Owhiro Bay Quick Reference Guide
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Absenteeism
When a child is away sick we ask that parents/caregivers ring the school to let teachers know. This is for your child’s safety. It is a safeguard against them going missing on the way to school. Due to assemblies and fitness, the roll may not be checked before 9.30am and it may be later before the office can telephone to check on any absences. Following an absence we request parents to send a note explaining the absence. This is a requirement for official records. Phoning on the day of absence is more important for safety reasons.
After School Care
After school care begins at Owhiro Bay School from 3 February 2010. This programme is provided by KidsCo.
Arriving/Departing School
We have a very dangerous road outside our school so children need to be crossed by parents/caregivers as they are dropped or picked up.
We encourage people arriving from the south to enter the school via the gate to the courts and those from the north of the school to enter via the main school gate. This is a Health and Safety consideration as we discourage people from walking across the entrance/exit way to the car park.
For safety reasons we ask that nobody drives in or out of the gate while children are arriving or leaving school. When parents do pull away from the curb, please indicate clearly and pull away slowly as children and adults are often watching traffic in the distance and need plenty of warning.
Parents who pick up children in cars also need to be safety conscious. If possible, park on the side of the road closest to the school and stay well back from the gate and the bus stop so that adults and children can have an unobstructed view of the traffic.
Assemblies
Our school assemblies are at 2.30pm on a Monday and at 9.00am on a Friday. Parents and caregivers are always welcome to attend either of these.
Assessment
All teachers keep regular assess each child's progress over the year.
We have a social gathering at the start of each year to give parents and caregivers an opportunity to meet and talk with their child's teacher.
There is a class meeting early in Term 1. Parent/teacher/student conferences are held later in Term 1. The week before, a pupil and parent preparation sheet is sent home and is returned to school prior to the conference. The information in these provides a valuable background for the conference and helping to set goals.
Parent/teacher/student conferences are also held in Term 1 and 3 to discuss the progress and set new goals. Pupils are expected to join their parents/caregivers and teacher at these conferences. Parents/caregivers of New Entrant children are invited to speak regularly with their child's teacher as entry to school is an important step for children and their parents/caregivers.
We also encourage informal contact between teachers and parents over the year; particularly if there is a child whose learning or behaviour is seen to be at risk. These children should be identified by parents and teachers so parents and teacher together can sort out strategies as soon as possible
Bus to School
There is a city bus service which can take children to and from school. Please contact the school office or Metlink for further information about this service.
School Charter
The School Charter is available on this website or copies can be obtained from the School Office
Clothing
Owhiro Bay School does not have a uniform, however school t-shirts are available from the school office and proudly worn by many of our students.
Dental Clinic
Our children attend the mobile dental clinic (mob 027 241 8647).
Elections
Board of Trustee elections will be held in 2010. For more information please contact the School Office.
Enrolments
Owhiro Bay School is not zoned. Please refer to our enrolment section of this website for more information.
Healthy Eating
The school endorses healthy eating habits. Children's lunches should be as healthy as possible. We encourage only water to drink at school and healthy food choices.
Hours
School starts at 8.55am. Children have a morning tea break from 10.40 - 11.10am and a lunch break from 12.40 - 1.30pm. School finishes at 3.00pm.
Library
We try to ensure children use the library once or twice a week. This means children need to remember to bring their books back to school on their library day. Children are allowed to take books home, but these often need to be returned in the last week of term, so that the librarians can work on the library stock during the holiday break. All books need to be returned or renewed a week from the date of issue.
Lost Property
It is a huge help if children have their names on all their clothing so that it can be returned to the owner. When unnamed clothing is found and unclaimed it goes into a lost property box which is kept in the corridor opposite the lunchroom. Although we regularly display lost property, there is still a lot that goes unclaimed. Parents are welcome to come in and look at the lost property at any time. We are unable to take any responsibility for clothing that goes missing. At the end of each term unclaimed clothing is cleared by donation to a charity with a second hand clothing outlet.
Lunch Orders
We believe children must be well fed to enable them to concentrate on their learning.
Children can order lunches at school. These orders are taken in the lunchroom at 8.45am each morning by senior children. It is very helpful if parents can try to give the children the correct change and can get these orders in on time. Any change required is sent back to class through the class mail bags at the end of the day. We will tell you of any price changes in the school newsletter.
Newsletters
Parents are kept up to date with school events in newsletters each week. These are sent home each Wednesday (with the youngest sibling at school) and are numbered from the beginning of the school year to help you check that you have not missed any (you can also access these from the Newsletter section on this website). It pays to check your child's bag for newsletters as children can be forgetful about delivering them to Mum or Dad.
Class Learning Links are sent home at the beginning of each term to keep you informed about class events and happenings.
Parentlink
Parentlink is the fundraising body at the school. It helps provide extra equipment and resources unable to be purchased by government funding.
All parents/caregivers at our school are members of this fundraising group, which means that they are expected to participate in at least two fundraising activities each year.
People who wish to participate in organising fundraising events meet regularly at school. Details of these meetings are communicated in the weekly school flyer.
School Donations
School donations are asked for each child. These pay for some of the basic materials needed to run the school, as well as paying for all the extras such as musical instruments, audio visual equipment and most importantly books. Books don't have a very long life when being used constantly, so we spend a lot of money on replacing worn out favourites.
Currently donations are $40.00 per term per child. There is also fundraising during the year for special purposes, e.g. computers, calculators, extra resource books, new and replacement audio visual aids.
Stationery
Although some stationery items are available from the school, children need to purchase their initial stationery before the beginning of the year to enable them to start as soon as the year begins. Stationery prices are subject to increases. We let you know of these increases through the school flyer/newsletter.
Valuables and Money
If parents are sending money to the school please make out cheques to the school, and if sending cash please send the correct amount in a named envelope.
Children often like to bring their possessions to school but we discourage them from bringing expensive or treasured items to school as sometimes things get broken or lost and the school cannot accept responsibility for these. If children need money at school for bus fares or lunch change, the school cannot accept any responsibility for it unless it is given to their teachers for safe keeping.
Any cell phones that come to school are forwarded to the school office for safe-keeping during the school day and collected at 3.00pm.