Kia ora koutou. 

 

Welcome back to the new school year. We hope everyone had a refreshing summer break. The term has started off really well, our students have settled into their new classrooms and are forming new friendships. Our swimming programme begins today for the Juniors, please refer to classroom newsletters that are coming home this week about when swimming is happening for your child. 

 

Next Wednesday morning we are holding a mihi whakatau to welcome our new students, teachers and any new families into our school. Our new staff are Miss King (Rm 9), Ms Wallis (Rm 15), Whaea Lauren (Rm 5) and Mrs Schlager (teacher-aide). The mihi whakatau will begin at 11:15 in the school hall. Please contact the school office if you wish to know more about the welcoming event.

 

Mrs Harnett (Rm 2) and Mrs Mahutonga (Rm 16) have rejoined our teaching team, they are both working 4 days a week this year. Mr Follas (Rm 2) and Mrs Bruce (Rm 16) will teach each week on the day they are out. 

 

Sun Smart is important at this time of the year for everyone. We encourage the Slip, Slop, Slap message when playing outside. With a lot more students riding bikes to school each morning we just want to remind them that they need to wear a cycle helmet. Our road patrol team is out each morning and afternoon, they are there to assist students across the pedestrian crossings ensuring their safety.

 

We would like to remind all students that cellphones have to be handed into the school office and collected at the end of school each day. 

 

We were thrilled to hear about the safe arrival of Kalyn Grainger and Darcie Aikman over the summer break. We look forward to seeing Briar and Anna popping in and visiting us on a regular basis.

 

If you have been into school this week, you will have noticed the newly painted footprints leading around to the junior school. This is the safest pathway for our students to access the school. Please help your child follow the pathway if you are walking in with them. The driveway access is only for students with bikes and scooters to use. 

 

The Otorohanga South School Board of Trustees invites applications from parents who live outside of our enrolment zone and wish to enrol their New Entrant (5 yr old) sons and daughters at our school for Terms 2 - 4 of 2024 and Term 1 2025. Details of our enrolment scheme and pre-enrolment application forms are available from the school office or on our website. Thanks to the parents who have already notified us last year.
 
 Please note as part of this process we appreciate all existing in-zone families of the school to let us know if they are planning on enrolling their child to help determine how many spaces we have for out-of-zone placements. The exact number of places available will depend on the number of students who live within the school’s home zone. 

 

The deadline for receipt of applications for out of zone places is Thursday 7th March 2024. Completed pre-enrolment applications should be handed into Sandy who is our enrolment officer or emailed to admin@otosouth.school.nz
 

If the number of out-of-zone applications exceeds the number of available places, students will be selected by ballot on Tuesday 11th March. Parents will be informed of the outcome of the ballot within three school days of the ballot being held. 

 

Ngā mihi, 

Scott Lincoln 

Principal 

2024 TERM DATES

Term 1 - Wed 31st Jan - Thurs 12th April

Term 2 - Mon 29th April - Fri 5th July

Term 3 - Mon 22nd July - Fri 27th Sept

Term 4 - Mon 14th Oct - Fri 13th Dec

February
Tue 6th - Waitangi Day

March
Fri 1st - Lower & Upper Junior Swimming
Fri 8th - OSS Swimming
Fri 15th - Gala
Fri 29th - Good Friday - School Closed

April
Mon 1st - Easter Monday - School Closed
Tues 2nd - Easter Tuesday - School Closed

 

Scott Lincoln                           -           Principal

Gillian Dampney                     -           Deputy Principal                     

Cheryl Hickford                       -           Deputy Principal                  

Angela Nield                           -           Senior Teacher                       R1                   Y7/8

Carmen Harnett                      -           Teacher                                   R2                   Y7/8

Andy Bruce                              -           Teacher                                  R3                   Y7/8     

Ayla Goddard                          -           Senior Teacher                      R4                   Y5/6

Lauren Ormsby                       -           Teacher                                   R5                   Y5/6

Tegan Davies                          -          Teacher                                   R6                   Y5/6     

Kerry-Anne Lardelli               -             Senior Teacher                      R14                 Y3/4

Dianna Wallis                         -           Teacher                                   R15                 Y3/4

Roanna Mahutonga               -           Teacher                                  R16                  Y3/4

Christie Millin                         -           Senior Teacher                      R8                   Y1/2
Alyssa King                             -           Teacher                                  R9                     Y1/2

