Info A-Z

ABSENTEEISM / ATTENDANCE

Children are expected to be at school every day unless they are unwell or they have an appointment. Children must not be sent to school when unwell as they provide a health risk to others. For safety and attendance reasons, it is important that parents and teachers know where children are. Please let us know if your child is not going to be attending school by using the School app (Hero), emailing or phoning the office before 9am. 

AFTER SCHOOL

We expect children to depart for home as soon as the school day finishes at 2:50pm. Children not collected by 3:00pm will be enrolled into After School Care at a cost to the caregivers. Children must wait inside the school grounds for their safety until collected. 

AFTER SCHOOL CARE TUI HOUSE

An after school care programme (Informally referred to as ‘Tui House’) operates five days a week from 7.30am – 8.30am and 2.50pm – 5:30pm. A wide variety of activities are included in the programme, from art and craft to sports. Children need to be enrolled in order to attend this programme. This can be done via the enrolmy website, you’ll find a link to it on our school website. Enrolment forms and full information is also available from the school office or by phoning 07 829 5735.

Afternoon tea is provided – e.g. a snack of fruit, pizza, sandwiches, biscuits or similar.

SESSION TIMES:

• Morning session: 7:30 – 8:30am
• Afternoon session: 2:50- 5:30pm

FEES:

• Morning session: $3.75 for each half hour 
• Afternoon session: $7.50 for first hour, then $3.75 for each half hour after that. 
• After 5:30pm: $20 for every 15 minutes late

ACCIDENTS AND SICK CHILDREN

In the case of serious accident or health event along with any head or mouth injury at school, parents will be contacted immediately. If parents are unable to be located, the “emergency contact” person will be consulted and/or family doctor if necessary. If a child becomes sick at school, the school administrator will phone parents/caregivers for the child to be collected and cared for at home. 

ALLERGIES / HEALTH PROBLEMS

The school would appreciate being informed of any particular allergies or health problems, minor or major so that your child can receive immediate treatment if necessary.  If you have any new medical information about your child, please contact the office to update their records.

ASSEMBLIES

Assemblies are held once a fortnight on Fridays from 2:10 -2:50pm.  Parents and family members are always welcome to attend. These are advertised in our reminders and also on our school calendar which can be found on our school website.

BEHAVIOUR

Our Matangi School Values guide and direct us in creating a positive and restorative approach to inanaous behavious. We expect high standards of behaviour at all times. If teachers are concerned, parents will be contacted. If parents are concerned, we ask that the parent please contact their child’s teacher. 

BICYCLES

All children riding bikes to school should have a good knowledge of the road rules and are legally required to wear cycle safety helmets. Bicycle stands are provided beside the pump track anda next to the Tōtara Hub for the Juniors.  Our pump track is available to be ridden on at morning tea and lunch times.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board of Trustees meeting dates are advertised in the school newsletter and school calendar. 

BOOK CLUB

Children have the opportunity to buy books at a reasonable price through the Scholastic NZ Book Club. The Lucky Book Club brochure will be distributed twice a term and will be sent home with each child who wants one. Books ordered will be sent to the school two weeks later for distribution.  The school receives 10% of total orders back and we can purchase resources and books for our Library.

CALENDAR OF TERM EVENTS

Click here to view our events.  This calendar is also available on our website, on our Matangi School events board at the front of the school and is also available on our website and our weekly newsletters.

SCHOOL CAMPS

All Year 3-6 students go on an annual camp. Parents are informed a term prior to camp through their childs class teacher, school calendar, weekly reminders. Other classes participate in Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC). 

CARING FOR YOUR SCHOOL

Matangi School recognises that environmental education is an important part of life long learning. We want our students to own and work in a healthy environment that they have created, maintained and will pass on to future generations. Enviro Days are organised each term. The buildings and facilities of the school are regarded as a community asset, and wherever possible the community is encouraged to use them. 

CLOTHING / PERSONAL GEAR

Matangi School has a school uniform which is compulsory.  All of our uniform will be sold though NZ Uniforms, 244 Tristram Street, Hamilton. Please name all clothing, togs and towels, lunch boxes, school bags and drink bottles.  Lost property is found in the hallway of the main building.

COMMUNICATION

At Matangi School we continue to refine our forms of communication. If you need to get a message to your child’s teacher, we ask that you contact the teacher/s of your children via email or by phoning the school office to get a message to them.

Email: School newsletters are sent via this platform. If we receive an email from a parent, we will often respond to this either by replying to it via email or by calling the parent or caregiver as soon as we are able to.

