Parent Information

Nau Mai Haere Mai

Welcome to our parent information page where we hope to answer all those little questions that you might have. If there is anything else you need to know, use the contact page, ask your child’s class teacher or the friendly staff in the office

Our School Day

8.30am First bell rings for entry into the school (prior to this children must wait at the top of the hill)
8.55am School starts
11.00am Morning break
11.40am End of morning break
1.10pm Lunch
1.50pm End of lunch
3.00pm School finishes

Safety First

Please use the wide path between the grass spaces for entering and leaving the school. We ask that parents do not drive up the driveway unless prior arrangement is made. School patrol operates between 8.30am – 8.50am and 3.00pm – 3.15pm. Gates must be kept closed during school time.

Walking Bus

The Walking Bus operates on a Wednesday morning. Supervision is from 8.20am and leaves for school at 8.30am. Please check the newsletter each week for the departure place.

Late Children/Appointments

Children who arrive at school after 8.55am need to sign in by filling in the late book in the office. Children leaving the school during school hours need to be signed out by an adult and signed in again on their return.

Absentees

Please advise the school if your child is away and the reason, by either leaving a message on the school answerphone or sending a text to 0273398809. style=”font-family: helvetica; font-size: 16px;”>In the case of an unexplained absence the parent/caregiver will be contacted by text or phone.

Assembly

The whole school comes together on every second Friday at 9.00am for assembly. This is a time to pray together, sing and share student achievements. All classes with the exception of the New Entrant class, take turns to present assembly. All whanau are welcome.

Mass

On Thursday morning classes take turns to attend Mass at St Patrick’s Church and the whole school participates in Masses regularly each term. All whanau are welcome to attend the service at 9.15am. In the winter the Parish Priests visits each class at school to lead a class mass.

Parent Help

There are lots of opportunities for parents to help within the school. Talk to your child’s teacher or syndicate leader if you would like to contribute.

  • Help in your child’s class.
  • Parent Tutor in Reading Programme (PTR)
  • School Trips
  • New entrant Perceptual Motor Programme (PMP)
  • Whole school Arts Programme
  • PTA (Fundraising group)
  • Board of Trustees (BOT)
School Activity Fees

We would like to encourage families to set up an Automatic Payment to cover extra activities during the year, details can be obtained by contacting the school. Alternatively, payments can be made by internet transfer to 12-3290-0044979-00 using your child’s name as a reference or at the school office by cash or cheque. Fees will be requested through the newsletter, trip notices or by invoice.

School Complaints Procedure

 

Raising Concerns

Where appropriate, we try to deal with concerns and complaints informally in the first instance. If you would like to raise a concern with us, please follow the steps below. If you believe your concern cannot be resolved informally, it may be appropriate to make a formal complaint – see Making a Formal Complaint or Serious Allegation.

Raise the concern with the right person

In all instances, you may have a support person to help you raise a concern or make a complaint.

If you approach a board member with your concerns, you will be asked to follow the actions below and the board member will inform the principal and board chair.

If several people share a concern, the process is the same. You could nominate a group representative to approach the school, and it may be appropriate for the group and the school to use a mediator.

  • If you have a general concern about the school or its programmes, discuss it with the person involved or with a member of the leadership team or the principal.
  • If you have a particular concern about a staff member or a school activity, contact the person involved to discuss the matter privately. We ask that you make this direct approach as soon as possible.
    If you do not wish to approach the person involved, contact a member of the leadership team or the principal to discuss your concern. The principal or leadership team member may communicate with the person involved.
  • If you have a concern about your own child or one of our other students, contact the student’s class teacher or the principal to discuss the matter. The school monitors, records, and responds appropriately to any concerns about a student’s safety and welfare.
    If your concern relates to another student, you must not approach that student or their parents/caregivers/whānau directly. Speak to their teacher or the principal.
  • If you have a concern about another parent, caregiver, or member of the school community on a school-related matter, raise this with the principal.
  • If the matter concerns the principal and you have not first resolved it by discussion, or you feel uncomfortable directly approaching the principal, contact the board chair.
  • If the matter concerns a board member, contact the board chair, or deputy chair if it concerns the board chair.

