General Information

A handbook of procedures, as well as a set of school policies is available at the school office. They are based on legal requirements as well as accepted professional practice. Please contact the school office should you have any queries.  To view a map of Matakana School, please open the attachment below.

Absence
New Zealand law requires children from the age of 6 to be present at school except in special circumstances such as illness etc. Parents must notify the school if their child is absent stating the reason by 9.00am each day. If a child is absent and the school has not been notified we will contact parents to confirm the child is safe.

Access to Children
Please notify the Principal if you have a special custody arrangement or if there are any changes to this.

Accidents at School
Parents will be advised of any injury to children where staff consider the injury sufficiently serious. Parents must provide the school with emergency contact numbers.

After School Care
A private contractor offers after school care from 3.00pm until 6.00pm.  An information brochure is available at the school office and included in enrolment packs.

Assemblies
Whole school assemblies will be held on Friday at 2pm with the aim of children being able to present aspects of their programme. Parents are welcome to attend. Class assembly dates are published at the beginning of each term in the school newsletter. Awards are given at these assemblies in recognition of student achievement.

Awards
Effort awards are given at assemblies (at least once a week). Parents are encouraged to support this positive reinforcement by praising student effort and displaying awards won.

Banking
The National Bank has established a school banking programme whereby students can deposit their money before school on Tuesdays in the Library.

Buses
Children are eligible to travel by bus if they are:
(a) under 10 years and live more than 3.2kms from school.
(b) 10 years and over and live more than 4.8kms from school.
Other children (ineligible) may be permitted to travel on the bus – if there is space available, or if approved by the Bus Network.
Pupils who travel by bus should not travel home by other means unless parents have advised the school in writing about such a change Reliable information about non-use of the school bus is of considerable importance to teachers on bus duty. The use of school transport is a privilege, not a right, and the Ministry of Education may withdraw that privilege at any time. For more information on bus departures and arrival contact the school office or view the bus schedule under General Information/Travelling to School on the school website.
Appointed student bus monitors will inform the Bus Controller of any concerns.

Camps and Class Trips (Education out the Classroom EOTC)
Consent and information forms will be sent out prior to trips and written parent permission must be given before children are taken out of school.  Preschoolers are not permitted on any school trips.    

Payment may be made online to the following bank account:  12-3095-0159666-00.  Please clearly state name of child and reason of payment in reference areas.

Contact Information
Please immediately inform the school office if your contact details change.

Cyber Safety
On enrolment each child is issued a Cyber Safety Agreement which needs to be signed and returned before children are allowed computer access.

Dentistry
The school is visited by a mobile dental clinic.  A complete dental service is available.  All dental queries to 09 839 0534.

Donation
Government funding does not meet all the expenses associated with the running of this school. We rely on an annual donations to subsidise expenditure on such extras as sports equipment, books, teaching aids (projectors, computer software etc). along with other items that benefit the students and their learning.  The donation is tax deductible and a receipt will be issued. Donations are set at $120 per child and $200 for 2 or more children.  Payment may be made online to the following bank account:  12-3095-0159666-00.  Please clearly state name of child and reason of payment in reference areas.

Emergencies
Earthquake/fire drills etc. The school practices evacuation procedures at least once per term and a report is provided to the Board of Trustees.

Enrolments
A standard enrolment form prepared by the school office is used when new pupils enrol at the school. Parents of 5 year olds enrolling for the first time are asked to bring the child’s birth and vaccination certificates on enrolment day.

Enrolment Scheme
The school does not have a current enrolment scheme. Any student is welcome to enrol at Matakana School.

First Aid
Reasonable supplies of first aid equipment are kept in the Recovery room located in the School Office. All teachers and staff undergo regular first aid training and have completed a course of instruction in CPR and First Aid for the school environment.

Fundraising
Parents are asked to support all fundraising activities and can do so by supporting PTA events and key fundraisers such as Gala and Fun Run.  Event organisers send out volunteer forms requesting help and parents/caregivers and families are encouraged to participate in these events.

Health
The school requires parents to complete a Medical Form annually.  These are held in the Recovery  room and will be taken on trips or events your child attends.  Please note it is the parent’s responsibility to update us on any changes in medical conditions.
Hearing and Vision testing for new entrants is carried out each term by a team from Waitemata Health.  Parents are notified after their child has been checked.  For any other health concerns including speech please contact your child’s teacher, SENCO or Public Health Nurse on
422 2700.

Homework
Each classroom teacher will provide information with regard to homework expectations at Parent Information sessions held at the beginning of Term 1. Whilst the detail/content varies from room to room, homework will be given on a regular basis to support classroom programmes. Parents are urged to provide time and a suitable situation for children to complete reading and/or written work and to maintain regular contact with the class teacher to ensure standards are acceptable.

House System
Your child will be assigned a House Colour upon enrolment.  Students are divided into four house colours.  Points are awarded for school spirit, participation and achievements in other house activities.

Information Centre
The information centre is a very important education resource for the school. It encompasses our library and information technology unit which are always evolving to meet changing needs.
The school has a part-time librarian to catalogue, shelve and maintain our library, or to arrange for parents to help with these tasks. Parents are reminded to assist the safety of our collection by checking that all books bought home are returned to school.
Books come from two sources.
(a) Books purchased from Ministry of Education grants
(b) Books purchased from local fundraising

Lost Property
School policy is to find owners for named lost property at regular intervals. Parents need to ensure that all property is clearly named. A lost property box is kept on the Old Hall deck. At the end of each term unclaimed articles will be given to charity.