Facebook:  We use this way of communicating for sending school updates, emergency updates and special photos of great things happening in our kura.. 

Hero: Hero is used to report your child’s learning to date. Via this application you will be able to let us know if your child is going to be absent from school, keep updated on notices that are being delivered in the school, link to our school website and school calendar, and have links to your school financial accounts.

Enrolmy: Is used for Tui House for bookings and Invoices/Statements. 

COMPLAINTS / CONCERNS

Many concerns can be addressed if we know about them. In the first instance, if you have a concern about the progress or behaviour of your child please take the time to speak to the teacher of your child by making an appointment to see the teacher. We really encourage this point of contact as we believe most incidences or misunderstandings can be dealt with at this level. A complaint is deemed to be of a serious nature and the parent/caregiver must put their complaint in writing, addressed to the Principal and/or Presiding Chair stating that they are making a complaint then specifically stating the allegations. A complaint may be the result of actions or speech or deed construed by a parent/caregiver or a member of the community to be detrimental to the child or children at the school. School Policy 7, Concerns and Complaints detail guidelines and procedures to be undertaken.

DONATIONS

These are not compulsory and more or less can be paid. Any contribution you pay will be gratefully received and will assist in a better learning environment for your child/ren. You have the option to pay school fees at the beginning of the year in total, or at the beginning of each term, or by regular direct debit payments. If you elect to pay per term we will remind you by sending out an invoice.

Term – $42.50 per child. Annual – $170.00 per child.

10% reduction for second and subsequent child attending ($153)

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

Please keep the school office informed of address or phone number changes. All children will become familiar with emergency procedures by participating in practices conducted at regular intervals throughout the year under the supervision of the Principal.

ENROLMENT PROCEDURES

It is desirable that the school is notified on or about the fourth birthday of any child who may be enrolled at this school. Pre-enrolment information assists the school to plan for future development. New entrant children require a birth certificate and immunisation records if immunised. Pre-school visits can be arranged prior to the child’s 5th birthday by phoning the school office. Matangi School has a Kick Start Programme for students enrolled which the child will attend roughly half a term (5 weeks) before starting School. This is run on a Wednesday morning from 8.55am – 10.10am in the new entrant classroom. Children are to be enrolled via the website.

FUNDRAISING GROUP

The School Fundraising Group  is a support body of the school and is open to all parents, caregivers and friends of the school. All meetings and activities advertised in the newsletter.. 

HOME LEARNING 

Home learning programmes mainly focus on reading practice, spelling, basic facts and times tables. In the Junior School, children will be issued with a home reader in a book bag on most days. However, books will only be sent home when the book bag is returned and signed. Poetry will also be sent home on a regular basis for you and your child to enjoy together.  It is the school’s belief that teaching and related learning should be emphasised on school days during 8:55am to 2:50pm. After 2:50pm children can benefit from a home learning programme that promotes involvement in a range of recreational and family oriented activities. 

INTERNET: KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE

Matangi School has a policy and set of procedures concerning the use of computers.

A cyber saftey agreement will need to signed by all students and their parents at the start of each year.

We make every effort to keep children safe when using the internet.

In support of safe practices, Parents/Caregivers can:

• Talk with your child about online dangers.
• Put the computer in a family area of your home, so that you can keep an eye on what is happening.
• Have a password only you know that must be entered before your child goes online.
• Limit the time your child can spend on the internet.
• Spend time online with your child exploring positive sites.
• Randomly check your child’s email.
• Install filtering software. For information on filtering software, visit www.software4parents.com

As well as talking to your child about Internet safety, you can also check your child’s Internet activities by using the following procedures:-

• Open the browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator).
• On the toolbar, click the history button. The history bar will appear, listing the web addresses of the sites visited recently.
• Click on the addresses listed to visit the sites.
• To delete the sites, click on the right button on your mouse and select delete from the drop-down menu.

LUNCH ORDERS

We use Your Lunchbox for lunch orders.  You can create your account then place your order here.

LUNCHES

All children are supervised while eating their lunch. During the summer season provision is made for children to sit in shaded areas. On wet days all children eat their lunches in their own classrooms, under supervision. As the children finish eating, the duty teacher dismisses them. No sweets are to be brought to school for mid-morning break or lunch. We encourage every child to bring their own water bottle each day.

MEDICINE

If a child requires medication at school their teacher must be informed. All medication, even temporary must be kept in the school office or refrigerator. Caregivers must complete and sign a consent form requesting administration of medicine at school. The school may act as an agent on behalf of the parent/caregiver. Consent forms will be held on official school file. 

