Paremata School

Accidents/ illnesses 
 Duty teachers and office staff attend to minor matters. You will be contacted if your child becomes ill at school or if an accident requires ongoing attention. In such cases, it is advisable that children are collected and taken home. In an emergency, an ambulance and parents will be called immediately. 

Please ensure we are informed of any chronic conditions or allergies and that we have up to date emergency contact numbers. 

If your child requires medicine at school, this needs to be discussed with office staff and any medicines kept in the office. 

After school care
 We have Before School Care that runs from 7:10am-8:30am. Children are able to enter their classrooms from 8:30am. After School Care is available from 3pm-5:55pm. (Information about these services is available under school documents and School times)
For all communication relating to Before and After School Care please can parents contact Raewyn Caldwell directly (2399463) or leave a message on the phone at ASC (2331339 ext 826) or email afterschoolcare@paremata.school.nz. 

Assembly
Note: Assemblies are not held every week, full School assemblies are held every third Friday at approximately 11:45am (until 12.30pm) in the school hall. There is a reminder in the school newsletter the week of the assembly. 
Each class has a turn at hosting an assembly each year. Families are welcome to attend. The children join together to run the Assembly and celebrate successes in the classroom and on the sports fields, to reinforce good social behavior and promote the arts in the school. 

Attendance
 Punctuality matters. Please ensure your children arrive at school in time for the role at 8.50am. For your child's safety, children should not be at school before 8.30am or stay after 3.30pm unless engaged in a supervised activity e.g. sports practice, on site after school care facility.
 Students can enter classrooms from 8.30am onwards and teachers will be available to attend to student needs during this time.  Any arrivals after 8.50am need to sign in at the office and then be ready for lessons starting at 9am.  Students in the school grounds before 8.00am will automatically be placed in Before School Care.

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Behaviour
 Our school has a no tolerance policy for bullying and teaches children to develop self-discipline through an emphasis on positive behaviour and a reflection on choices made. We also help children learn to work through their problems with programmes such as Peer mediation, Keeping Ourselves Safe and Kia Kaha.
 If problems occur, we find a joint approach between home and school is the most effective way to help children learn more appropriate behaviour. As a result, we will contact you if there are any major problems. We also encourage children and/ or parents to report any concerns.

Bikes / Scooters 
 Children may bring their wheels (skateboards or scooters) to school to ride at lunchtime at an allocated area. Senior school on Wednesdays and Junior school on Fridays. It is the parent's responsibility to ensure their child has a safe bicycle/scooter and wears a helmet.
 In the interests of pedestrians and small children, students may not ride their bikes or scooters in the school grounds before and after school. Please reinforce this with your children.

Buddy support for juniors
 Yes, each Year 1 and 2 class has a buddy class in the Year 5&6 or Year 7&8 syndicate. These classes get together on Friday mornings to read together and sometimes do other activities such as art or singing. Buddy classes also host a school assembly together once each year.
 
Board of Trustees
 Meetings are usually held each term at 7.30pm at the School. Parents/Caregivers are welcome to attend these meetings. Meeting dates are advertised in the School Newsletter. 

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Car Parking 
 Most schools have parking issues and ours is no different! There are a number of parks along Paremata Crescent and a car park at the end of Station Road. Parents are asked not to use the staff car parks. Parking is limited near the school during morning and afternoons, many parks only allow 10 minute parking. The disability park is for card holders only.
 To help alleviate parking issues, we have two well used drive-through areas where parents can stop by the gate and children can get in or out. These can be used once your child is confident about coming into class independently. There are also many children who walk to school. School patrols assist children with crossing Kiriwai Road and Paremata Road in the morning and afternoon.

Due to the increase of people using the Paremata Train Station we have had commuters using the Paremata Crescent school carpark for the day.  This car park is now a tow away zone for anyone who is not a staff member or a visitor to the school so if you are coming into school and use the car park please register your car at the office when you arrive.

Community Involvement 
 Parents at Paremata are involved in lots of different ways. We have an active ParentLink team (PTA) and a Gala Committee who meet twice a term through the year. You are welcome to join. They assist with substantial fund raising activities and provides an important link between home and school.
 You can find details of about these meetings on ParentLink page under Meeting dates or in the school newsletter. There is also a group of parents who are "Friends of the PTA” and are just called on when the PTA needs extra support with an event.
Parents are invited to accompany classes on school trips and to assist with school events such as our duathlon in term 4. Discovery Time on Fridays is a great way to involved in the classroom. Please let your class teacher know if you have any special talents to share with us or if you would like to help in classrooms, the library, the gardens or on the sports field. 

