School's Commitment Enrolment Uniform Parent info

ACCESS TO KURA

If Parents/Caregivers or other adults are visiting the kura to see a child for any reason, it is important that contact is made first at the main office. All visitors are expected to sign the Visitors Book upon arrival, and departure. This is to prevent any unauthorised access and monitor who is present in our kura grounds.

ACCIDENTS OR ILLNESS

Minor accidents are treated in the kura sick bay, but parents are contacted if the accident is of a more serious nature. If children become ill while at kura, they will be cared for in the sick bay however, if deemed necessary, parents will be contacted to collect their child.

In extreme cases where the parents cannot be contacted, and when expert medical opinion is considered necessary, the Principal will make a decision. It is important that the school has up-to-date information of contact phone numbers.

Sometimes children need to have special medicines at kura for such things as asthma and bee stings. Any of these should be labelled showing the childs name and the required dosage clearly on the outside of the container. Any medication children may need in the event of an emergency must be held at the main office. We have a safety cabinet for the storage of such medicines.

ANTI-BULLYING

​Te Kura o Te Pāroa promotes the W.I.T.S strategy to deal with bullying - Walk Away, Ignore, Tell Somebody, Stand up for yourself. The most important message for our children is to tell someone. The sooner we know, the sooner we can intervene.​

​The kura has ZERO tolerance towards bullying, fighting, swearing and violence of any kind. If a student is found to have assaulted a staff member or another student:

1. Parents/Caregivers will be contacted and a hui with the Principal arranged;

​2. If serious, or repetitive in nature, the Parents/Caregivers will be contacted and asked to collect the child. A referral will then be made to the Resource Teacher of Learning Behaviour (RTLB) or Social Worker in Schools (SWIS) to provide a support plan. A meeting with the Principal and Parents/Caregivers will be arranged with the RTLB and SWIS worker to compose a support plan.

3. Should any further offence occur during the development or after the implementation of the support plan, the child will be 'stood down' from kura and remain at home for 2-3 days. 

4. If a child is suspended from kura, this will result following a hui held with members of the Board of Trustees and Principal.

BEHAVIOUR

Teachers work positively with children to encourage high standards of work, genuine effort and responsible behaviour. When a misdemeanor occurs, some appropriate form of consequence will be given. Where necessary, this will include consultation with Parents/Caregivers. A Resource Teacher of Learning Behaviour (RTLB) and Social Worker in Schools (SWIS) worker are available to provide support.

BELL TIMES

08:45am  5 minute warning bell

08:55am  School begins

10:40am  Interval

11:00am  Interval ends

12:30pm  Lunch break - students go out to play

01:00pm  Students return to class to have their lunch

01:15pm  Afternoon lessons begin

02:35pm  1st buses bell. Poroporo, Town south, Town North students released

02:40pm  School ends and 1st buses depart

03:00pm  2nd bus bell. Cutler Crescent, Taiwhakaea/Country

BUSES

The kura provides bus transport for students living within the listed areas. For confirmation of bus routes and pick-up/return times, please contact Karen in the front office on 07 308 6652 (Press 0). The bus departure times are listed under the bell times. Student bus monitors record all passengers who return home on the bus and have the responsibility of informing the kura of any misbehaviour or misdemeanour.

Bus routes are:

1. POROPORO       (Poroporo)

2. TOWN SOUTH  (Awatapu and James Street)

3. TOWN NORTH  (Wairaka and Hillcrest)

4. COUNTRY          (Taiwhakaea to Coastlands)

5. CUTLER CRES   (Cutler Crescent)

Students who abuse the privilege of the bus service will be removed for a length of time. Occasionally Parents/Caregivers want children to travel on a bus on which they are not regular passengers. If this is the case, please contact the Kura as soon as possible or send a note, so we can make sure the buses are not overloaded.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

The kura practices emergency procedures, in particular fire and earthquake drills regularly, so that in the unlikely event of a fire or earthquake the children and staff know what to do. We would encourage whānau to work out similar emergency procedures for the entire whānau when at home. 

