School Information
To find any of our policies and procedures click on the school docs link.
School Information
2024 Term Dates
Term 1 - 31 January - 12 April
Term 2 - 30 April - 05 July
Term 3 - 22 July - 27 September
Term 4 - 14 October - 16 December (12.30 finish)
Absences
Our school attendance policy reflects the importance of children being at school at all times unless they are ill, or in the event of family bereavement or arrangements have been made with the principal for special leave.
Please notify the school office before 8.45am if your child is to be absent. You can ring the school office or text the school (0211046119) to do this. This is a crucial safety matter. It ensures that your child is safe and both parties know where the child is. We have an electronic register that tracks patterns of absences, especially unjustified absences.
Buses
There are three Ministry funded buses provided free of charge to all our children. These buses pick up and drop off from as far as Kaitaia to the west, the Karikari Peninsula to the north, and Duncan Road including Taipa (Sailing club) to the east. This bus is funded by the Kaingaroa School Board of Trustees. The Taipa run may be extended into Coopers Beach if we have more enrolments in that area.
Details of estimated times and exact locations for pick-up and drop off will be given to you on the enrolment of your child. Children are welcome to use our bus into town (Kaitaia) in the afternoons to attend after school activities or to meet parents at work and the like. We no longer charge for this service. A copy of the Kaingaroa School Bus Contract can be viewed here
Change of Bus
If a child needs to change their usual bus routine the school office must be notified by note or by telephone by 2pm. For the safety of the child, he/she will go home on their usual bus unless the office is notified. This is critical to ensure student safety.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast is available in Room 3 every morning from 8 - 8.30am. This is run by some wonderful parent volunteers as well as support from senior students. We need a few more parents to help, let us know if you're available!
Lunches
Kaingaroa School provides lunches through the Ka Ora, Ka Ako food in schools program.
At morning tea the children sit outside to eat their morning tea. At lunchtime, the children are given 10 minutes to sit to eat their lunch together before going to play. This is to encourage conversation, gives the teachers the opportunity to monitor eating habits and to limit litter.
We are a water only school and do not have fizzy drinks or juices. Thank you for your outstanding support to make this happen. Children may drink water anytime in the day so providing a water bottle which they may drink in class is a good idea.
Homework
Homework programmes differ from class to class, and may differ from child to child. Our expectation is that every child will do some homework four nights per week (Monday – Thursday). All students should maintain a reading component to their homework which will be self selected as students move through the year levels.
In the junior school this would be 15-20 mins per night typically involving reading, spelling and basic (maths) facts. Continuing to read stories to your children at this stage is still very, very important.
By the time students reach years 7&8 this will increase. Homework at this level is more likely to be project based.
Police vets for drivers at school
It is the boards preferred option to have parent drivers who have completed a police check and provided ID. We greatly value parent support with transport in order to offer students opportunities outside of school. Please contact the office and find out more about becoming a preferred driver or adult to help on school camps and outings.
School Hours
The bell (sounds more like a hooter actually) times at Kaingaroa school are:
8.25am Morning teaching and learning session
10.30am Morning tea
11.00am Middle teaching and learning session
12.00pm Lunch eating (Piwakawaka,Kea,Kotare)
12.15pm Lunch eating (Kereru,Tui,Huia)
12:30pm Lunch play
1.00pm Afternoon teaching and learning session
2.25pm Home time
Stationery
Stationery is available to purchase from Marston Moor in Kaitaia. The school will no longer be providing this. Above is a list of stationery required for each Whanau group. Marston Moor will also have these lists available.
Reporting
Parents/caregivers are welcome to request information, or a meeting with the teacher, at any time during the year. You need not wait for Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences which happen twice a year.
Beginning of Year Goal Setting
Teachers have an open door philosophy, should you like to discuss your child’s progress and goals. We plan opportunities for you to meet your child's teacher early in term 1.
Mid-Year Reporting / 6 Month Anniversary Reporting / End-Year Reporting
These reports contain detailed information on what children can do in the areas of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, and what they need to work on next. They also contain a statement about where each child is working in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum. We capture the essence of other curriculum areas in these reports. The report is followed a week later by Student-Parent-Teacher Conferences which is a crucial opportunity for you to discuss your child' learning. More information on conference time frames is found here.