Computer Literacy 
 Children have access to computers/Ipads in their classrooms. The computers are used as one learning tool within the normal class programme and all Internet access is supervised. 

Contact
 Please ensure the office has up to date phone and address(es) details in case we need to contact you. Children are not permitted to use the school phones unless it is an emergency.

Communication
 Communication between teachers and parents is encouraged. If parents have any matters they wish to discuss with a staff member, a message can be left with the school office for a teacher to contact them, or by telephoning before/after school or during breaks. E-mail is an effective communication and each teacher has a school e-mail address they check regularly. The Principal is always happy to meet with parents and an appointment can be made by telephoning the school office.
 
Cross Country
 A whole school Cross Country running event is held in Term 2 - approx May each year.  Kids are divided into their year level and run at seperate times from each other. Parents are welcome to come along an support the children on the day.

Camp - Kahikatea Syndicate (seniors)
There is usually a senior camp in Term 1 each year.
 

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Dental Service 
 The mobile dental clinic van visits school once a year to check on children's teeth. Your child will be called to the truck inside school time, those requiring follow up care will be asked to attend Brandon Intermediate, Cannons Creek Clinic.  Bee Healthy can be contacted on … for any assistance outside of these times. http://www.beehealthy.org.nz/content/default.html

Donations / concessions for families

From 2021, all activity fees and school donations are combined and will be called family contributions. This means they are effectively a donation from families to help cover the costs of school trips, sports tournaments, bus transport, visiting performers and swimming.
Due to the Ministry of Education Donations Scheme, Paremata School now has to change the way we request money from families to pay for extra-curricular and Education Outside the Classroom activities. As the school is Decile 9 we are unable to opt into the Ministry of Educations Donation Scheme which is only available to schools from Decile 1-7.
The positive outcome for families is that you will now be able to claim part of this contribution with your tax return as it is now deemed a donation. In the past, our activity fees were not tax deductible - see below under Tax Invoice.

Duty Teachers
 Paremata School is fully fenced and we always have two teachers out in the playground to look after the students. They wear bright orange vests and carry a bag with plasters and other essentials. The children are encouraged to find one of these teachers if they need help during morning tea or lunch time. In addition to the two duty teachers there are teacher aides in the playground and two senior students who are on duty as trained 'peer mediators'. These older children are great at helping the younger ones sort out minor issues such as who should go first on the flying fox.
 
Drive Through
A gentle reminder that the ‘drive-throughs’ outside the office area and outside Room 16 are just that; drive-throughs thru is a no parking zone. It works most successfully if children wait at the collection points, so that when their caregiver arrives they can quickly get in the car and drive away.
 
Please do not park your vehicle beside/behind the staff cars to pick up/drop off children.The staff also need to get to courses and quite frequently have been blocked in by parents' cars and unable to leave. 

If you want to collect your child from their classroom, then you need to find a park around the school on the road. If your child is not at the gate when you drive in, please don't stop and wait as this banks the traffic up onto Paremata Crescent and causes mayhem. Please just keep going around until your child is ready or perhaps find another area to collect your child from. Your co-operation in making drops offs and picks ups safe for all would be greatly appreciated.
 Walking your child on the drive thru is not safe practice and I certainly do not want anyone knocked over by a car in this area. 

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Education outside the classroom
EOTC is considered an important part of the learning programme. Children will bring home notices of planned trips and we need the permission slip to be signed and returned to school prior to these outings. 

EMERGENCIES - Fire, Tsunami, Flood and Earthquake drills.
Drills are held each term. All pupils and parents must keep calm and follow the instructions of the fire warden. Please note: Parents and visitors on site during a drill or real evacuation MUST follow the directions of the site warden and join evacuation actions.

For Fire, a continuous bell will signal teachers to evacuate children to the assembly point on the field. In the event of a real fire, children will be released to parents from this point once the roll has been called and the warden has given the all clear. 

For Earthquake, children are instructed to seek shelter under tables and in doorways. A continuous bell will sound when it is considered safe for children to move to the assembly area. The collection of children will proceed as above.

For Flood, every parent will be text and emailed to advise if the school is closing.  Collection will be expected in the following hour, the main reason is because flooded water can effect the sewerage and toilet systems.  Its a good to have contact details of other parents in your child's class encase you are unable to get to school.  Please ensure your contact details are up-to-date with the school office.
 
 For Tsunami, children will be lead out the gate and up Paremata Drive to higher ground as soon as possible.
 
 Other emergency procedures are contained in school policies. Common sense must prevail at all times to ensure everyone's safety.

Emergency supplies per classroom
At the beginning of each year we replenish our classroom emergency supplies so now is the time to send in emergency food supplies for each of your children. We suggest *** 2 tins and a box of muesli/energy bars each (remember we are a nut free school) *** These will be marked off with your child’s teacher.  Thank you.

