This directory is designed to answer many of your questions. Please scroll through each letter to find the topics you are searching for.

Absences

Students are required by the Education Act to attend school whenever it is open unless there is good reason for being absent. (Most appointments, apart from necessary doctor and dentist cases, should be made for after school hours) Parents are required to let the school know if their child is to be absent for any reason. This can be done via the Hero app. If a student fails to arrive and the school has no knowledge of the student’s whereabouts, we will endeavour to contact the parents/caregivers.

Students must be signed in/out at the office if they are arriving late or leaving during school hours.

Accidents/ illnesses 

Duty teachers and office staff attend to minor matters. You will be contacted if your child becomes ill at school or if an accident requires ongoing attention. In such cases, it is advisable that children are collected and taken home. In an emergency, an ambulance and parents/caregivers will be called immediately. 

Please ensure we are informed of any chronic conditions or allergies and that we have up to date emergency contact numbers. 

If your child requires medication at school, this needs to be discussed with office staff and any medicines kept in the office. 

After school care

We have Before School Care available from 7.00am - 8.15am. Children are able to enter their classrooms from 8:15am. After School Care is available from 2.45pm - 6.00pm. 

For all communication relating to Before and After School Care please contact Premium Kids Care directly Premium Kids Care

Assembly

We hold weekly assemblies (hui), however these vary between singing practise, in school announcements and sharing with parents and whānau. When there is a sharing hui, you will be notifed and are welcome to attend. The children join together to run the assembly and celebrate successes in the classroom and on the sports fields, to reinforce good social behaviour and promote the arts in the school. You will receive an invitation via Hero to sharing hui.

Attendance

Punctuality matters. Please ensure your children arrive by 8.30am. For your child's safety, children should not be at school before 8.15am or stay after 2.45pm unless engaged in a supervised activity e.g. sports practice, on site after school care facility.

Learners can enter classrooms from 8.15am onwards and teachers will be available to attend to learners needs during this time.  Any arrivals after 8.40am need to sign in at the office and then be ready for lessons starting at 8.45am.  

Awards and Achievements

Ahutoetoe celebrates individual successes by acknowledging the personal achievements of our learners in class, at assemblies (when on) and end of term and end of year celebration hui's. Learners are chosen not only for working well in class but for their behaviour and attitude in and out of the classroom.

Behaviour / Bullying

Our school has a no tolerance policy for bullying and teaches children to develop self-discipline through an emphasis on positive behaviour and a reflection on choices made. We also help children learn to work through their problems with programmes such as Peer mediation, Keeping Ourselves Safe and Mitey.

If problems occur, we find a joint approach between home and school is the most effective way to help children learn more appropriate behaviour. As a result, we will contact you if there are any major problems. We also encourage children and/ or parents to report any concerns.

Bikes / Scooters 

Children may bring their wheels (bikes, skateboards or scooters) to school. It is the parent's responsibility to ensure their child has a safe bicycle/scooter and wears a helmet.

In the interests of pedestrians and small children, learners may not ride their bikes or scooters in the school grounds before and after school. Please reinforce this with your children.

Board of Trustees

Our BOT meets each month. Information about these meetings can be found on the BOT page.

Car Parking 

Most schools have parking issues and ours is no different! There is a large school carpark off of Spark Road. Front of school spaces should be used for drop off and pick up only - If you are coming in to the school with your child, please use the rear carpark. Do not use Staff spaces. Parking is limited near the school during morning and afternoons. We encourage you to walk to school if possible.

Community Involvement 

At Ahutoetoe we want all of our community to be involved in lots of different ways. We have an active PTA group - please see 'Our Community' pages.

Parents are invited to accompany classes on school trips and to assist with school events. Please let your child's Kaiako/teacher know if you have any special talents to share with us or if you would like to help in classrooms, the library, the gardens or on the sports field. 

Computer Literacy 

Children have access to computers and Ipads in their classrooms. The computers are used as one learning tool within the normal class programme and all Internet access is supervised. See our BYOD page for more information.

Contact

Please ensure the office has up to date phone and address(es) details in case we need to contact you. Children are not permitted to use the school phones unless it is an emergency.

Communication

Communication between teachers and parents is encouraged. If parents have any matters they wish to discuss with a staff member please contact them via Hero in the first instance. The Principal is always happy to meet with parents and an appointment can be made by contacting the school office.

Camp 

Camp opportunities are available for year 5 and 6 learners. 

Complaints Policy

An agreed procedure has been established so that parents and caregivers will always know how and in what circumstances they should contact the principal, individual teachers or Board of Trustees members.

