Parents

Parents play a very valuable part in our school community and help us in all sorts of ways. It is our hope that all new parents will quickly become part of the school community and feel as much at home here as their children.

Much of the news and information on our website is directed towards Parents and Caregivers, and this section of the site is specifically designed to provide you with information and answers to common questions.

A-Z

Click or touch each topic below for more information. If you have questions that are not answered here, or if you have suggestions for questions we should add here, please let us know.

If your child needs to be absent from school for any reason, we ask you to contact the school either via phone or @school App, between 8.30 and 9.00am.It is a Ministry of Education requirement that we record the reason for a child’s absence so please let us know the reason for your child’s absence so we can meet this requirement with accuracy. To ensure the safety of children we will endeavour to contact parents or caregivers if we have not been informed of any absences. If we cannot contact parents, the Truancy Officer will be informed and will follow up any unexplained absences. This step is to ensure both the safety of you and your child. We also need a note of explanation if your child is not able to participate in any school programme (eg. sport or swimming) for medical reasons.

Although every reasonable precaution is exercised, accidents do happen. Minor ones receive first-aid treatment from the teacher on duty. In all cases of head injury the parent is notified immediately for the necessary medical attention to be sought.

All accidents at the school are investigated, recorded and if serious enough, reported to the School Board. In order to keep our Emergency File up to date, would parents please notify the school of any change of alternative contact, (for when a parent is not at home) and change of doctor.

The main bank account for school payments is with ASB:
Upper Moutere School Board of Trustees
Account Number:

12 3158 0032276 00

The school bus service is provided for Pupils who live more than 3.2kms away from the nearest state or private school of their own denomination, whichever is nearer.

We have a bus route served by Suburban Bus Lines.

To determine the appropriate place and approximate time of pick up or drop off for your child we suggest you meet with Pete, our bus driver, when he comes to pick up our students at the end of the school day (2.55pm).

We like to keep our community fully informed about what is happening at school. Some of the ways we do this are:

School Board Minutes – decisions made and issues dealt with by the Board are recorded in the minutes and are available in the office.

School Newsletters every fortnight or as needed about events and activities occurring at school. It is also used for community notices from time to time. We encourage parents to access the newsletter via the @school App

Learning Celebrations every Friday at 2.15pm in the school hall. This is an opportunity to showcase children’s learning. Each Learning Celebration is led by a Learning Space and all parents are welcome.

Informal Contact whenever we see you. If you have any concerns please see us as soon as possible.

Student-led Conferences held twice a year in Terms 1 and 3 or 4.

School Gatherings – sporting, cultural and craft activities are regular events and are a good way to become involved in your child’s education. These will be posted in the newsletter.

Our School Website – we endeavour to keep our website up to date with news and information.

Our Facebook page – regular

Parents are encouraged to discuss any concern they have about their child’s progress with the class teacher firstly, then the principal by appointment.
Parents and teachers have the same goal – the best possible education for the children. However, differences in approach, and in ways of attaining these goals can lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Regular and congenial discussions between parents and teachers are extremely valuable. Our Problems, Concerns and Complaints Flowchart is displayed in the office.

The Mobile Community Oral Health Clinic visits Upper Moutere each year. To contact them at other times in the year to make and appointment or seek advice please contact 0800TEETHN

Children can be enrolled at school on or after their fifth birthday. When you enrol your child, a birth certificate is needed to verify the age and an immunisation certificate from your doctor. The school may also need to sight some children’s passports. We also need to know any medical conditions and we ask you to provide an emergency contact number as well as your home phone number, emergency services number and email if available. Please update any changes to this information.

All new parents receive an information package containing an enrolment form, School Handbook and health record form.

All new entrants will be given a mentor from the Senior School who will visit them at Country Kids or Harekeke and be their ‘Big Buddy’ when they start school.

New entrants and their parents are encouraged to visit the school before the child’s fifth birthday. Getting to know the school and the teachers encourages a happy start for your child. Please contact the school to arrange visit times at least three weeks before your child’s fifth birthday.