In the case of a civil emergency, all children will follow emergency evacuation procedures as per the kura policy. All students will remain under the supervision and care of staff until such time as Parents/Caregivers arrive to collect them.

ENROLMENTS

Enrolment forms are available at the front office. Parents/Caregivers of new entrants are expected to visit the kura and meet our new entrant teaching staff to arrange two (2) pre-school visits prior to their starting date. A mihi whakatau is arranged for our new entrants and any other new students on Mondays at 09:00am. There is usually a two (2) day wait for enrolments that transfer from another school. This allows all necessary information to be gathered prior to the commencement. All new students start school on a Monday.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The kura have groups of students involved in environmental projects in and around the kura. We encourage environmental activities to support our role as kaitiaki of Papatuānuku and often have individuals and organisations like the Department of Conservation coming to share their skills and expertise with the students in relation to caring for the environment, pest management, recycle/reuse/reduce and permaculture.

We actively recycle paper, cardboard, plastics, cans and glass. Children are expected to take their lunch rubbish home. The main reason for this is for parents to see what their children have or haven't eaten at school and also to minimise the kura rubbish.

HEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOL

Te Kura o Te Pāroa are a Bronze accredited Health Promoting School and provide a piece of fruit to all students as part of the Fruit in Schools Programme. As part of our Healthy Schools intiative, Te Kura o Te Pāroa is a fizzy free zone. Please ensure your child does not bring fizzy drinks to kura. This is especially important to remember when bringing treats like McDonalds or fish and chips. Fizzy drinks on kura property will be confiscated./

HOME LEARNING

All students receive homework 4 times a week. It may include reading, maths, spelling or the completion of tasks and research. Homework provides a link between home and kura and fosters independent work habits as well as involves parents with their childs education. We encourage all parents/caregivers to provide children with a quiet time each night for recreational reading. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your childs home learning, please contact their class teacher.

LOST PROPERTY

Lost property is placed in the library and parents are welcome to check in lost property for any lost uniform items. We have an ongoing problem with returning lost property, so to prevent accumulation of lost property and reduce any costs to whānau to replace items, we ask that you clearly name all clothing, including shoes and hats. At the end of each term, all lost property items are placed on display.

LUNCH ORDERS

A lunch order service is provided daily. Students are able to place their orders for interval and lunch between 08:20am and 08:50am at the hall foyer. As a Health Promoting School, we endeavour to provide students with healthy alternatives. Canteen menus can be obtained from the school office OR here

MOBILE PHONES

Students are discouraged from bringing mobile phones to kura or using them during the school day. If a mobile phone is found, it will be confiscated and parents/caregivers contacted. If a mobile phone is required for communicating before or after kura, please hand the phone to the class teacher to store safely.

MONEY AT KURA

All money brought to kura should be in a sealed envelope with the childs name, room number, the amount and what it is for written clearly on the outside. The envelope should be handed to the class teacher or office as necessary. A receipt will be issued to your child. Large sums of money may be sent directly to the office. Funds can also be deposited using online banking. Please contact the office if you wish to receive the school bank account and reference details.

NEWSLETTER

Every second Friday, a newsletter is sent home to all Parents/Caregivers via all students. The newsletter is a key means of communicating with Parents/Caregivers about kura events, and programmes. Our newsletters are an important feature of Te Kura o Te Pāroa and innovative input is invited.

If you wish to have our newsletter emailed, please contact the kura office or send an email request to kraureti@paroa.school.nz.

The newsletter can also be viewed on our school website www.paroa.school.nz, Skool Loop and our school FaceBook page.

OFFICE HOURS

The kura office is open between 08:00am and 03:30pm, Monday to Friday. 

An appointment to see your childs teacher or the Principal may be made by contacting the kura office. 

The kura accepts supervision responsibility for children from 08:00am to 03:30pm. If any changes are made to the kura hours, you will be notified by newsletter.