If the concern is related to classroom learning, social interaction or home situations that could affect the learners learning development, an appointment should be made to discuss the problem with your child's Kaiako/teacher If this discussion fails to achieve satisfactory results, either the kaiako or the parent or caregiver should consult with the deputy principals. Should the matter still not be resolved, then the principal’s advice should be sought. Where parents or caregivers have a concern about a particular teacher and feel unable to approach that teacher or if the concern involves a sensitive home problem, the curriculum, or overall running of the school, the following procedures should be followed:- An appointment should be made with the principal. Where matters are deemed serious enough, the principal will maintain written documentation about the consultation. This will assist in following up matters if necessary or in reporting matters to the Board of Trustees. If, after consultation with the principal, the parent or caregiver still feels the matter has not been settled satisfactorily, a signed complaint in writing should be forwarded directly to the Board of Trustees for consideration at the next Board of Trustees meeting.

Discipline 

Ahutoetoe focuses on positive behaviour. If there is a serious discipline issue, then parents are contacted.

Donations 

Activity fees and school donations are family contributions. This means they are effectively a donation from families to help cover the costs of online subscriptions, visiting performers and learner experiences. There may be other activities that require additional payments, such as trips and performances.

Education Outside the Classroom

EOTC is considered an important part of the learning programme. Notices of planned trips will be sent home via Hero and we need the permission slip to be signed and returned to school prior to these outings. 

Emergencies

Fire, Tsunami, Flood and Earthquake drills:

Drills are held regularly. All children and parents must keep calm and follow the instructions of the fire warden. Please note: Parents and visitors on site during a drill or real evacuation MUST follow the directions of the site warden and join evacuation actions.

For Fire, a continuous bell will signal teachers to evacuate children to the assembly point on the field. In the event of a real fire, children will be released to parents from this point once the roll has been called and the warden has given the all clear. 

For Earthquake, children are instructed to seek shelter under tables and in doorways. A continuous bell will sound when it is considered safe for children to move to the assembly area. The collection of children will proceed as above.

For Flood, every parent will be text and emailed to advise if the school is closing.  Collection will be expected in the following hour, the main reason is because flooded water can effect the sewerage and toilet systems.  Its a good to have contact details of other parents in your child's class encase you are unable to get to school.  Please ensure your contact details are up-to-date with the school office.

For Tsunami, children will be lead to higher ground as soon as possible.

Other emergency procedures are contained in school policies. Common sense must prevail at all times to ensure everyone's safety.

Food 

Please consider learners with allergies to nuts when packing lunches. We are nut-free to ensure the safety of children with severe nut allergies. Packaged food that states "may contain traces of nuts" are permitted.

We also ask parents to refrain from bringing food to school for birthday parties and farewells. Please see our food policy for more details.

 Please note that there is no tuck shop and all children need to bring their brain food, morning tea and lunch to school. There are opportunities to order lunches from Sushi and EzyLunch available on Wednesdays and Thursday. To purchase these, these must be ordered online via your KINDO account.

Fundraising 

Our PTA organise various fundraising activities throughout the year. Whilst participation in these is optional, we rely on fundraising to purchase classroom and school resources and equipment that is essential to your child’s learning and safety.

Hall Hire

Our school hall can be used by all of our community. If you have ideas for uses such as sports, arts, group meetings, and events please contact us for further information admin@ahutoetoe.school.nz

Holidays

Details of terms can be found on the Ministry of Education website www.minedu.govt.nz  and on our calendar page.

Holiday Programme

Premium Kids Care offer a Holiday Programme and are available during Teacher Only Day. These run from 7:30am – 6:00pm Monday – Friday and are approximately $65.00 per child per day.

Home Learning

Homework is not compulsory, but it is encouraged and recommended. Homework should, whenever possible, be a reinforcement of what is being studied and learned in the current class programme. We recommend reading with or to your child every evening, Practical number practice such as helping with shopping and baking, as well as times tables practice and spelling words. Physical activity, music and arts are also important parts of home learning. 

Internet

Ahutoetoe has internet safety and protocols in place. Learners and parents are required to sign an agreement stating that our guidelines will be followed. Please return this to the school office.

Kapa Haka

We have an active Kapa Haka group that take part in a number of local competitions and events. Kapa Haka practice happens during the school day and juniors practice at lunch times. 

Kindo

Kindo is an online platform that we use to take payments. You can access this from the SCHOOL SHOP link in your Hero app or HERE. Please create an account through your Hero app. All school payments can be made this way.

Library

We are very fortunate to have a well stocked library. We call this the 'Mahi Tahi'. All learners have opportunities to visit the library. During this time they may return and issue books. The library is also open at lunchtime. One of the greater contributions you could make to your child’s educational progress is to encourage home reading which should be a continuing and pleasurable activity.

Lost Property 

Lost property is kept in a central place at the corridor entrance to the hall. Please name your child's clothing clearly and if something is lost, check your child's classroom and the lost property area. Children are not permitted to bring toys to school as it is heart-breaking if precious items are lost. Remaining unclaimed items will be displayed during the last week of each term, with left over items being donated to charity. 

