COLYTON SCHOOL
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
BELL TIMES
Our school day starts at 8.50am and finishes 3.00pm.
First break time 10.10am to 10.30am
2nd break time 11.40am to 12.00pm (main lunch time)
3rd break time 1.15pm to 2.00pm
We ask that children are in their class ready to start the day before the bell goes.
COLYTON SCHOOL BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL PROCEDURES
BEFORE SCHOOL PROCEDURES:
The school grounds open at 8:15am. Classrooms are opened at 8:30am. Class time begins at 8:50am.
Any children who arrive before 8:30am can wait outside classrooms or under the veranda outside classrooms. Children can put their bags away but are then encouraged to play outside if the weather is fine. At 8:30am children are allowed inside the classrooms to begin preparing for a day of learning.
Please let the office or classroom teacher know if you will be collecting your child from the classroom during school hours before 3pm.
AFTER SCHOOL PROCEDURES:
Should you be running late after school to pick up your child/ren, please notify the school by phoning 06 3287 877 or 0279098792 (please call and not text message to ensure information is received).
Any child still present at school after 3:30pm when the bus bell rings need to find a teacher and inform them that they have not been picked up.
Staff will then make contact with parent/guardian to ensure safe collection of children.
ASAP After School Care Service:
ASAP is an Oranga Tamariki approved OSCAR (Out of School Care and Recreation) registered programme
ASAP is a branch of Manchester House Social Services that offers before school, after school and holiday programmes for children aged five to 13 years based in Feilding but does collections at 2:55pm from Colyton School.
For more information please either call: 06 3236470 or http://www.mhss.org.nz/
A FEW THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
• Listen to what the children want to tell you when they arrive home. If there is a problem, listen to what they have to say and have a chat to the teacher the following day.
• Discuss books with them when they bring them home. We love to encourage reading as it helps with their reading, writing and word development. Admire their pictures and drawings and talk about them with your children.
• Show sympathy if your children come home upset, and sort things out so they are happy to go to school the next day.
• Try to attend functions, your children love to see your interest.
• Do give nutritious lunches that the children like and enjoy. Include a drink of water in a plastic bottle. Not too many processed packaged food please.
• Please remember that the education of children is a co-operative process which is influenced by contributions made by the child, the home and the school.
SCHOOL RULES
We endeavour to keep school rules to a minimum.
The most important rules are:
• Treat people and property with respect
• Follow directions from staff
• Keep hands and feet to yourself
• Positive language only
• Be safe and allow others to be safe
• Focus on tasks and avoid distractions
CLASSROOMS
At Colyton School the classrooms are named Tūī, Kiwi, Kōkako, Pīwakawaka, Kererū, Ruru and Karearea. The new entrant class is Tūī.
PHONES
The school has a mobile phone and parents are welcome to contact the office via this phone on 027 909 8792. Calls and texts are welcome.
Remember messages about sports, trips etc are sometimes sent via the school mobile phone. The most convenient times to phone the school is when the office is open from 8.30am to 2.30pm daily.
Children are asked not to bring mobile phones to school unless for a specific purpose. While children may make urgent call on the school phone, use of the phone is discouraged.
OFFICE HOURS
The school office is open from 8.30am until 2.30pm Monday to Friday. If you ring outside of these hours please leave a message on the school’s answer phone.
ACTIVITY FEE
The activity fee is set at $35.00 per child per year. This covers costs of buses if needed for school trips, general photocopying of class resources, and subsidises shows or trips away from school for the children.
SCHOOL LEVY/DONATION
Because the school depends upon locally raised funds to operate effectively, school levies have become an essential aspect of fundraising.
The Board endeavours to maintain the school levy at a realistic amount, and families are levied according to the number of children in the family. Please remember that the school levy is tax deductible. Each child is $25 per term with the 3rd child or more is $20 per term.
Receipts for tax purposes will be given upon request.
STATIONERY PURCHASES & ACCOUNTS
Children are welcome to purchase any stationery they require from the school office during school hours. We stock all stationery for all year levels and have a new entrant pack available upon request.
When children get an item of stationery this is added to the school account. If you would prefer to make other stationery arrangements and not get stationery from the school office, please let the office administrator know.
At Colyton School we are more than happy to have families make payment arrangements for school accounts, please see the office staff to arrange this. The board has set an upper limit on accounts and any difficulties with payment should be discussed with the principal or office administrator.
Copies of the account records are available from the office on request.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS
Class photographs are taken in Term 3 or 4 each year with a professional photographer coming into school. Families can also have individual and/or family group photos taken. Photographs are normally on a prepaid system.
COMMUNICATION
Absences
Please contact the office promptly to advise if your child will not be attending school for the day. ph 3287 877 or office@colyton.school.nz
School App: Skoolloop
We have a Colyton School app to keep you up to date with the comings and goings at our great school.
This app includes newsletters, notices, permission slips, sports team sign-ups, absentee notification, events, reminders, alerts, emergency notifications and more.
