Attendance

It is your responsibility as parents/guardians to ensure your child attends school regularly. If your child will be absent for any reason please let us know between 8am and 9am. There are many ways to do this, either use the link on the website, through your Hero app or call the office. Please leave a message on the answer phone if you do not get a reply. This is for your child’s safety. If a child is not at school and has not been reported to be away, your home will be contacted to ensure they have not gone missing on route to school.

Cars

When transporting your child to and from school by car, for the children’s safety, please park on the school side of the road but NOT on the bus stop. We ask that you leave room for children to walk beside the fence when parking your vehicle. This means they do not have to walk on the road around cars. In the afternoons when all children are leaving at once, it is preferable you get out of your car and meet your child. Please do not double-park because we do not want to have children walking in front of cars. Please do not drive into the school grounds.

Child Health

We ask that parents do not send their children to school when they are feeling unwell. The school is unable to provide sufficient care for sick children. Please do not send your child to school when he/she is suffering from any contagious illness such as chickenpox, tummy bug or conjunctivitis. Despite the fact your child may appear well they can still be contagious. Should a child become ill at school parents will be contacted. If your child requires medication to be taken throughout the school day, clear directions for use and written permission from caregivers must be received by the school before staff can administer it. This includes items such as Panadol and cough syrup as well as prescription medicines. Students continue to have regular dental checks through the school system. The dental nurse can be contacted by phoning Bee Healthy Dental Clinics 0800 825 583 (0800 Talk Teeth).

School Donations

A donation of $130 for a child and capped at $200 for a family is requested by the Board of Trustees. Family donations are used for spending on requirements not able to be funded from our current limited operational funding grant which is allocated annually by the Ministry of Education. All pupils benefit from the use of these donations, and although payment is not compulsory, your cooperation in this matter would be very much appreciated. Part payment, or payment by installments would be perfectly acceptable.

Activity Fee

Parents are required to pay an activity fee of $60 per student. This covers the cost of trips, visiting performers and other special events. It saves having to ask for small amounts of money throughout the year. It does not cover the cost of Outdoor Education activities.

Community Input

We have a very close school community and welcome involvement of all family members. We aim to listen and act on comments and suggestions. Board of Trustees meetings are public meetings and all members of the school community are invited to attend. If anyone has a matter to be discussed at a board meeting they should contact the board Presiding Member, Claire Picone. The Support Squad committee also work constantly on behalf of the school. Our school runs social events during the year so members of the school community can get to know each other. We also have regular fundraising events and working bees. These events not only get a job done but provide enjoyable social times where members of the school community can work together and get to know each other better.

Complaints

In the event you have a complaint about an aspect of your child’s education or the school system, the normal first point of contact is your child’s teacher. If a satisfactory resolution is not obtained you are encouraged to discuss the matter with one of our team leaders or the Principal. If you are still not satisfied, it is suggested you write a letter to either the Principal or the Board of Trustees. Any written complaints are dealt with by the Board of Trustees, who will give a fair and unbiased hearing to any matter of concern. Refer to Policy on Complaints Procedure 3.7.

Enrolment Zone

The Board of Trustees is limited in the number of places it is able to offer students as a consequence of operating an enrolment scheme. All children wishing to be considered for enrolment should complete an enrolment form (under Forms) and lodge it with the school office as early as possible. The Mangaroa School home zone is: the intersection of Parkes Line Road and Maymorn Road; the top of Mangaroa Hill Road and the top of Wallaceville Road; Johnson’s Road, Whiteman’s Valley. Families living outside of these areas are considered out of Mangaroa School’s enrolment zone.

Homework

Homework is an extension of the classroom programme. Work is set within your child’s capability. This varies from class to class and is at the discretion of each teacher. Generally an amount of homework will be set to do within the school week. If your child has a problem with the homework that is set, please see your child’s teacher.

Internet Use and BYOD

All students need to have signed an Internet Use Permission form to be able to use the school’s Ultra Fast Internet connection and ICT equipment. From Year 4, students have the option of Bringing their own Device (BYOD) to support their Learning. We are a Google Apps School using the free tools made available to schools to enhance and open up the learning potential of our students. Most of all, we strive to prepare them to be confident and resilient students, prepared for the future.

Newsletter

The school has a newsletter that is published 2 or 3 times a term. This along with Hero and Facebook are our main forms of regular communication between the school and your home. We encourage you to read all communications and make note of coming events. We also welcome suggestions from school families of items for inclusion in the newsletter.