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Food 
 We have a number of children at school with severe allergies to nut and other products. Please consider this when packing lunches. Yes, we are nut-free to ensure the safety of children with severe nut allergies. Packaged food that states "may contain traces of nuts" are permitted.
We also ask parents to refrain from bringing food to school for birthday parties and farewells. Please see our food policy for more details.
 Please note that there is no tuck shop and all children need to bring their play-lunch and lunch to school. There are opportunities to order lunches from Subway available on Fridays. To purchase these, these must be ordered online by 8pm Thursday. 

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Homework 
Homework is a regular part of the school programme. All children will be expected to read, as well as learn basic facts and spelling.

Years 1-2: Up to 15mins, guided reading books, maths number knowledge, spelling (if appropriate)
 Years 3-4: Up to 30mins, reading (10-15mins) and basic facts and spelling. There maybe some class work to complete or home research linked to current classroom learning.
 Years 5-6: Up to 45mins, reading (20mins) and basic facts and spelling/vocabulary. There maybe some class work to complete or home research linked to current classroom learning.
 Years 7-8: Up to 1hour, reading (30mins) and basic facts and spelling/vocabulary.  There maybe some class work to complete or home research linked to current classroom learning.            

House Colour system
The school is divided into six houses – Purple Papura, Yellow Kowhai, Silver Hiriwa, Red Whero, Blue Kahurangi, Green Kakariki - so that children may find a sense of identity and opportunities for leadership. The classes and ages levels are mixed across these Houses, the Children will stay in the same colour for their time at Paremata School.  Points are awarded each week for a variety of activities including sports and social sharing. 

Health
 Health nurses/technicians visit the school from time-to-time. Sight/hearing tests of new entrants are conducted as well as any child referred by parents or teachers. If a child has any allergies or health conditions which may affect them at school, parents are asked to inform the child's teacher.

Holiday Programme
 Paremata School does not have a Holiday programme, but many other places in our region do. A few of these places can be found on this website under Paremata School Activities and look for School Holiday programmes.
 
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 Kapa Haka
Paremata School has a great group of year 5-8 students who attend Kapa Haka.  The practice classes are held in school time on Friday mornings from 9.30 - 10.30am.  Juniors from year 1-4 ALL attend a Kapa Haka class from 9.00 - 9.30 each Friday. 
          

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Library
The Library is a special part of the school and children are keen to use it regularly. Each class visits at least once a week and children can also visit during lunch times.
 On their 'library day', small groups of children go to the library during reading time and are supervised by our full-time librarian. She assists the children with locating and choosing suitable books. Children can take out 2 books at a time and can keep them at home for up to two weeks. The library is also open during the second half of lunch time for children who wish to read, draw or play board games. Children may bring home books but due to the high cost of books, parents will be sent a notice of overdue books and charged if these books are not returned

Lost Property 
 Lost property is kept in the hallway between the Hall and After School Care area and is displayed during the last week of each term, with left over items being donated to charity. Please name your child's clothing clearly and if something is lost, check your child's classroom and the lost property area. Children are not permitted to bring toys to school as it is heart-breaking if precious items are lost.

Lunch 
Mid week lunch - Wednesdays - Saugage Sizzle $2.00
Ice cold Juicies, crunchy chocolate chip Cookies or Muffins could be on sale outside.  Ruma Kereru (7) and Ruma Piwakawaka (6),  Juicies = $1.00, Cookies = $1.50, Muffins = $1.50
Subway orders - Fridays
Just order online by 8pm on Thursday night, payment online and gets delivered to your child's class on Friday. 
 

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Newsletter
Our school newsletter is emailed each week on Wednesdays. Just let the school office know the email address(es) that you would like it sent to.  Otherwise you can either access a copy here from our website or ask for a print copy at the office.

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 Out of Zone Students
Please refer to the Paremata School Enrolment - for School Zone map. Advice will be given in October each year to advise how many out of zone spaces are available for students applying.
 
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Patrols 
 Between 8.30 and 8.50am, the Kiriwai road and Paremata Crescent crossings are supervised by staff and students volunteers. They are also run between 3.00pm and 3.10pm after school also. 

Physical Education/ Sport
 All students are expected to take part unless prevented by ill health. This includes swimming in the summer months at Ally Todd pool in Whitby for year 1-4.