During Terms 1 and 4 brimmed hats are compulsory (not caps). The wearing of hats inside school buildings is inappropriate. In Term 1 and Term 4 the rule is “No hat, play in the shade!”Parents are expected to take responsibility to apply sunscreen prior to their child leaving home each morning. Having a supply in your child’s bag so they can reapply during the day is encouraged. Each learning space has sunscreen and teachers remind students to reapply during the day.

The rationale for home learning is to enhance communication between home and school, to encourage skill development, self-development and a sense of responsibility. Objectives are:

  • Share with parents some of the classroom activities
  • Reinforce school activities, eg. basic facts, learning spelling, reading, etc.
  • To encourage self motivation.

Home learning should be a positive link between home and school, and should be an enjoyable experience for all involved. if this is not the case please talk to the class teacher.

Digital Citizenship is constantly discussed to ensure all children are aware and their responsibility to stay safe. Presently all children and parents sign a Cybersafety Agreement on starting school, this is currently under review.  We have a BYOD option for children in years 4-8.  Discuss with your class teacher if necessary.

Please name your child’s clothing to prevent loss. Unnamed clothing is placed briefly in the Lost Property bin in the library. Please encourage your child to look through the bin for any missing clothing. The bin will be cleared regularly and unclaimed clothing donated to charity. Named clothing will be returned.

Upper Moutere Village has a long established and very well run early education and child care centre, ‘Country Kids’ – check out their website for more information: http://www.countrykids.org.nz.
and ‘Harakeke’ which provides quality child care and pre-school education.

The school has regular visits from the Public Health Nurse who can assist teachers or parents with any queries. You can contact the Nurse directly on 03 541 9517.

This is taught each Monday afternoon from 2.25pm until 2.55pm based on an inter-denominational Christian curriculum that encourages self esteem, values, choices and identity. If you would like your child to participate, please indicate on the enrolment form, or email the office.

End of February – Meet the Teacher evenings are scheduled to allow teachers to outline programmes and discuss expectations of home and school.

Terms 1 – 3  – Several Written Comments are provided via our School App (eTap @school)

Term 1 and Term 3 or 4 –  a 45 minute Student-led Conference is offered

Term 4 – A Final Report can be downloaded collating all the comments and showing your child’s achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

You are most welcome to make an appointment with your child’s teacher at any time throughout the year.

Each year parents are asked to pay a donation to the school. This is to provide support for your child’s learning needs eg, photocopying. The School Board keeps donations to a minimum. If you have difficulty paying, please contact the school and we can make special arrangements.
The School Bank Account is with ASB:
Upper Moutere School Board of Trustees
12 3158 0032276 00

School opens when the first bus arrives at approximately 8.20 am.
School closes after the departure of the  bus at 3.10 pm.

School begins: 8.55 am
Interval 11.00 – 11:30 am
Lunch 1:00 to 1.45 pm
School finishes 2.55 pm
1st bus departs 3.00 pm

While children are allowed to use the grounds outside of these hours, parents are reminded that this is at the child’s own risk.

We prefer that children arrive after 8.20 am to allow teachers uninterrupted preparation time. Any other arrangements need to be discussed with your child’s teacher.

Start of Year requirements are sent home the previous year with lists also available on our website. Please purchase the exact books as specified. You may wish to cover these, but it is not necessary. Please name on the  front cover. A range of exercise books and other general stationery is available at school. When a child requires stationery this can be billed to your account and paid online through internet banking – ASB bank, Upper Moutere School Board of Trustees, 12 3158 0032276 00

We are fortunate to have a swimming pool at the school and all children participate in the swimming programme. During the swimming season children should bring clearly named togs and towel every day. If a child is unable to swim on a particular day, please send a note to school of explanation.

The pool is available for use outside school hours by hiring a pool key. The School Board is responsible for the use of the pool at these times and issues a list of rules and regulations when keys are issued. The hire cost is set by the BOT.

We do not have a day to day school uniform however we do have a school T-shirt which is worn with pride when representing Upper Moutere School. Children are encouraged to wear the school uniform at sporting and other community events. Orders are taken at times throughout the year.