Office Hours

The best time to contact our Office Staff (Ellen Abel and Karen Gwyn) is between 8.30am and 3.00pm. If you find the office unattended, please call in to one of the classrooms. If you are telephoning, please leave a message on the answer phone. The messages will be cleared and your call returned. Please note any messages left after 3.00pm may not be cleared until the next day if the office is unattended and the principal is away.

Parent Support

Parental involvement in the school community is essential to the success of the school. Parents are encouraged to participate fully in our programmes. It is appreciated when parents offer help with classroom programmes, educational trips and visits, coaching, fundraising and Board of Trustees work.

Police Vetting for Parents and Caregivers

In the interest of the safety of the students and in line with The Education Standards Act, Mangaroa School Board of Trustees will use police vetting for all volunteers who assist in overnight school activities such as camps.

Property and Equipment

Please name all clothing and personal property. This enables us to return items left lying around, to your child. If an item is left at school, the school will be open until approximately 5pm each day. Property left at school cannot be retrieved after the school has closed. Mangaroa School has a lost property basket; please ask at the office if your child has lost something. Lost property not claimed after 3 months is donated to a charity organisation. Personal Property of any monetary (or emotional) value should not be brought to the school. Such items are not covered by the school’s insurance and the school is not able to accept responsibility for loss or damage. This includes precious toys and electronic games.

Reporting to Parents

Reporting to parents is done online throughout the year using Hero. Three way conferences are held twice a year and include the student, parents and teacher(s). Please feel free to come and look at your child’s work around the classroom and to talk to the teachers both before and after school. You will need to make an appointment if you wish to have an in-depth discussion with a teacher so that they have time to prepare the relevant information for you.

School Bus

A free school bus leaves the end of Katherine Mansfield Drive daily at 8.30am. It travels along Whitemans Valley and Mangaroa Valley Roads picking up children en route. It leaves the school at approximately 3.10 pm daily, arriving at the end of Katherine Mansfield Drive at approximately 3.25 pm. If you would like to arrange for your child to use this service, please see the office. For children using the service, the office must be notified on the days your child has made other arrangements to travel home. A roll is called before the bus leaves the school to make sure no-one is left behind. If your child is missing and the school has not been informed, it creates obvious difficulties if your child cannot be located.

School Hours

Daily School hours are 9am to 3pm with breaks from 11:00 – 11:30 (interval) and 1:00 – 1:50 (lunch). The classrooms are open from 8.30am. Unless supervised by parents or caregivers, students should not arrive before 8.30am and must leave the school by 3.30pm. Teachers must be notified before children are taken away during school hours for appointments, because of illness or to go home for lunch. All children must be signed out at the office by the accompanying adult so if there is an emergency we all know where they are.

Shady School Policy

During Terms 1 and 4 all staff and students are expected to wear a wide-brimmed hat when they are outside. A wide brimmed hat will be placed on the stationery lists for all new entrants. We ask parents to apply sunblock on their children before sending them to school. Additional sunblock is available in classrooms for the students. If our sunblock does not suit your child, please provide them with a suitable alternative.

Swimming Pool

The school has its own swimming pool – children are involved in swimming as part of the school curriculum during summer months. The pool is available for school family use outside school time. Please see the school’s Office Staff for further information on obtaining a pool key. If you or anyone in your family has had diarrhoea or tummy upset, please do not swim in the school pool for ten days afterward. This is the recommendation we have from the health authorities. We have employed a person to keep our pool water monitored and clean and she needs your co-operation in this way to ensure the health of all those swimming. Please observe the rules in the Pool Users Guide which accompanies the key. Failure to observe the rules will result in forfeiting your key.

We did our bit to help the environment. Our kids enjoy a solar heated swimming pool, installed and sponsored by Solar Group Ltd. www.solargroup.co.nz

Uniform

Mangaroa School does not have a compulsory school uniform. However children are encouraged to wear appropriate clothes and footwear suitable for play. Every effort is taken to ensure the children’s clothing does not become damaged during activities such as art. For your children’s enjoyment of each day, it is wise not to have them wear their good clothing to school. A sports t-shirt will be handed out at school when required for Interschool sports events and any other appropriate occasions.

Walking to School

As there are no footpaths around our school, please remind children to walk at the side of the road. We suggest they walk between cars and the fence and not on the road. It is recommended parents also endeavor to set an example and do not walk on the road or stand talking on the road