Lunches
School lunches are available on Fridays. A menu is available in the office. Orders are to be sent to school in sealed envelopes and placed in the box provided on the new hall deck before school. All profit from lunch orders are funds raised for school. The school focuses on a ‘Healthy Eating’ policy.

Money
Money being forwarded to school should be in a named, sealed envelope which also indicates the purpose for the money and amount and be given to the classroom teacher or office.   Payment may be made online to the following bank account:  12-3095-0159666-00.  Please clearly state name of child and reason of payment in reference areas.

Newsletters
Parents will be informed of school events at regular intervals. School newsletters are printed and distributed to the youngest child fortnightly on Friday. Parents can choose to have the newsletter by email. A copy of the newsletter is posted on the school website and the noticeboard located outside Room 2.

Office
The office is staffed between 8.15am and 3.00pm daily. If the office is unattended please leave a message on the answer phone.  The school has a Konica photocopier which is available for public use. Charges are set at 15c per copy with a discount for large runs.

Parking
No parking in the Bus Bay. Please do not park in Staff Car Parks adjacent to the Office block.The Board of Trustees are currently reviewing parent parking procedures as this is a safety issue.

Parent Help
The school encourages parents to contribute to school programmes when appropriate. Parents may be asked to assist as tutors in Reading, Mathematics or Language, or to act as resource people in a variety of curriculum areas. Anyone interested in participating in the parent help programme is invited to contact the classroom teacher. All classroom helpers must sign the Matakana School Privacy Declaration document.   All parents must report and sign in at the school office where they will be issued with a visitor’s badge.

Property Manager
Mr Mike Pope is the school Property Manager. He has a part time position and is in the school grounds from 7.30am-2.30pm daily. His duties are caretaker and groundsman.

Parent Support PTA
Matakana School has an active parent body which meets regularly to organise a variety of social and fundraising events each year.

Reading Recovery
A diagnostic reading survey is conducted at age 6 by the Deputy Principal for all children at school and parents are invited to discuss their child’s result. For those who have not made satisfactory progress in reading (for whatever reason), a special ‘Reading Recovery’ programme is employed to ensure that their reading skills are developed to the stage where they can work confidently with their age group.

Religious Instruction (Superkidz)
A lunchtime ‘Superkidz’ programme is run once a week by a team from local churches. Please advise the school office if you do not wish your child to attend.

Reporting to Parents

School Hours
School commences at 8.45am daily and concludes at 2.45pm.
8.45 - 10.25am  Morning school session
10.25 - 10.55am  Morning Interval
11am - 12.25pm Mid-morning school session
12.25 - 1.15pm Lunch Break
1.15 - 2.45pm Afternoon school session

Term dates are given in the school newsletter.
If children are not collected from school by 3.15 pm the duty teacher will attempt to contact parents, and children may be sent to after school care.

Student Code of Conduct
At the beginning of the year a Student Code of Conduct form will be sent home with each child for parents to discuss with their child, sign and return to the school. Staff keep a record of incidents and the school Behaviour Management Procedures are implemented. A copy of the Behaviour Management Procedure is available at the school office.

Stationery
A supply of stationery is kept at the school office for new entrant children enrolling during the year. All other children are given a list of stationery requirements which may be purchased anywhere, however we recommend Paper Plus in Warkworth as they prepare classroom packs for our school. When extra stationery is needed during the year, children may purchase items from the school office. A note will be sent home by the classroom teacher stating what your child requires.

Swimming
During the summer season each class is timetabled for three 30 minutes swims per week. We aim to teach children to swim, to be conscious of water safety and to be able to practice basic swimming skills. It is important that all children take full part in the swimming programme. Very often the children who need tuition most – are the ones who avoid swimming. If a pupil is not to take part in the swimming lesson, a note to this effect must be provided by parents. The Pool is solar heated. We follow the Lotto Swim Safe Programme designed for New Zealand schools.
Over the swimming season, school families can pay for a key for the pool if they wish to swim after school hours. Contact the school office for more information.

Travel Arrangements
For safety reasons, parents must advise the school if your child’s travel arrangement changes. Parents must send a note informing the classroom teacher of the change or phone the school office by 2.00pm so the child can be notified. 

Uniform
Matakana School has a compulsory uniform. Our standard uniform may be worn all year long. The summer option is to be worn in Terms 1 and 4 only. The summer shorts and shirt option is also our sports uniform and must be used for all sporting events outside the school.  The Uniform Shop is located at “The Gatehouse” (behind the new assembly hall) and is open from Wednesday 2.00-2.45 and Friday 8.00-8.45am. You may also order your uniform via the school office and the Uniform Shop will advise you when to arrange collection and payment. Please read the Uniform Policy as there is a strict code of uniform requirements. All items should be clearly named.

Valuables at School
As teachers cannot be responsible for the safety and security of valuable articles that students bring to school. Please leave them at home.

Visitors to School
All visitors must report and sign in at the school office where they will be issued with a visitor’s badge. Visitors must make prior arrangements with Classroom teachers. 

Walking School Bus
Matakana School is part of the nationwide Travelwise programme which encourages safe travel practices.  Contact the school office to join the Walking School Bus

Wet Weather
School does not close early on wet days. We recognise that in an increasing percentage of families, both parents go out to work, and that any early closing of school might seriously inconvenience these parents. Parents arriving in cars on wet days are warned to drive with extreme care when turning into school driveways.