Lunch 

Children have three opportunities for eating during the day. Brain food break in the morning, morning tea, and lunch. Brain food break should be something small and Individually wrapped so that it is easily accessible - such as fruit or cut veggies. We encourage you to pack a healthy and nutritious lunch for your child - Quality food supports learning.

Money

Any money brought to school must be in a named envelope with its purpose recorded. Please try to make all paymens online through Kindo. This can be accessed through Hero.

Newsletter

Our school newsletter (Kōrero) is published regularly. This is sent out via Hero or you can view it here under Newsletters. Information contained in the newsletters relate to school activities, achievements etc.. We aim to distribute 10 -12 school newsletters each year. There are opportunities for school parents and local businesses to promote their business in this publication at an advertising cost. Please see the office or email admin@ahutoetoe.school.nz if you are interested.

Notices

As well as the school newsletter there are many notices that need to come home to you. These are sent out digitally via Hero. Please ensure that you are checking here regularly and keep track of the important things happening in the school and your child's hub.

Out of Zone Students

Please refer to the Ahutoetoe School Enrolment information- for School Zone map. We are unable to accept any out of zone enrolments.

Parent Help

There are many ways parents can be involved in school life, for example; In the junior years, kaiako/teachers may organise a parent help roster for reading and writing assistance. PTA – joining the committee or being a “helping hand” at events or other activities, Library – assistance with the Scholastic book club, stock take etc... Working bees, Road Crossing.  Please talk with your child's kaiako to see what you can assist with.

Personal Details 

During the course of the school day, photos may be taken of students learning. From time to time we may like to use photographs of your child for school noticeboard displays, school newsletters, school website and special articles in the local paper. Please advise if you do not wish for photos to be made available for this purpose. 

Personal Property

Learners are discouraged from bringing any valuable or sentimental items to school as these items are easy to go astray.  Any phones or smart watches brought to school will be handed in to the kaiako/teacher in the morning and returned to learners at the end of the day.

Physical Education/ Sport

All learners are expected to take part unless prevented by ill health. 

The learning activities in health and physical education arise from the integration of four concepts, the following four strands and their achievement objectives.

The four strands are:

• Personal health and physical development, in which students develop the knowledge, understandings, skills, and attitudes that they need in order to maintain and enhance their personal well-being and physical development

• Movement concepts and motor skills, in which students develop motor skills, knowledge and understandings about movement, and positive attitudes towards physical activity

• Relationships with other people, in which students develop understandings, skills, and attitudes that enhance their interactions and relationships with others

• Healthy communities and environments, in which students contribute to healthy communities and environments by taking responsible and critical action.

Playground supervision 

Learners are supervised daily over morning tea and lunch breaks. The Health Room is monitored by office staff over these times as well.

Policies and Procedures 

All copies of school policies and procedures are available to view on request. Please see our Policies page.

Reporting to parents 

Real time reporting is continuous through the Hero app. A more formal academic report comes out in the middle and end of the year, also through Hero.  Opportunities to meet with the teacher for conferencing happen mid and end of year. We also encourage parents to contact kaiako/teachers to make a time to discuss any concerns or arising issues if they occur outside these formal times.

Responsibilities and Leadership

Learners are given responsibilities in their classroom – everyone has small jobs to do from year one to year six. When your child reaches the senior school they are able to take on more responsibilities such as, Road Crossing, Librarians, Wet Day Monitor and Hub Leaders.

School Hours

We begin school at 8.45am and finish at 2.45pm. The children have morning tea between 10.45am and 11.15am. Lunchtime is from 12:35-1:20pm.  All classes have a 'brain break' around 10.00am.

Smokefree

Please note that the entire school site (including fields and car park) is smoke free at all times. https://smokefree.org.nz/smokefree-environments/smokefree-at-school

Stationery

To make going Back to School easy for you we have teamed up with Office Max to have our class list requirements loaded up and ready to be ordered.  We’ve found this is the easiest way for you to purchase your child’s requirements. Simply search for our school, select your child's Room lists and follow the instructions on the website.

Sun Hats 

In Term 1 and Term 4  all children must wear a bucket sunhat in the playground. If children forget their hat they will spend playtime/ lunchtime in designated shade areas. The School branded sunhat is available for purchase through our uniform supplier - Please visit the Uniform page.

Teacher Interviews

This is an opportunity for teachers to share with you the information they have on your child including the learning goals they have set. It is also an opportunity for you to share information about your child with the teacher which will help them best meet their needs. Interview slots are 10 minutes long. We use the HERO online booking system. When interviews are scheduled you will receive a message from HERO to let you know they are open for booking.

Uniform

Our school uniform can be purchased online through School Uniform Co - Please check the Uniform page for more information. Students are expected to wear their school uniform every day.