free.
Students are encouraged not to bring valuable toys etc. as the school takes no responsibility for them. It is highly recommended that if money is brought to school, that it is left in the care of Sarah in the office.
FINANCE & RESOURCES
The school finances are prudently managed and as a result the school manages to operate within its budget.
The Board of Trustees are committed to providing quality ICT equipment for our students, in the form of laptops for classrooms use as well as stand alone desktops in classes. The school is airported enabling instant laptop access to printers anywhere within the buildings.
Our school has co-led the ICT professional development for the Bush area over the last 3 years, 2006-2008. This has been an intensive focus for our school over this time.
We are a well resourced school with a multitude of curriculum resources, a large library and plenty of sports gear.
FIRST AID
Parents/caregivers are requested to fill out the Health section of the enrolment form and to notify any changes that need to be recorded. Please advise us of children requiring regular medication or for whom allergy medication is needed to be kept at school. The school has a medical room and all teaching staff have current first aid certificates.
Children requiring first aid will be sent or escorted to Sarah Dandy who is our designated first aid staff member. If necessary a phone call to the child’s home may need to occur. Sarah will make this call and fill out the accident register.
Parents are responsible for any costs incurred when a student needs to be taken to the doctor, x rays etc by school staff.
HOMEWORK
Homework at all levels throughout the school is encouraged where appropriate. Work set usually compliments what is happening in the classroom and should be relevant to the programmes of work and level of achievement of the individual student.
LIBRARY
The school has a well stocked library, with a good range of fiction and non fiction books in a comfortable environment. Children are able to borrow books for 2 weeks. The library has been computerized and all issues and returns of books are handled by the computer. The computer also enables children to carry out searches for books on selected topics.
LOST PROPERTY
All unclaimed property is kept in the back of the hall. It is displayed on the hall deck during the week so that children can look through them and at times during assemblies. At the end of each term it is passed on to a charity.
LUNCHES
The school urge parents/caregivers to make sure ALL students have appropriate morning tea and lunch every day. It is vital for students to have had a good breakfast before coming to school in the morning.
Lunches will be offered by the school periodically during the year. Teachers stay with the children while they eat their play-lunch and lunch. This serves 2 purposes. It ensures the children get sustenance and secondly it keeps the playground free of foodscraps, lunch wraps etc. Although the school understands we cannot control what is put in lunchboxes we would strongly recommend that energy drinks such as “V” are not included.
There are to be no lollies, gum or sweets brought to school. Any sweets found will be confiscated.
MONEY
Students are encouraged not to bring money or valuables to school, but if it is necessary it should be left with Sarah in the office for safekeeping. The school will not be responsible for lost money or valuables that is not left at the office.
NEWSLETTERS
These go home every Thursday and are given out to the eldest child in each family.
Parents, family and friends can receive a weekly electronic newsletter by subscribing to: office@eketahuna.school.nz
PARENT CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS
If a parent/caregiver has a concern about any school issue they should approach the class teacher in the first instance. If the parent remains dissatisfied then the Principal should be contacted and an appointment made to see him. The Board of Trustees should be contacted only if matters cannot be resolved with either classroom teachers or the school Principal.
PARENT HELPERS
Parent helpers are welcomed into the school and are encouraged to participate in many of the school activities. Please check with the principal prior to making any arrangements to ensure that the necessary safety procedures are followed which may include a police vet being initiated.
PET DAY
This is usually held early November on a Saturday. The main emphasis is on calves and lambs, where although placings and ribbons are handed out, essentially the day is not overly competitive with the emphasis being on fun and taking part. Classes also run stalls as a fundraiser on the day. Stall sites for the community are also available.
REPORTING TO PARENTS
This takes place as a four-part process over the course of a year.
Short ten minute (per child) interviews take place at the end of the first term of year. At the end of Term 2 mid year reports will go out and further interviews are scheduled for early in Term 3 based on those reports. These interviews are major and 15 minutes (per child) have been scheduled for each. This will necessitate the school closing early for two consecutive afternoons. In Term 4 there will be a major, detailed, end of year report, which will go out early December, thus enabling parents/caregivers the opportunity to meet informally with teachers to discuss aspects of the report if they wish to before the end of the year.
Teachers are available for parents/caregivers to meet at appropriate times during the school year but it is recommended that they be contacted first so that a suitable time can arranged.
SCHOOL POLICIES
An up to date folder of school policies and procedures are available to view in the school foyer. The school has a timeline of review for these.
SCHOOL DONATION
Although not compulsory, it is hoped that each family will help support the school and it’s variety of activities and expenses by paying a yearly donation. This may be paid in one amount or spread out over the course of a year. The present payment is $40.00 per individual student or $30.00 per family, which when compared with other schools is extremely low.
SPORTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
All children are expected to take part in our physical education and fitness programme, unless they bring a note, or we receive a phone call, explaining why they cannot take part.
A range of interschool sports tournaments occur throughout the year weather permitting. The school has T shirts and tracksuits which are worn when our students are competing where appropriate.
STATIONERY
Children are given a set of stationery at the beginning of the school year which they purchase. Following this, stationery is available for purchase at the office, however in this case payment must be received prior to purchasing.
SUNHATS/TOGS
We have a Shady School Policy and as a result it is expected that all children will wear sunhats between Labour Day and Easter. Children without hats will sit on the veranda.
The swimming season continues for the allocated weeks as long as weather permits. All children are expected to participate, unless a note or phone call is received. Classes will be using the town baths for their lessons, walking down each day during the swimming season.
TECHNOLOGY
Year 7 & 8 students attend Technology classes 15 times per year, where they receive instruction in Workshop Technologies, Food Technologies, Fabric Technologies etc. Sessions are held at Tararua College in Pahiatua.
There is a technology fee of $30 per student. This is to assist the cost of materials used by children.
TELEPHONE
Students are discouraged from using the school phone unless in an emergency.
The school has an answer phone system in place, when staff are unavailable to take calls.
Students are discouraged in bringing cell phones to school but if this is necessary they MUST be left at the office during school hours.
VISITORS AND TAKING CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL
All parents and visitors entering the school during school hours must report to Sarah in the office.
If parents are taking children early from school they must report to Sarah so that she can collect the children from class.
Late arriving children should report to the office on arrival to receive a late pass.