GENERAL

Absences
It is very important that you contact the school before 9am if your child is going to be absent. Rostered parents first follow up when this does not happen and then if necessary the Truancy Service. It is also important to inform the office of any change to phone numbers, so you can be contacted if your child is sick, hurt or there is another sort of emergency.

Bicycles / Scooters
We accept Police advice that only children ten and over should ride to school unaccompanied. Safety helmets are essential protection for your child and we require any child riding to or from school to wear one. This is still the responsibility of parents even though they are at school. Guidelines are available from the office for parents who want their child to bring their cycles/scooters into the school grounds.

Cell Phones / Valuable Items
Children are not encouraged to bring cell phones or any other valuable objects to school. The school takes no responsibility for them. If, with your permission, your child has to have a cell phone with them, then like any valuable object it must be given to the class teacher during the day.

Cultural Events
Children are not only encouraged to participate in the various arts but also to attend professional performances of the arts that take place here from time to time.

Dental Therapist
We have a dental clinic on our grounds with the entrance further down Moonshine Road. Contact can be made with the dental therapist by ringing the dental clinic number 0800 TALK TEETH.

Enrolment Documentation
On enrolment, all schools are required to sight each child’s birth certificate or passport, and immunisation certificate (provided by their doctor).

Newsletters / Website
We try to keep parents informed of school news and activities. Newsletters are distributed through the eldest child every alternate Wednesday and placed on the school website: www.trentham.school.nz on the afternoon before, when this is possible. Please let the office know if you would like your newsletter emailed to you.  If your eldest child is absent on a Wednesday a newsletter will be kept for them to collect from either their class teacher or the main foyer. School activities and terms are also on the website to help families who like to plan ahead.

Out of School Care
A school bus service operates from just outside the main school gate to transport children to Shazams (Ph 971 2080), our current out of school care provider.

Parent Feedback
The parents of newly enrolled children are encouraged to provide the school with feedback, (on a form mailed home for this purpose) as to how the first 6-8 weeks have been for their child(ren).

Parents are regularly asked to provide feedback on various aspects of the school.  This forms part of our review process and lets us know what we’re doing well and what needs improving.

Parental Involvement in Classrooms
While parent help is welcomed in classrooms / programmes it does not suit everyone. For those it does, it brings with it certain obligations including confidentiality and a sensitivity to what teachers and their class are involved in by making sure there are no distractions.

The bottom line, that is sometimes forgotten, is that a classroom is a teacher’s work place. Any visits or help in the classroom is after prior arrangement with the teacher concerned, just like any other work place.

The very busy 2.30 – 3.00 pm time slot when teachers are finishing off the day’s programme as well as getting the children ready to go home is the least appropriate time to visit.

Pre-Enrolments
We encourage parents to pre-enrol their children up to two years prior to their fifth birthday.  This is important as it allows the school to plan ahead for staffing, resources and facilities.

Enrolments however will be accepted at 9.30 and 11.00am daily.

Reporting to Parents
The school has four formal reporting sessions per year. There are parent/teacher/child conferences in Term 1 and 3. A formal written report is sent home at the end of Term 2 and the end of the school year (December). National Standards summary reports are sent home at the required time set by the Ministry of Education.  Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s class teacher to discuss their child’s progress, as required.

School Donations
The Board of Trustees reviews school donations annually and endeavours to keep our school donations as low as possible.  Currently donations are set at:
                                    PER TERM    PER YEAR    
One child family        $16.25             $65.00                       
Two children               $21.25              $85.00
Three children +         $22.50              $90.00
There is a $5 discount per child if paid before the end of week two in Term 2.

Although school donations are voluntary parents are encouraged to pay as Government funding does not meet the costs of all the needs for educating our children.

School Hours
Morning: 8.55am            to         10.30am
                      10.50am          to         12.30pm

Lunchtime: 12.30pm          to         1.30pm

Afternoon: 1.30pm            to         3.00pm

We start the school day at 5 minutes to 9 and finish at 3pm. We expect all children to be at school on time so time so their learning is not affected.

School Trips
These take place when teachers feel that these will add to the education of the children in their class.  Permission for all trips in the Hutt Valley area is sought on enrolment.  Parents will be advised of the arrangements of these trips and when required will be offered the opportunity to join the class involved.  It is important that any money required is returned by the deadline so children do not miss out.  Please be aware that we are unable to give refunds due to a budgeted cost for trips.

Starting School in New Entrants
As it is an important occasion when children first start we want to make the transition to Trentham School as smooth as possible.  We strongly encourage classroom visits up to six weeks prior to your child’s fifth birthday.  During this period these children may also enrol in our pre–school Sunflower Club. Both of these opportunities aim to provide the children with activities that should make getting used to school easier. Once they turn five they should feel part of the school.

We encourage parents to: 

• Visit the school to see what Trentham School has to offer and to hear the school’s expectations for parents.
• Enrol early.
• Arrange visits at least six weeks prior to their fifth birthday.

Stationery
The school office carries a range of stationery needs and these are available from February and throughout the year. New Entrant packs are sold here and some Year 2 – 6 stationery.  Teachers will supply students with a list of stationery requirements at the end of the year, and to each new student, beginning of year stationery.  Stationery requirements are listed on our website.

Sunsmart
Trentham School has a Sun Smart policy of “no hat, no play” for Terms 1 and 4. This restricts unprotected children to designated shade areas only.  Parents are asked to provide their children with a sun hat during these two terms.

Swimming
All students have the opportunity to participate in an intensive daily swimming programme for three weeks twice a year, which takes place in our heated indoor swimming pool. From this children can then take part in the annual interschool swimming sports or after school Flippaball (mini water polo) competition that takes place at H2O Xtream.  Students are required to wear swimming caps which can be purchased from the school.

There is also after school and weekend swimming classes in our pool taken by the Upper Hutt Swim Club, 5287431 and Swim Professionals, 5279172.

School Patrols
Our school patrollers supervise the crossings on Fergusson Drive and Moonshine Road before and after school. Students and parents are asked to co-operate with the school patrol and road wardens and use the crossings. We ask that you meet the requirements of the NZ Road Code by parking well clear of the crossing area, bus stops and yellow lines. 

SUPAkidz Assembly 
SUPAkidz Assemblies are designed to encourage children to think about the way they live and to make good life choices.  They explore values and beliefs from a Christian perspective.