A to Z

Absences - All parents/caregivers are asked to ring the school if their child is to be absent for any reason. Teachers inform the office of any child not present in the morning and the administrator makes a phone call to parents/caregivers. This can be very time consuming, so it is important to be diligent about ringing the school and leaving a message on our answer service. When leaving an absence message, it is important you state why your child is absent. Parents can text in absence messages to 027 5288978 or contact us via our website.

Accidents – If your child is injured at school, staff will take any appropriate first aid measures. If the injury is of a serious nature and/ or involves the child’s head, we will notify you. Please make sure your contact and emergency details are always up to date.

Ashton Scholastic - Books can be ordered through the school each term. Pamphlets will be sent home and if you wish to purchase books these need to be returned with payment to the office.

Assembly - Full school assemblies are held every second Friday at 10am.

Banking - If you need to make a payment to school, our account details are as follows. Please use your childs name and reason for payment in name and reference. Westpac 03 0693 0149042

Biking to School – Students under the age of seven are not permitted to bike to school. Students between 7 and 10 years may bike to school accompanied by an adult. Older students may bike to school on their own. They must bike directly to the bike stands and must not ride their bike around the grounds unless given permission by school staff to do so (eg.Wheels Day or biking on the back court).

Board of Trustees - The Board is comprised of 4 elected parent representatives, a staff representative and the Principal. They are responsible for all areas of governance. Meetings are open to the public. Minutes and other meeting information are available from the school office. Meetings are held in the staff room twice a term - normally on a Monday night.

BYOD - The school allows students to bring their own device for learning. However, there is documentation which needs to be filled in before this can happen. We also prefer devices to have certain specifications to allow them to safely work on our network. Details of this can be obtained from Tim Hikuroa, our Deputy Principal.

Class Placement - In December parents and whānau will be advised of their child's placement for the following year. The teachers and Principal are responsible for all class placements. All of the Parklands School classes are composite (i.e. two or three levels in one classroom). This is to make best use of the available teaching staff. Programmes in mathematics, reading and language are based on individual needs and rates of progress. There is opportunity for extension and attention to special needs in all classrooms. There is no advantage in being the older or younger class level in a composite class as teachers adjust their programmes to meet the needs of all children. Families who are considering placing their tamariki in our Māori Medium classes must first discuss if this is a suitable option with the Tumuaki.

Concerns - An open-door policy exists in our school. If you have any concerns relating to school, we encourage you to talk to us about them. Feel free to approach the class teacher, senior staff, or Principal at any time. A link to the school complaints policy is available on the school website under 'policies'.

Contact Details – It is vital that the school has up to date contact details for every student in the school. If you change cell phones or shift house, please try to remember to contact us.

Dental Therapist (Motueka Community Oral Health) - Please phone 03 5281160 option 7. The Dental clinic is situated at the back of Parklands School with the entrance off Talbot Street.

Emergencies – The school has a comprehensive emergency plan which can be viewed at the school office. In the case of natural disaster such as an earthquake, providing the school is still safe, all children will be kept at school until parents or caregiver collect them.

Enrolments - New Entrants - when enrolling your 5-year-old for the first time it is important to provide their full birth certificate and if possible, an immunization certificate obtained from your doctor. To make the transition to school easier we encourage parents to bring their children in for a pre-entry visit. This is arranged by the school office. Other enrolments - The Principal is happy to enrol any new children and show prospective families around the school.

Facebook - The school has a popular Facebook page. This is great place for school notices, including sports and also to celebrate successes in the school.

Fees - We are a Donation Free school. You may be asked for fees when it comes time for camp, take home items, or other special activities.

Food, Fizzy and Lollies - Parklands School encourages healthy eating. Children are not to bring lollies or fizzy drinks to school. Parklands School has a Water Only policy when it comes to drinks.

Fundraising - When we are able to, we have events throughout the year, including a fantastic school festival. If you would like to get involved or have ideas for fundraising, please talk to Sequoya in the school office.

Head Lice - Head Lice are a common problem at all schools. If left untreated they can easily spread and cause discomfort and sleeplessness for the infected children. When you discover your child has head lice you need to treat them immediately and the child should not return to school until all the live lice have gone. There are a wide range of treatments available and information about these is available at the school office or from your local chemist. Regular brushing of hair is the best method to prevent head lice outbreaks.

Holidays in School Time - The school discourages families from taking holidays in school time. However, if parents do decide to take their children on a holiday during the school term they must write a letter explaining the absence, specifically noting the dates the children will be absent. This is a Ministry of Education requirement.

Homework - Apart from Junior readers, Parklands School students do not receive regular homework, as research tells us it can be counterproductive to student achievement. Students may bring homework home and generally this is in the form of work they needed to complete.

Internet - Internet is available in all classrooms under strict supervision by staff members in accordance to our school internet safety policy. All new enrolments sign an internet permission form. Our internet is monitored by the nationwide Network 4 Learning schools’ network.