MONEY RETURNS

We ask that whenever parents/caregivers need to send money to school for example, field trips, stationery, school fees etc; online payment is the preferred method. For online banking please use the following bank account: 12-3122-0203336-000

NEWSLETTERS/REMINDERS

A school newsletter is emailed every Thursday. Please read your newsletter carefully as they are not only informative but detail many organisational and administrative features of the school. If you have information to be included please submit this information no later than 11am the Wednesday before publication. The school newsletter may also be accessed through our website.

PARKING

There is ample parking along Matangi Road and in the Foster Reserve carpark for parent/caregiver cars. Please respect our neighbours by not parking in or across their driveways. The school car park IS NOT A DROP OFF AREA and is for staff only. Please note that during winter months Jack Foster Reserve may be closed for parking to preserve the grass.

PLAY GROUP

The Matangi School Playgroup operates on a Monday morning in the hall from 9.00am till 12.00pm approx. Parents/caregivers with pre-schoolers are welcome to attend.

PRIVACY ACT

Under the Privacy Act the school is entitled to collect, retain and use information on children and families attending the school relevant to the operations of the school. Parents/caregivers may from time to time confirm that the information held by the school is up to date and relevant.

PROTECTION ORDERS

Parents/caregivers must inform the school of any protection order or special circumstances regarding the custody of children in their care. A copy of proof of agreements such as a protection order issued by a District Court is to be handed to the school office each school year. The school holds such documentation on file for the duration of the current year.

REPORTS AND INTERVIEWS

Parents are invited to meet with classroom teachers to discuss student achievement and learning goals. We hold parent/teacher.interviews in term one and three. The school operates an Individual Student Assessment Portfolio via our Hero Platform. A feature of this system is the ongoing reporting to parents on the progress and achievement of their children. Progress and achievement in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum are recorded in these in Terms 2 and 4. Parents/caregivers are encouraged to discuss any matter that may be of concern with the child’s teacher throughout the year. If you wish to further discuss any matters with the teacher, an appointment may be necessary.

ROAD PATROLS

A road patrol manned by Year 5-6 students under adult supervision operates from 8:30am – 8:55am and 2:50pm – 3.00pm on Matangi Road. When children first start school it is important that they know the correct route to take and if they have to cross the road that they know the proper place to cross.

SCHOOL CHARTER AND POLICIES

The Matangi School Charter and Policy Statement File are available for perusal in the school office and on our school website. Both the charter and school policies are constantly being reviewed, added to and/or rewritten. 

SCHOOL HOURS

8:30am Classrooms opened for children to enter

8:55am Learning commences

10:10am Morning Interval

10:30am Learning recommences

12:45pm Lunch

1:20pm Learning recommences 

2:50pm School finishes 

SCHOOL OFFICE

The school office hours are 8:30am to 3.00pm each day. For day to day general inquiries please contact us on 07 829 5735.

For all class based inquiries your first point of contact is the classroom teacher. Please email the Teacher on first initial follwed by last name @matangi.school.nz   eg: asmith@matangi.school.nz

Payments are preffered to be paid online into our school account: 12-3122-0203336-000

Payments to be pain online into our fundraising account: 12-3122-0203336-001

SCHOOL VISITS / EDUCATIONAL TRIPS

Throughout the year children will be involved in activities that include sporting exchanges, cultural activities, study trips and camps. These are advertised well in advance through school and class notices. There is usually a cost involved with each of these activities. Parents/Caregivers register their child’s attendance to these trips and provide the teacher with the relevant via Google Forms sent through prior to the trip.

SECURITY

The school has a security alarm system installed that is monitored by Smartways Security in Hamilton.

SICKNESS

To view the latest NZ Governments guidelines to parents, please click here.

SMOKING/VAPING POLICY

A smoke/vaping free environment is established and maintained at Matangi School at all times as a contribution to the health and welfare of all concerned. 

ESOL / SPECIALISED PROGRAMMES

The school provides support for students who have additional learning requirements and/or needs. 

Children who have English as their second language and who have significant developmental delays in learning to read, write and speak English may be considered for a language development and enrichment programme. Te Ao Maori Matangi School teaches Waiata, Kapahaka and includes Tikanga Maori in the curriculum. Children With Special Abilities Special needs, gifted and talented students will be offered learning opportunities to enrich and extend them. IEP: Individual Education Plans are established when needed  in consultation with parents/caregivers and often a member from Specialist Education Services to meet specific learning and/or social needs of the student. The plan belongs to the school and is a guide to our intervention programme. Resource Teachers Learning & Behaviour Should a student have mild to moderate learning and/or behaviour needs, a referral may be made by the school, for support and/or intervention by a Resource Teacher Learning & Behaviour. Parent/caregiver permission is required as part of the referral process. 14

SPONSORSHIP

The school offers many opportunities for parents and the business community to build a mutual partnership of promotion and sponsorship.

