PARENTS A - Z

To keep account of all children, it is important that parents/caregivers notify the school office, (03) 544 2898 or danella@appleby.school.nz of any absences or lateness before 9:00am. Any unexplained absences will be followed up by a phone call to home and other contacts if necessary before 9:30am.

You are welcome to raise questions, discuss the progress of your child at any time. Teachers are available for these discussions outside school hours. An appointment is always advisable unless the matter is urgent.

Senior students present a community assembly each Friday. They are held on Fridays at 2:30pm in the school hall. These gatherings are an opportunity for the students to showcase what they have been learning and celebrate special achievements.

Parents, other family and community members are most welcome to attend our Friday assemblies. See the newsletter and the school calendar for specific information.

We encourage parents/caregivers to establish good systems in the mornings that ensure the children are here at least 10 min before the start of the school day at 9am.

Getting children to school every day, on time, well fed, well rested and ready to learn gives your child the best chance of success at school!

Unfortunately our location, with two busy highways nearby, does not allow for unsupervised biking! We insist that no child under eleven years of age be permitted to cycle to or from school without a parent escort.

For further information regarding biking to school, please talk to the principal.

Our school bus service begins on Lower Queen St at the turn off to Best Island.

It picks up children from Best Island Landsdown Rd and drops them off at school at about 8:15am. It then travels up the Moutere Highway, up Redwood Valley Rd, through Maiseys Rd to the Coastal Highway and down Westdale Rd before heading back down the Coastal Highway to school, arriving at 8:50am. In the afternoon this route is reversed.

Children need to live more than 4km away from school and inside the zone boundaries to get a free service. Students who live inside or outside the eligible zone, but on the route, can usually get passage on the bus if there is space. Please talk to the principal about eligibility, times etc.

Children departing school on the bus are accounted for. If you do not wish your child to leave school on the bus on a particular day please let us know before 2:30pm.

Safety on the bus is paramount. To this end we invite a police officer to instruct all the bus children on bus procedures and safety while on board.

Children are expected to remain seated and behave appropriately on the bus.

Any child misbehaving will be given a warning and parents informed.

Class outings can add a lot of value to our learning programmes. On enrolment of your child you will be asked to sign a consent letter allowing your child to participate in low- risk level school trips.

Special activities such as skiing or camps will require a separate permission slip.

Class teachers will advise parents of upcoming trips and will send home a form requesting help with transport. This help with transport is greatly appreciated and helps us to offer a wide range of experiences to our students.

On the first Saturday of September every year Appleby School has a Country Fair. This is the school's major fund-raiser and a special day for our whole community!

This is the time of the year that the school needs as many people as possible helping out in all the various roles, so if you happen to start school in August we apologise in advance for the number of things that you get asked for! All information about the fair is communicated well in advance through Friends of Appleby School (FOAS). We look forward to having another pair of hands onboard!

Although there is no official uniform, our school uniform colours are green and white.

We ask that children wear appropriate clothing for a school environment and weather conditions. In the summer children need wide brimmed hats and clothing that covers their shoulders. All clothing should be named.

For inter-school sports and cultural events, we wear an Appleby School sports top. Many families choose to buy one of these from the school office. We also loan out sports tops to those who do not have one.

A school newsletter is sent out by email each Friday during the school terms. Whānau are encouraged to look out for this and stay up to date with happenings. A hard copy is given to any students who do not have email at home.

Our school website, www.appleby.school.nz has a copy of these newsletters and lots of other school information.

Our school community Facebook page contains our daily noticeboard as well as sports draws and other useful information.

At times the school uses text or email messaging through our student management system when we need to communicate a more urgent matter. Please make sure the school has a current email and cell phone contact.

Check-ups, appointments and emergency dental care are all handled through the Richmond Dental Clinic.

This is located at Henley School, 56 William Street, Richmond, phone 539 5320.

The clinic will contact parents/caregivers directly regarding appointment times or you may contact them with any questions or concerns you may have. Parents/caregivers are expected to attend appointments with their children.

The clinic is open during the school holidays. Preschoolers can be enrolled with the clinic from two and a half years of age.

The Board of Trustees sets the voluntary school donation on an annual basis.

We endeavor to keep these to a minimum. Each family will be notified of these near the beginning of Term 1. Currently this donation is $150 per family and $80 for a single child.