Library - Children are encouraged to take library books home on a regular basis. While our school library is currently closed, we spend regular times at the Tasman District Library next to Decks Reserve. Signing up for a library card for your Tamariki is a fantastic idea!

Lock Down (or shelter in place) - The school has a Lock Down procedure for when we feel safety requires us to lock students in classes. When we go into Lock-down we will inform all parents. However, we ask that parents do not come down to the school until the all clear is given.

Lost Property - Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own property, particularly clothing. There is a lost property bin outside the old Library. Lost property is often displayed in the playground. Please remember to label your children’s clothes.

Māori Medium – Parklands School offers both English and Māori Medium classes. Please talk to our Principal Andrea Smith about what class would be best for your child.

Mobile Phones – Children can bring their mobile phones to school for the purpose of contacting parents before and after school. Students do not use their phones in school time and during the breaks. Students must hand their phone into the school office and they bring them to school at their own risk. If students abuse the privilege of having a phone at school they will be told to take it home and leave it there.

Newsletters - We don’t send out regular newsletters (they used to sit in the bottom of our student’s bags), but we regularly put up posts on our school Facebook Page and Website. If something is super important and we want everyone to know about it, we will send home a paper copy as well as post online and/or email.

Office Hours - The Parklands School office is staffed from 8:30am until 3.30pm. Principal and/or office staff are available at this time. The school has an answer phone outside of these hours which is checked regularly by staff.

Parking – Parking can be difficult at times around our school, particularly at 3pm. Parents picking up children need to be patient and maybe park a little further from the school, rather than double park, park in our disabled parking spaces, or park on yellow lines.

Parent Help - Parklands School actively encourages parent help in the classes whether it be reading with a junior class, transporting children, or doing a small job in the office. If you would like to help out, feel free to talk to your child’s class teacher or the Principal.

Playgrounds - The junior and senior children have separate adventure playgrounds. All other areas of the school can be used by all ages.

Punctuality - It is important students get to school on time. Students that are late often miss important school notices given first thing in the morning and miss the morning roll call so would be marked absent for the morning. If your child is going to be late for school, please phone the school office and let us know. Late students must call into the office on arrival at school.

Removing children from school - Often parents need to collect children from school for appointments or out of school activities. Please ensure you notify the class teacher or the school office when you do this. If the activity happens on a regular basis, please notify the school office in writing explaining time and dates of absence and reason for absence. This is a Ministry of Education requirement.

Reporting to Parents - The school reports on student achievement to parents four times a year, in written form in Terms 2 and 4 with oral interviews in Term 1 and 3.

School Hours - School hours are 8.55am until 3pm, with morning tea break from 10:30am until 10.50am, lunch from 12:30pm until 1:30pm.

School Lunches – Parklands School provides free and healthy lunches for all our tamariki! Please talk to us about your child’s dietary requirements. You will still need to send along snacks and a water bottle with your child to kura each day.

School Trips – School trips provided are a key part of our class room programme. We encourage parents to come along on trips as we have a set ratio of adults to students that we must adhere to for student’s safety. On enrolment parents sign a general permission slip that will allow us to take students on trips within walking distance of the school. However, for any trips that require transport we will require a permission slip filled in for every student in that class.

Smoke-free/Vape-fee School – Parklands School is a Smokefree and Vapefree school and smoking and/or vaping is not permitted in the school grounds or buildings at all times and at events, camps and outings associated with the school.

Sports – Parklands School offers a wide range of sports out of school hours for students from Years 0 to 8. Details of these sports can be obtained from our teacher in charge of sport, Tim Hikuroa. Our participation in these sports is reliant on support from parents for coaching and managing of teams.

Sports Uniforms – The school provides uniforms for some of school sports and inter-school sports events. If a student borrows a uniform for a sports team they must look after it. Students will be required to check their uniform out when they collect it and if the uniform is seriously damaged or lost the student will be required to pay for it. All students from Years 4-8 are required to have a Parklands school PE Top which is available from our website.

Stationery - Children will be issued with a list of their stationery requirements on enrolment and at the end of each year by the class teacher. Stationery can be purchased from wherever you wish. Only new entrant and Māori Medium classes stationery can be purchased from school.

Sun Smart - Parklands School is a “Sun Smart” School and has a “no hat then play in the shade” policy. School Hats are available for sale at the school office.

Swimming - The swimming programme runs for the first 6 weeks of Term 1 and the last five weeks of Term 4. Swimming is compulsory unless a note from a parent/caregiver is supplied. Pool keys are available from the school office for after school hours swimming.

Toys at School - We would prefer it if children would leave their toys at home as they can be a distraction and often cause conflict if lost. If your child has a special toy they wish to share for news, send it to school with a note from you and the class teacher will store it away until the appropriate time.

Uniform - Parklands School has a wonderful uniform. Details of what is needed and where it can be purchased is available on the school website.

Zero Tolerance to Bullying - Parklands School prides itself on its safe learning environment. For this reason, we have no tolerance for bullying what so ever. If your child has been involved in bullying expect a call and if you suspect your child is a victim of bullying please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, the DP, or the Principal.