Abby Murphy                          -           Teacher                                  R10                   Y1

Adelle Morris                          -           Teacher                                  R11                  Y1

Faith Miller                              -           Teacher                                  R13

Donna Russell                        -           Technicraft Teacher              Food & Fabric

Matt Roets                              -           Technicraft Teacher              Hard Materials

Barbara Jones                         -           Release Teacher

Karen Bruce                            -           Release Teacher
Karen Bell                               -           Release Teacher
Anna McKey                           -           Release Teacher
Dave Follas                             -           Release Teacher

Sandra Rattray                       -          Librarian/Enrolments Officer 

Jody van der Hoek                  -           Office Manager

 

Mainstream Teacher Aides:

Tanya Edwards, Andrea Grainer, Holly Cornelius, Kim Shailer, Sue Schlager

 

Room 13 Teacher Aides:

Christine Mitchell, Angie McPhee 

 

Caretaker

Adrin Norozi-Iranzad

  

Cleaner                                    

Tahereh Norozi Iranzad 

 

 

Regular attendance and effective teaching are the biggest contributors to improving achievement outcomes. 

 

Please advise the school as early as possible of any absence or lateness.  A telephone call to 07 8738530, an email - admin@otosouth.school.nz or text (0279110819) is expected.  If we do not hear from you, we will contact you via text to ascertain where your child is and the reason for their absence. This info is required to be logged in to our electronic register system.

 

If your child is sick please keep them home until they are well. 

 

 

 

Establish that you are living within our Enrolment Zone.  See our website for Maps and Vacancy details or our Enrolment Officer. 

A copy of birth certificate, confirmation of address, and the sighting of the child’s immunisation certificate is required for all enrolments.

When enrolment is confirmed and on their first day, ensure they have:-

 

          *  Exercise books, paper & writing utensils.

          *  Lunch.

          

Moving to another school

As a courtesy, please advise the teachers or office staff if you are moving to another district and school in plenty of time.  We can then make sure all your children’s exercise books are returned to you.  It also gives us a chance to check that all library books borrowed in your children’s names are returned to the library.

 

All children have the right to live and learn in an environment where they feel valued and safe.  They are able to learn most effectively in an atmosphere free of verbal harassment and physical violence.  Schools are places where bullying can flourish and we need strategies in place that will result in threatened children feeling safe, and the bullying behaviour of the offenders being modified.

Bullying usually has three common features:

» it is deliberate, hurtful behaviour

» it is repeated often over a period of time

» it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves

There are three main types of bullying:

» physical; e.g. hitting, kicking, taking belongings

» verbal; e.g. name-calling, insulting, sexist, racist, homophobic remarks

» indirect; e.g. spreading nasty stories, excluding from groups

We want parents to be confident that the school staff do treat this issue seriously and are doing something about it, and they can in turn do their part, to support us in our efforts to minimise bullying in our school.   Please contact your child’s classroom teacher as soon as you are aware of any problem your child is having.

Senior assemblies occur on a fortnightly basis: Rooms 1 – 6 (Senior School) occur on a Thursday at 1:30pm and Rms 8 - 16 (Junior School) are on Fridays at 11:00.  Whole school waiata assemblies occur on a fortnightly basis alternating with the senior assembly. We hold a whole-school ‘Pen Assembly’ where life long learning is celebrated by 2 students from each room receiving an award.  We celebrate a range of student achievements taking place both in and out of the school for students who demonstrate our KETE values.

Teachers encourage appropriate behaviour of pupils on their way to school or returning from school to their homes.

 

If your child is involved in an incident after school please let us know. In most cases the school has no jurisdiction over incidents taking place outside of school hours. We will endeavour to provide support and advice where we can. It is a good idea to notify the Police of any harassment, threats or dangerous driving that you observe or are aware of. They have the powers to follow up these incidents that take place outside of school hours.

The bell goes at 8:30am to indicate that students can enter the school, drop their bags off at the classroom and go and play with their friends. Parents are welcome to come in then and visit the classroom. 

 

8:30am        Children allowed into corridor & foyers.

9 am            Children move quickly to classrooms - Block 1 starts

10:40am       Morning interval.

11:00am       Interval ends - Block 2 starts.

12:30pm       Lunch.

12:45pm       Lunch playtime

1:20pm         Return to class - sports gear away

1:25pm         Block 3 starts

2:55pm        School closes and all bus children assemble.