It is school policy that all children wear a broad brim hat outside during terms one and four. Caps are not acceptable. Children without hats are required to play in the shade areas. Appleby School hats are provided free on enrolment and available for purchase from the school office for $12.00. Sunscreen is available in all classrooms.

The health and safety of your child is very important to us and we take care in providing the safest environment possible. We have detailed policy and procedure that helps us to mange the safety of the school environment. You can see these at our policy website: http://appleby.schooldocs.co.nz/

Accidents do happen however and it may be necessary at times to contact parents/caregivers. Therefore, it is essential that we have a current record of contact people and their phone numbers.

If your child has a condition that may require medication to be dispensed at school, please contact Danella in the school office and give her the details. All medication is dispersed through the sick-bay and no medication is given without parent/caregiver approval. Staff members have current First Aid Certificates.

The Public Health Nurse visits our school on a regular basis and is available to discuss any concerns you may have. Our Public Health Nurse is Nicola Thompson.

Telephone: (03) 5437913 Extn:313 Fax: (03) 5461 542

Cell: 027 2460984

Email: nicola.thompson@nmdhb.govt.nz

At the beginning of each year children are placed in one of five House Groups. These are named Cotterell, Redwood, Lansdowne, Challies and Westdale.

House groups allow interaction between children of all ages across the school.

During the year the students work and play with their House Groups in a variety of activities.

Students regularly use ICT devices at school as part of their learning. We have clear policy and procedure around the correct use of these tools and the internet.

At enrolment, children and their parents are given a detailed description of how we handle Cyber-safety at Appleby School. When informed students are asked to sign a cyber-safety agreement which includes a section on permission to display their pictures and work on the school website and/or newsletters.

All students in all classrooms go over cyber-safety procedures at the start of Term 1 every year.

You can find lost property hanging school washing line near the adventure playground. At the end of each term items not collected will be donated to charity.

We encourage parents to provide healthy lunches, keeping treat foods for at home. Subway lunches can be ordered through the school office on Mondays. Sushi can be ordered on Wednesdays. Orders to be into the office before 9am.

Several itinerant music tutors offer lessons here at school. Students have been able to learn drums, guitar, ukulele, violin, flute, piano and recorder. Talk to Danella in the school office if you would like to know more about what's available.

We truly value and welcome the involvement of parents/caregivers and whanau at Appleby School. There are many ways of being involved:

• Helping with the school fair

• Helping in the classroom

• Coaching sports teams

• Board of Trustees

• Dance and drama groups

• Supporting trips and visits

• Friends of Appleby School (FOAS)

• Library duties

• Working bees

• PMP (junior physical co-ordination programme)

We are always looking at new learning opportunities for the children so if you can help in any way, please contact the office or your child’s teacher.

We recommend that toys and valuables be kept at home as we cannot accept responsibility for these items at school. School will let whānau know of special days when toys and games are OK to bring.

The school swimming pool is available for family use during the summer months.

Keys are available from the office from November each year at a cost of $35.

Key-holders are required to sign a contract outlining rules for the use of the pool.

At present, Appleby School does not offer religious instruction.

Whānau / teacher / student discussions are held twice yearly, once at the end of term 1 and once at the end of term 3. The first focuses on each student’s particular strengths learning styles. The second has a more academic focus with emphasis on the successes of the year so far.

Written reports are completed at these same times, and have a focus on literacy and numeracy, as well as any particular successes.

Parents are welcome to ask for and receive an interview or access assessment information at any time.

Students are provided with opportunities to set goals, reflect on their own progress and learning. They are expected to take on an increasing role in managing their own learning as they progress through the school.

The school contacts the parents if unusual or significant issues which affect the child’s learning become apparent at school.

When sharing information, the schools philosophy one of transparency and honesty.

Many of our students choose to get involved in sporting activities. Some of these are offered through the school and others are arranged through local clubs. At the beginning of each school term, students can be registered through the Google Form that is emailed to each family. Justin is the sports co-ordinator and can answer any questions.

At the beginning of the year the school orders class sets of stationery that are made available to the students at the start of Term 1. The cost of this (approximately $25) is included in the student’s activity levy.

Replacement stationery items, (if required) are available from the school office.

We ask that children arrive after the bus arrives at around 8.10am.

If students are remaining at school after 3.15pm, we ask that they are actively supervised by whānau or caregivers.

If there is a reason for students to arrive early or remain late, please contact the school in advance.