SPORTS AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

The school encourage sporting activities. Management of team sports including rugby, netball, cricket, hockey and football has shifted on to local clubs recently.  Your local clubs still require parent helpers to assist in coaching and managing the teams. At Matangi School we manager flippa/splash ball and basketball only.  If you are interested in these please contact the office and they will put you in touch with the teacher organising sporting codes.

You can find a selections of sporting options and sports clubs by visiting the Sports Waikato website.  By doing this you can search for any club available locally.

STATIONERY

All stationery is available to be purchased online through our stationery supplier Qizzle.  For help with ordering please contact the office and they will happily talk you through it.

STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Within existing parameters of staffing and other resources we endeavour to cater for the individual differences of students. Matangi School believes in inclusiveness where each child may be catered for, recognising their right to an education appropriate to their functioning level. We will endeavour to provide students with special education needs with the supports and services they need to receive an education in the least restrictive environment possible. The school will often seek the support and/or intervention of outside agencies when working with children with special educational needs. Matangi School will promote, foster and expect a partnership with all families who have children attending Matangi School.

SUN SAFE

Matangi School is a Sun Smart School. The school recognises the increased health risks to children from harmful UV rays of the sun. Children are particularly vulnerable to sunburn and need guidance in protecting themselves from the sun. Our SUN SMART procedure details guidelines and acceptable practices.

This procedure includes the following statements;

• This procedure will be implemented in Terms 1 and 4.
• Suitable hats are defined as giving protection to the face, neck and ears.
• School sun hats are available for purchase from the school office ($23 per hat).
• The school requires all children, when they are in the school grounds, to wear a sun hat; “No hat, play in the shade!” Children without a sun hat will be required to be in the shade during playtime and lunchtime.
• Students will be encouraged to apply sunscreen SP30+, before going outside to participate in activities.

SUPPORT SERVICES

On the advice of teachers and parents, support services will be sourced in by the Principal or SENCO to assist children with specific needs. These include;

• Resource Teachers Learning and Behaviour
• Speech and Language Therapist
• Hearing and Vision
• Psychologist
• Health Nurse
• C,Y,P,S Children And Young Persons Service
• School Advisory Services
• School Attendance Services
• Police
• others as required.

SWIMMING

During the swimming season all children are expected to swim every day unless parents have notified the teacher in writing. Teachers do not permit children who have open cuts or sores to swim. The swimming season usually commences towards the end of November and finishes early April weather permitting. Matangi School is an official Swim Safe School meaning we follow the Swim Safe programme. If the school pool is going to be available to families outside of school hours the Board will advise parents through a school newsletter. Students must wear a swimming cap for class swimming.

TAKING CHILDREN FROM SCHOOL

Children may only be taken by parents/caregivers from school during teaching contact hours with the permission/ approval of the principal if removal during school hours is to be regular.  If you need to remove your child from school early please do this by signing out throught the tablet in the office.

TEACHER ONLY DAYS

There may be Teacher Only Day’s in school term time when teachers will meet for whole-school development or teacher in-service training. The school will endeavour to plan these days to be taken during school holiday periods.

TERM DATES

Please refer to the calendar on our website for the most up-to-date information. 

TOYS

Unless bringing special items in for an official news days, please keep toys at home so they do not get lost of broken while at school.

UNIFORM

The school uniform consists of a Matangi polo shirt, polofleece sweater and a school jacket for colder times. Children must wear plain black bottoms (shorts, skirts, pants) with the school tops. The uniform can be purchased from NZ Uniforms, Tristram Street, Hamilton. It is compulsory for your child/ren to wear a school hat in terms 1 and 4.

TRANSPORTATION OF STUDENTS IN PRIVATE VEHICLES

Matangi School will take due care in respecting the safety of students being transported in private vehicles to and from organised school activities. More information will come about regarding this from your childs teacher at the time of an event.

VISITORS TO SCHOOL

Visitors to the school during teaching hours of 8:55am-2:50pm are required to sign in and out at the school office.

WHEELS DAY

Every Friday is wheels day. students may bring scooters, skates, bicycles, skateboards etc to play on. Safety helmets are required.