 

An all-in-one Scholastic Book Club brochure that includes all reading levels will go home once a term. The books are usually good value for money.  The School does not receive a commission but does have access to a few buying specials or free issues. Please place your orders through the Scholastic website mybookclub.scholastic.co.nz or at the school office by the due date.

 

The role of the Board of Trustees is to govern the school.  It is their responsibility to be a good employer.  It involves a successful blend of professional expertise, community involvement, and co-operation.  The whole focus is on the needs of children and their learning.

 

The Board of Trustees at Otorohanga South are committed to the above and work in close harmony with all staff of the school.

 

Members of the Board of Trustees are:

Chairperson:                    David Brown                              

Elected Members            Lauren King, Ben Connolly, Narita Fletcher

Staff Rep                          Christie Millin

Buses are organised through School Transport, MOE and operated by Go Bus.   Safety precautions are taken by a staff member each afternoon.  Responsible monitors are on each bus and they report any problems or misbehaviour to the office.  Any parent concerns please make contact with the office.

 

Speed limit is walking pace.  Quick drop off zone (1 minute limit) is on western side of carpark between school entrance and shelter.  Use parking area if waiting more than 30 seconds or wanting to visit.  Be aware of the pedestrian crossing near the entrance of the carpark and at the bus shelter (under school sign).  Please do not park around the edge where the no parking line is displayed nor use the staff/service vehicle entrance into the school grounds.

 

 CIVIL DEFENCE & EMERGENCY PROCEDURE

Our school has well defined Fire and Earthquake procedures.  Our staff are primarily responsible for the safety of your children - all other duties are secondary.  Should a major emergency occur, school will hold the children until, either it is safe to release them, or parents collect them.

 

·      Parents who collect children after an emergency should - behave calmly and set a good example to children who could very well be upset.

·      Before removing children, parents must report to whatever central point has been set up to check names.

·      If children are removed by the school to a safer place then it is school’s duty to see there is adequate information available for parents.

Please feel free to view our emergency procedures.

Generally each year children move rooms. When organising classes for the year we try to ensure flexibility and that all teachers have an even number of children in their class.  

We recommend that you teach your children to ride safely and that you ride with them until you are sure they:

·      can control their cycle

·      know the basic road rules

·      have developed road sense

·      walk their bikes into and out of school grounds each day

·      wear a helmet 

 

Cycle safety helmets must be worn at all times.  Cycles should be maintained in good order and checked regularly.  

 

The Dental Therapist undertakes most of the dental health care offered to children from Year 1 to Year 8 and operates from a mobile clinic for defined periods here. Some children are referred to a Dentist. For all emergencies etc please contact the Dental Therapist on 0800 825 583.

 

 

(This is practised once per term)

Signal:  Continuous ring of the bell.  If power is off, a series of whistle blasts.

Action:  

·      Children will leave by the exit leading directly from the classroom to the playground, not to the corridor.  They must be trained to do this in an orderly, disciplined manner.  Teachers will take their registers and conduct roll checks.

 

END  OF  SCHOOL  DAY 

Teachers walk the students out to the front of the school at 2:55 p.m. daily.  

All children must leave the playground by 3:15 pm and go home - they may return later with parental approval.

 

No staff oversight or responsibility is provided for children returning to play.

 

Home Reading

All children are encouraged to read regularly at home.  We like families to set aside a special reading time.  Each classroom has its own home reading programme.  Junior school children have home reading every night.

Homework programmes take place usually on a weekly basis and may involve a challenge task, plus parental help.  Research or project tasks may be set and usually involve work over several days.  Our aim is to have this extra work meaningful and achievable. We endeavour to provide students with opportunities to practice skills as opposed to learning new concepts as homework activities.  With co-operation from home, children should view homework as a challenge.  As a guideline, homework for Y1 – Y3 should be no more than 10 minutes, Y4 – Y6 20 minutes, Y7 – Y8 no more than 30 minutes per night. For our full guidelines please contact our office.

HOME/SCHOOL  CO-OPERATION 

Learning is a process which involves Parents, Teachers, Home/School and Community.  We like to involve parents where possible.  Please feel free to come along to all school events and support your child/ren.

Communication between the class and teacher can be through a notebook or homework book or via email and face to face with an appointment. Feel free to discuss any issues with your child’s teacher before or after school, preferably by appointment.

