BOOKS IN HOMES
Our school is lucky to be part of the Duffy ‘Books in Homes’ scheme. Three times a year students are given an opportunity to select a free book from a selection offered. These books are then issued at a special assembly. Our school is sponsored by Peter Macky.
Book Club
The school participates in a book club run by Scholastic NZ Ltd. Order forms are distributed twice a term. There is no obligations to order books but they do offer a wide range of topics and are appropriate for all ages. The school benefits from this programme with free books for our library. If ordering cheques need to be made out to Scholastic Book club.
BREAKFAST CLUB
A free breakfast club runs from 8.00am every morning and all students are welcome to attend. Weetbix and milk are provided as part of the Breakfast in Schools programme topped with Easiyo Yoghurt.
CARE OF TEXT BOOKS/LIBRARY BOOKS
The school issues these materials, where relevant, without charge. However, students are expected to look after these resources very carefully. Junior readers are not usually allowed home unless the pupil has a book-bag or similar. Students who lose or deliberately damage books will be required to pay for their replacement. There is a current charge of $5 per lost book.
DENTAL NURSE
The nearest school dental clinic is situated at Pukekohe Intermediate School and our school is now serviced by a mobile clinic once a year. The nurse can be contacted for urgent queries by phoning the Pukekohe Clinic, ph 237 1070
HEAD LICE
Head lice are a fact of life in all schools and are not an indication of how clean a child’s hair is. Unfortunately some students seem more susceptible to reoccurring bouts of head lice too. If you see lice or eggs in your child’s hair please contact the school so we can inform other parents of the outbreak and ask them to check their child’s hair too. We also have supplies of combs and head lice removal kits from KidsCan that we can send home – just let the office know. The school has a head lice letter which we will send home regularly with our newsletter. It can also be found here http://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/head-lice
HOMEWORK
Students at Te Kohanga School are encouraged to take part in various extra curricular activities such as sport, scouts, St Johns etc and as a result we do not set large amounts of homework. The most important activity for junior children is to read EVERY night. Reading mileage of home readers is one key reason children feel success and make progress in reading. For senior students reading every night remains a priority but also extending their understanding of the world. This can be achieved through watching and discussing the news and using apps or the internet as a learning tool.
IMPETIGO
Impetigo (school sores) are commonly found in schools. They are highly infectious and spread easily. All school sores should be covered and medical attention sought if they are not healing. The school nurse will check, clean and cover any school sores on her weekly visit. Children often scratch their sores, so it is very important to keep their fingernails clean. Children with Impetigo must stay off school until they start medication prescribed by their doctor – they are highly contagious until this point.
LUNCHES
Te Kohanga School receives free school lunches from Te Whare Kai as part of the Governments Free School Lunch Scheme. We are grateful to receive a range of meals each week and a balance of hot and cold mains. Te Whare Kai service a number of schools in our area, Pukekohe and Waiuku and are able to cater for all dietary requirements.
WATER ONLY SCHOOL – Te Kohanga is a water only school. Please do no send in any fizzy drinks, juices or flavoured drinks to school as they will be sent home.
MILK IN SCHOOLS – Apart from water, we provide milk to drink each morning tea if students want it. Intake normally increases over the hot summer months!
OFFICE TIMES
The school office is open between 8.15am and 2pm each day.
PHOTOS
Photos are taken regularly by staff to use on our school Facebook page and website. These photos help celebrate the various learning opportunities the students take part in. If you do not want your child to have their photo used on these two forums please contact the office so we are aware. This will also be indicated in your enrolment pack.
School class photos are taken once a year (normally during term 3) and will be advised in the school newsletter.
SCHOOL HOURS
8.00am Breakfast Club opens when the bus arrives
8.35am School starts
10.30 – 11am Morning Tea
12.30 – 1.15pm Lunchtime
2.20pm School finishes and buses depart
SCHOOL SPORTS
The senior school (yr4-6) regularly participates in combined sports days with other schools in our area (River Group). There are generally two such days each term covering swimming, winter sports, cross country, orienteering, athletics and summer sports.
Students who perform particularly well are often selected to represent the area in Franklin Championships. Parents are encouraged to support their children on these occasions and we value offers of transport.
STATIONERY
On enrolment, the school will provide you with a stationery list. You can choose to purchase the stationery yourself or order the pack through the school. The office also has a supply of extra stationery should your child need to buy anything throughout the year. We encourage parents to purchase through our school as it means all students have the same type of books. General stationery (pencils, glue sticks) are kept by the teacher for a class set rather than individually by each students.
SWIMMING
The school is lucky enough to have a swimming pool on site and we offer swimming lessons everyday during term 4 and term 1 (when the weather is warm enough). All students are expected to participate in these lessons especially as we are so close to both the Waikato River and Sunset surf beach. Swimming and lifesaving skills are a skill all New Zealand children need to have.
The school pool is available for the community to use during the evenings, weekends and holidays during summer. A key is available to be purchased from the office and will be advertised in the newsletter and on Facebook.
UNIFORM
Te Kohanga School has a compulsory uniform. This is a purple t-shirt and grey jumper. These are available to purchase at the school office. Plain black trousers, leggings or shorts need to be worn with the uniform. On enrolment the school will order new school shoes and rain jackets for free from the KidsCan charity.
In general, jewellery is not permitted. A single necklace of taonga Maori or religious significance can be worn but needs to be under the uniform to avoid damage to the child and the necklace during play times. A single pair of stud earrings can also be worn.
Te Kohanga Primary School 