Work towards a resolution

In most cases, concerns can be resolved informally with constructive discussions.

  • Be prepared to make a time to discuss your concern if the person involved is unable to talk with you straight away.
  • Be open to listening to the other side of the story to avoid communication breakdowns.
  • Follow-up actions or later check-ins may be able to be agreed where appropriate.
  • Involving a third party to facilitate discussion or participate in a meeting may be appropriate.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of your initial meeting, contact the principal, a member of the leadership team, or the board chair to discuss further resolution.

If this process does not resolve your concern, you can make a formal complaint.

Making a Formal Complaint or Serious Allegation

In the first instance, follow the steps in Raising Concerns. If your concerns have not been resolved, or for more serious matters, you can make a formal complaint. Formal complaints may be about an employee of the school, a parent or caregiver, a student, or any matter within the school’s responsibility. If you have a complaint about the conduct or competence of a teacher, the complaint must be made directly to the employer (board). In some cases, a complaint may be made directly to the Teaching Council.

Formal complaints should be made in writing (i.e. email or letter) to ensure the school is able to meet its legal and ethical obligations, including complying with the requirements of natural justice.

All parties should respect privacy and confidentiality, including avoiding the use of social media to promote a point of view.

How to make a complaint

Put your specific complaint(s) in writing and include your preferred contact details. Give as many facts and details as possible, including the names of people involved and dates of events, as well as any steps you have taken to resolve the matter. It will not usually be possible to effectively investigate complaints that are made anonymously. If you have any specific concerns about your identity being disclosed then please include these with your formal complaint so they can be discussed with you directly.

The email or letter should be marked “confidential” and sent to:

  • the principal, if the complaint is about a staff member, student, parent or caregiver, or other member of the school community
  • the board chair, if it is about the principal, or is about the conduct or competence of a teacher and is serious in nature
  • the deputy chair, if it is about the board chair.

Contact details for the principal, board chair, and deputy chair are available at the school office or online.

What happens with your complaint

The principal, board chair, or deputy chair will check that your complaint has come to the correct person and then send you an acknowledgement of receipt, within 5 working days.

First steps

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the first steps may include:

  • asking you for more details about your complaint so that your concerns can be investigated effectively
  • suggesting possible alternative options for informal or low-level resolution
  • referring the matter to the board for consideration at an in-committee meeting, so that the board can determine the next steps
  • conducting preliminary investigative steps or enquiring into the facts
  • consulting external advisors (e.g. legal advice, NZSTA).

Decision to investigate

After receiving a formal complaint, the school will need to decide whether an investigation is necessary or otherwise appropriate. It is likely that your written complaint will be disclosed to the person complained of at an early stage. This is to ensure fairness and meet the requirements of natural justice. Where a complaint is being investigated the person complained of will usually be informed of the intended investigation process. If the person complained of is an employee of the school they must be advised of the complaint and be given an opportunity to provide explanations and comments before the school makes any decision that is likely to affect the employee’s continued employment.

  • If your formal complaint does not justify a formal investigation, the principal or board will consider the issues raised and all of the relevant information, and provide you with a written response.
  • If your formal complaint does justify a formal investigation, see Formal investigation process below.

Before starting an investigation, the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) or legal advisors should be contacted for advice. The school’s insurer may need to be notified. It may also be necessary to liaise with other external agencies, such as Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children and/or the New Zealand Police, before starting an investigation.

Formal investigation process

If a formal investigation is required, subject to privacy, confidentiality, or other ethical and legal requirements, we may keep you informed about the investigation process and the expected timeframes, including confirmation of when the matter is concluded.

  • Relevant collective employment agreement provisions for dealing with complaints about staff members must be observed, including protecting the staff member’s dignity and mana, advising them of their right to seek support and representation before responding to complaints, and giving them a reasonable opportunity to take that advice.
  • A full documentary record of any formal complaint is completed and stored confidentially in a secure location.

Outcome of the investigation

Once a formal complaint has been resolved, there are no further avenues to pursue the complaint at your school. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you are encouraged to take advice and may wish to consider contacting the Human Rights Commission, Ombudsman, Ministry of Education, ERO, or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. If your complaint was about the conduct or competence of a teacher, you may also be able