Students require a signed internet licence to be able to access the internet at school. A contract and Internet use procedure is provided for reading and signing by both parents and the student. We have safe search filtering in place and all computer work is supervised. 

 

Should children be taking medicine which could affect their behaviour or school work please contact the teacher or office staff.  If children have asthma inhalers, or serious health concerns then parents will need to fill in a Health Plan so staff are aware of their needs.

 

Accidents at school - depending upon the circumstances or situation we:

·      give minor first aid

·      contact the parents if in doubt

·      phone the family doctor

·      In an emergency we will contact you and arrange for your child to be taken directly to the medical centre or we will call an ambulance.

 

Sometimes children need to bring money to school for such reasons as school trips, photos etc.  This should be taken to the office. It should not be left around or put in desks.  Please encourage children to be “SAFETY WISE” with money.  Extra money should not be brought to school.  

Newsletters get sent out via email, and is posted to our Facebook page and uploaded to the school website. Please contact the office if you would like to put something in the newsletter.  

 

Children with high learning needs and who are on ORRS Funding may select Room 13 as an alternative to mainstream education.  Children who attend the Room 13 will be integrated into mainstream classrooms according to their Individual Education Plan.

 

Should you require to collect your children early please write a note to the teacher or, if unanticipated, contact school by phone as soon as possible to lessen disruption to staff & students.

 

Should there be legal non-access restrictions regarding your children, please advise school in writing; unless there is a non-access order both parents have equal rights.

 

Picking up children for Special Appointments:- Please call/email the office or teacher to arrange for the student to be collected.  For safety reasons children will not wait at the gate to be picked up by parents unless prior arrangement is made.

Our popular Gala event, held in March is the only fundraiser we run. Parent support is vital for its success. We appreciate your help in the lead up and on the day of this event. More details are published in the school newsletter closer to the time.       

 

·      Teachers messages can be emailed to them directly or left at the office and it will be passed on.

·      Children may phone home with important messages provided they have prior permission from a staff member.

·      Children are encouraged to leave mobile phones at home. If they must bring one in order to contact parents after school, it is to be handed in at the office for the day.

The school is responsible for playground supervision from:

          8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

          10:40 - 11:00 a.m.

          12:30 - 1:25 p.m.

          2:55 - 3:15 p.m. (car park supervision) or until the departure of the last bus.

During intervals 2 teachers will be on duty.  Their duties include:

·      Supervision of children in the playground.  All children should be able to play happily.

·      Treatment of any accidents - or organising of treatment.

·      Seeing that common sense rules are observed.

·      In fine weather keeping corridors and classrooms free of children.

·      Check children leaving and entering grounds.

  

Please label all property and clothing as it is so much easier to find the owners.  There is a lost property area at school for senior and junior students, it is located under the covered walkway on the junior side of the school.

 

Lost property is regularly displayed at assembly or other convenient times.  We suggest you check clothing regularly as we often have some items unclaimed for many weeks (sometimes never claimed).  At the end of term unclaimed items are usually sent to the opportunity shop or other worthwhile agencies.

School camps are held yearly for Year 5 - 8 students.

·      All children are encouraged to attend. We work hard to support families who find the financial aspect challenging. We have access to several options to provide assistance. Please let us know if this is a concern for you and we will discuss options.

·      We endeavour to use our very extensive camping facilities where ever possible.

·      We take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of staff, students and parents is paramount. (See EOTC policy and guidelines for further info)

 

Our school library has a very good collection of over 5,000 books.

 

We timetable our children to use the library regularly and to care for the books they read.  They may take home one book at a time.  Occasionally younger members of the family will tear a page in a book - please tell us if this happens, so early repairs can be made.  An account will be sent home to cover the cost of any lost books. 

 

Particularly in the Junior School children take home readers or other similar material.  As with library books, we hope families will ensure books are used for reading, kept in good condition and returned to school immediately after use.  They are usually part of a group set and very valuable to school - your co-operation is appreciated.

 

 

 LUNCHES

If your child has healthy food and drink everyday it’s good for their attention, behaviour and sets them up for learning. Please do not send lollies, fizzy drinks and large packets of chips etc, they will be collected and given back at the end of the day. We have a breakfast option running most mornings a week starting at 8:30am where free weetbix and milk are on offer for students.
We are part of the free lunch programme. Our lunches are made off site by Piopio Pantry and are delivery daily. 