Parentlink (PTA)
 Is currently a small number of parents and a couple of members of staff, who make up the core group. Any Paremata School community person(s) may join at any time. The role includes:
 •Providing a link between home and school
 •Developing a sense of community among people involved with the school
 •Supporting the school's programmes with fundraising
 To find out more about the ParentLink, Contact us by using the email address paremataschoolpta@gmail.com or come along to the next meeting.  (these are held twice a term) Events can be found on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ParemataSchoolCommunity

Photos
Class and Individual photos are taken each year in May for Years 2-8 and November for Years 1.  All photos are taken on the date advised, orders can be placed once you receive an order envelope with a proof of the photo.  Family or Sibling photos will be taken on request.  http://www.schoolmemories.co.nz/
 

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 Reporting to parents 
 Term 1 - an informal meet the teacher evening – 10 minute appointments are to be made in advance
 Term 2 - a written report will be issued for all students.
 Term 3 - Parent/teacher/student interview with the teacher - 10 minute appointments are to be made in advance
 Term 4 - a written report will be issued for all students.
 We also encourage parents to contact teachers to make a time to discuss any concerns or arising issues if they arise outside these formal times.http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/
 

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Syndicates
The wonderful staff at Paremata have agreed that naming our team and classes after Native Trees and Native Birds would be a positive addition to our school culture. So from Feb 2016 onwards the teams and classes will be known as follows (eg: Room number, class name)
 
TEAM NAME - Pohutukawa Year 1/2        
1A Miromiro
 1B Kotare
 2 Tui
 3 Ruru
 4 Korimako

TEAM NAME - Kōwhai Year 3/4
 9 Kārearea
10 Kea
 11 Kākāriki
 12 Kokako

TEAM NAME - Kauri Year 5/6
 13 Kakapo
 14 Takahe
 15 Hihi
 16 Kiwi
 
TEAM NAME - Kahikatea Year 7/8
5    Kereru
 6 Piwakawaka
 7 Kotuku
8 Pukeko

Smokefree
Please note that the entire school site (including buildings) is smoke free at all times. http://smokefree.org.nz/smokefree-environments/smokefree-at-school
 
Sausage Sizzle
 The school runs sausage sizzles on Wednesdays each week, where children can purchase a sausage or two for lunch. $2 each – orders are taken in the morning and sausages arranged accordingly. Donations go straight to support the school and the kids in some way.
If you are available to help cook and serve between 12 and 1pm each Wednesday, please let the office know. 

Stationery
To make going Back to School easy for you we have teamed up with 'Qizzle' to have our class list requirements loaded up on to schoolpacks.co.nz We’ve found this is the easiest way for you to purchase your child’s requirements. Simply search for our school, select your child's Room lists and follow the instructions on the website.

Buying through Qizzle also earns School Rewards for our school which we can redeem for much needed educational supplies, equipment for our classrooms or for students in need.  

School Hours
 We begin school at 8:50am and finish at 3pm. The children have morning tea between 10:30am and 10:50am. Lunchtime is from 12:30-1:25pm.  The Year 1 and 2 classes have a 'brain break' at about 2pm each day.

Sun Hats 
 During daylight saving months (Term 4 and Term 1) all children must wear a sunhat and shoes in the playground. If children forget their hat they will spend playtime/ lunchtime in designated shade areas. There is a School branded sunhat available for purchase through the office for $10.

Swimming 
 Swimming is our physical education programme in Term 4. All children should take part unless parents have specifically requested their withdrawal from the programme. Named togs and towel to be sent to school in a plastic bag. A swim cap is also required at Ally Todd Swim School, this can be purchased on the day for $6 each. http://www.allytoddswimming.co.nz/

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TERM DATES 2021

Term 1 - Monday 1st February - Friday 16th April
Easter: Good Friday 2nd April to/including Tuesday 6th April
Term 2 - Monday 3rd May - Friday 9th July
Term 3 - Monday 26th July - Friday 1st October
Term 4 - Monday 18th October - Thursday 16th December (to be confirmed)

Tax invoice
If you require a tax receipt for your donations paid this year, please contact the office before December 12th and we will arrange to have them printed. Receipts will not be available to print next year as our system is archived. Here is the link to the tax credit information from IRD. https://www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax/income-tax-for-individuals/individual-tax-credits/tax-credits-fordonations/submit-a-donation-receipt  

Teacher Interviews
This is an opportunity for teachers to share with you the information they have on your child including the learning goals they have set. It is also an opportunity for you to share information about your child with the teacher which will help them best meet their needs. Interview slots are 10 minutes long. We are using the online booking system we used last year. If you go to http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/code, type in the code ??? then fill in the boxes and book your times.

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 Uniform
We don't have a school uniform so the children can wear their regular clothes to school. Suitable footwear is recommended for sports days and sunhats in the playground during term 1 and term 4.

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 Valuable items
Valuable items and toys are best kept at home. Their loss or a breakage causes a lot of distress.

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