Parent Help
A large group of parents is involved in a variety of ways in helping our school. We welcome assistance from parents / caregivers and other community members in such activities as:
In-class assistance (e.g. reading)
Outdoor education
School trips
Managing or coaching sports teams
Library
Making classroom equipment
Music teaching – or any other area of expertise you may have
If you have time to spare and would like to be involved please contact a team leader. From time to time other people work in the school for a variety of reasons i.e. Massey University College of Education students, Public Health Nurse, Police, Secondary School students etc. n.b. We require visitors to our school to sign the visitors’ book at the office upon arrival.
Parent Interviews
Parent interviews will take place in Term 1, and in Term 3. Before and after school commitments often make teachers unavailable, but if you have any concerns or would like to meet with your child’s teacher, we encourage you to make an appointment.
Written Reports
There will be two written reports per year. One at mid year and one at end of year.
Phone Calls
Although we appreciate that sometimes there are urgent phone messages for children, we ask that these be kept to a minimum. We cannot allow personal calls for children, but will try to pass on important messages. Pupils are only allowed to use the phone with staff permission.
Newsletters and Notices
Newsletters are sent home by email, through the school app or with your oldest child (if paper copy requested) every second Wednesday. In the event of extra activities you will be notified in advance. If possible these should be kept for reference.
Concerns
We encourage parents to raise any concerns in regards to your child’s progress or welfare. In the first instance please see your child’s teacher. If you feel that you require some time to discuss your concern, ring the office to arrange a suitable time. The Principal may also be approached to discuss more complex issues.
Contacting Staff
All members of the staff are able to be contacted by email or you can ring the school between 8.30 and 8.50 am or after 3 pm.
WELLBEING
HEALTH NURSE
The Public Health Nurse calls at the school on request by the classroom teacher. The nurse will follow up matters of concern and will contact the parents. If you wish to see the Public Health Nurse or have any concerns, please discuss this with your child’s teacher.
VISION AND HEARING TESTS/IMMUNISATION
Vision and hearing testing of new entrants, who have not had a ‘Before Schools” check and Year 7 pupils, is undertaken by Mid Central Health staff each year. An immunisation programme is also carried out annually by Mid Central Health staff. Parental permission is a requirement for any checks.
DENTAL NURSE
The dental nurse is based at Feilding Health Care in Feilding. The nurse will contact families to attend appointments. The dental nurse can be contacted on phone number 06 3236686 if you have any concerns between appointments. This is normally once a year.
MEDICATION
Please ensure staff are aware of any allergies or medical conditions that may affect your child, so that we can help if required. If your child needs medication during school hours notify the office and fill out a medication form so we can support your child safely with their health needs.
Please ensure that medication required at school is well labelled and in good supply. Medications will be stored securely in the sick-bay or in the staffroom fridge.
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
Please see the newsletter or google calendar on our website for the dates that there will be assembly for the term. Parents and whanau are welcome to attend and see what our children have been learning and achieving.
LIBRARY
The school has an excellent selection of books which is being updated all the time.
Children are encouraged to take library books home. Please ensure that library books are well cared for at home and returned on time. Each child has their own barcode for library book selection.
LOST PROPERTY
As with any school, theres always lost property/misplaced items. Please ensure all clothing and footwear is named. Encourage your child to check the lost property box regularly and feel free to do the same.
The lost property box is outside the new entrant classroom, Tui. At the term’s end unclaimed lost property in good condition is cleaned and advertised in the school newsletter.
Any unclaimed property is then taken to a charity shop.
LUNCHES
During Terms 2 and 3 children may bring food items to school to be reheated in the kai warmer. All items must be wrapped in tinfoil and clearly named with the child’s classroom number.
Please ensure food items are defrosted before coming to school to be heated, otherwise they don't heat through. Every Friday our Fundraising Group run the sausage sizzle. Kindo is used for orders and information is in our newsletter.
We rely on volunteers to help cook each Friday for an hour, so if you can help us with this please advise the office administrator.
TRANSPORT ALLOWANCE
As a rural school we are aware some of our families live some distance away and are therefore entitled to receive an allowance for bringing their children to school or for necessary travelling to meet the school bus. To receive this, a form must be obtained from the bus controller, Mrs van Echten or the school office, completed and returned to the school. The allowance is paid by the Ministry of Education. The current qualifying distance is: Pupils who live more than 3.2km from the nearest school.
SCHOOL BUS The school bus service is administered over two set routes by Education Services Central on behalf of the Ministry of Education. The usual morning arrival time at school is 8-8.10am, and the afternoon service departs Colyton School at 3.25pm. The bus service is shared by pupils of Colyton School and Feilding High School.
Application forms, available from school, are required for all pupils intending to travel on the service provided. These need to be completed prior to using the bus service.
SCHOOL FACILITIES
SCHOOL FACILITIES
The school and its playground are community assets and the community is encouraged to use them. However, please treat all property with respect, Vehicles and animals are not to be brought onto the school grounds without permission.
SWIMMING POOL
Colyton School has our own swimming pool. During the summer months the pool is open during the school day so children have the opportunity to swim during class time. For information about community use outside school hours, please contact the office.
BMX TRACK
This is a wonderful facility that has grown over the last 4 years. Originally the brainchild of our student council, it was embraced by the whole school and designed and built by parents and children together. The school have purchased 16 bikes and helmets for children to use during the school day. The BMX track is open to the community to use