Classes arrange outings to fit in with their teaching programme.  Parents are notified well in advance of the purpose of the visit, costs involved, supervision and transport (if any).

We welcome and encourage parent participation.  All day trips must have the approval of the Principal. All overnight camps require the ratification of the Board of Trustees. We take our job seriously in ensuring that we aim to minimize risks to provide safe learning experiences for our students.

  

An interview in Term 1 will be held so that you can meet the teacher and discuss your child’s learning early in the school year. School reports are given to all parents at mid year (usually late June) and end of year – December.  We hold a second set of interviews in early Term 3 for parents to discuss progress and achievement. You have the option at both interviews in Term 1 and 3 to have your child sit in on the interview process.  You will also be informed of what your child can do, what their next learning steps are as well as what you can do at home to help.

Most parents are considerate and co-operative, keeping their children home when necessary - if in doubt please contact school.  If infectious diseases are involved your doctor will advise when a child is able to return to school, often once a treatment has started, spreading by contact is no longer a problem.

 

Headlice is a recurring problem.  Infestations occur right throughout the year.  Please check your children regularly.  Your chemist or doctor will advise on treatment.  Please inform the teacher. Please take immediate action if contacted by the school regarding a lice problem. This avoids further spreading of the lice.

 

At school, children are taught a variety of sport related skills to support many of our winter and summers codes, this includes: miniball, softball, rugby, netball, swimming, ripper rugby, cross country running.  

During the year the following sport events take place:

 

February - School & Interschool Swimming Sports

June - Interschool Netball/Soccer/Ripper 

August - School & Interschool Cross country

November – School & Interschool Athletics

 

All children are to take part in these school events.  All children do suitable training leading up to these events, especially crosscountry.  Children must have a note, if they cannot take part.  For interschool events children must wear the school sports uniform.

 

Students are able to bring their own clearly named sports gear to school if they wish. We would like to have this option available for students and stress that is at their own risk and they must take full responsibility for storing and caring for the equipment. 

 

There is no set uniform.  We expect a reasonable standard of dress.  Cleanliness, tidiness and suitability are the major requirements.  Our playing areas can be extremely wet and muddy and it is impossible to keep all the children away from it all the time.  We expect our children to remove dirty footwear before entering classrooms. We have smart school shirts available for purchase. Make inquiries with our office staff.

 

Jewellery (bangles, necklaces, anklets, rings) are not considered appropriate for school.  Ear rings (other than studs) are most unsuitable for school due to danger in play and should not be worn.  Studs and watches only.  All other piercings and facial make up, are deemed to be inappropriate for school time.

At the end of the year lists are posted on our website so that parents can buy the necessary stationery as soon as possible.  Parents should purchase stationery where they can get the best deals for their children and have this ready for the start of the year where possible.

All children are to wear sunhats preferably with brims in Terms 1 and 4.  Those children not wearing sunhats will be asked to play in shaded areas. It is advisable that students apply sunscreen prior to the start of the day in these terms. We have a number of excellent shade spaces under trees and sails. It is advisable that shoulders are covered to add further protection from the sun.

 

It is our aim to teach children to be water confident, to swim with a developing technique, to enjoy water and to survive.

Weather permitting each Year 1-6 class has equal access to the pool during the Term 1 season. Year 7/8 classes walk to the town pools at least 3 times per week during the Term 1 season. Please see that swim wear is brought to school and taken home daily.  Regular instruction is necessary for progress.  We require a note if a child is not to swim.  We encourage good swimming techniques and style and goggles and caps are a useful addition to supporting water confidence and learning in the pool.

  

For Year 7 & Year 8 = $60 per year.

  

School operates a group of traffic wardens for Te Kanawa Street and Rangipare Street - school gate pedestrian crossing.  The wardens’ task is to assist children to cross the road safely in a controlled manner.  

Duty Hours: 8:20 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

                      2:55 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.  

  

 

At Ōtorohanga South School we have 4 KETE values. 

These are:  Kindness, Effort, Trustworthy and Engaged. 

We actively promote these values in all that we do. Teaching these values to our tamariki is a journey and we are continually looking at ways to promote positive behaviours for learning. 

Our KETE values were developed to help promote consistent language when we talk about expected behaviour across all our school settings. We also use this language when supporting our students' social, emotional and educational needs.