Admin Bits and Pieces | Waitohu School

Admin Bits and Pieces

School Hours

The official school hours are 9.00am to 3.00pm with kai time from 10.45 -11.20 and a play break from 12.45pm to 1.30pm.

If for any reason your child is late arriving at school, they need to sign in at the office. If leaving the school early, an adult is required to sign them out at the office.

Illness or Absence

If your child is going to be absent or late, please telephone or text the school before 9.00am on the day of absence 06 364 8272 / 027 545 0530. In New Zealand, children are legally required to be at school between the age of 6 and 16. Please inform the principal if you intend for your child to be away from school for any reason other than sickness.

Newsletters

Parents will be kept informed about school activities through a weekly newsletter. This will be sent home every Thursday with the eldest child of each family. The newsletter also serves as a community notice board. All are welcome to use the newsletter for this purpose. Insertions need to be with the office no later than 1pm on Wednesday.

Lunches

School lunches are delivered to classrooms every day. These are provided for all students. Your child will need to have a lunch box from home to snack on at other times.

School Stationery

Children are given a stationery list when they enrol or in December for the following year. We have stationery packs for all classes available for sale from the office. EFTPOS is available.

Buses

Children can catch a public bus, both to and from school. Payment is by Snapper card.

Car Parking

Parents are requested not to double park outside the school, park over neighbouring driveways, or park in the 'Keep Clear' areas. Parents picking up or delivering children are asked to use the curbside doors of their cars and co-operate with the duty teacher and children on traffic patrol. Parents using the Waitohu Valley Road entrance are requested not to drive into the school.

Dress

We have no official uniform but we encourage children to wear appropriate clothing and take pride in their appearance.

When we take part in interschool activities, school tee-shirts and shorts will be provided. Netball skirts are provided for competing teams.

All clothing, as well as togs and towels, need to be clearly and durably named, as we invariably have a large amount of lost clothing at the end of each term. The responsibility for clothing and footwear lies with the children and their parents. A lost property cupboard is in the foyer of the hall. Clothing left at the end of each term is donated to charity.

Use of the School Grounds

We encourage maximum and responsible use of the school grounds by the community.

We expect people using the grounds to respect property and equipment, especially the many shrubs, gardens and trees that help make this school so attractive.

Signs within the school let people know, that smoking, drinking alcohol and use of skateboards are not allowed.

Dogs, horses and other animals are not (apart from special events) allowed in the school grounds. This is for health and safety reasons.

Between 8.30am and 3.20pm, bicycles are not to be ridden in the school grounds. On Te Manuao Road lines have been painted 25 – 30 metres either side of the patrol. These lines indicate that this is a walking only area.

Is Your Child Too Sick For School?

Some Useful Guidelines

Each day many parents are faced with a decision… should they keep their sick child at home or send them to school? Often the way the child looks and acts can make the decision an obvious one. Please consider these guidelines.

COVID

Please refer to current Ministry of Health guidelines.

Cold/Persistent Cough ~ Minor sniffles are not enough to keep a child at home, but if they are lethargic, irritable or taking over-the-counter medicine for a cough or congestion, they probably won’t function well at school.

Diarrhoea ~ An episode of watery diarrhoea warrants a day at home. Keep your child off school for 48 hours, after diarrhoea stops.

Vomiting ~ After vomiting, children should be kept home for 48 hours.

Fever ~ If a child’s temperature is more than 38 degrees, keep him/her at home. They should have maintained a normal temperature of 37.2 degrees for 24 hours before returning to school.

Flu ~ Keep children at home until all symptoms – body aches, high fever, chills, congestion, sore throat, and/or vomiting have gone – usually 5 – 7 days.

Rash ~ Children with a widespread rash, an unusual looking rash or a rash accompanied with a fever, should be kept home until the rash has been diagnosed as not contagious.

Chicken Pox ~ Chicken pox develops about 2 weeks after exposure to the virus. Children are infectious for 5 days BEFORE the first blisters appear until the last blister has dried. Children can return to school when the last blister has scabbed over – usually 7 -10 days.

Headlice ~ Children who have headlice / nits (small white egg cases) should be kept home and treated, returning to school when they are nit free.

Conjunctivitis ~ Symptoms are tears, irritation and redness of the eye lining and a discharge from one or both eyes. Children are infectious while there is any discharge. Do not send your child to school until they have been on an anti-biotic treatment (available from the chemist) for at least 24 hours or until the eye is clear.

Impetigo/School Sores ~ These appear quickly, as scabby sores with a golden ooze or crust on exposed parts of the body. Children are infectious until they have been on anti-biotics for at least 24 hours. They must be kept home for at least this long. When they return to school, all sores must be covered.

A sick child does not learn effectively and is unable to participate in class in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick child at home prevents the spread of illness in the school community and gives the child an opportunity to rest and recover.

Health Services

Health services available through the school include:

Social Worker In Schools

Lisa Seath is our school based Social Worker who works between Ōtaki, St Peter Chanel and Waitohu Primary Schools. Lisa is available to support individuals and families to help with issues that may be affecting the well- being of children or adults who are part of these school communities. Practically this may involve: - assisting changes in a child's behaviour, mood or school performance – helping with peer or whānau relationships – liaising support from other agencies – simply being a listening and impartial ear to current struggles and concerns.

There is no charge for working with Lisa and this service can be accessed by speaking with one of the staff or ringing Lisa yourself on 027 244 9479. Please don't hesitate to see the principal if you would like more information.

Public Health Nurse

The Public Health Nurse works in close association with the teachers, to ascertain whether children are up to date with the immunisation programme the Health Service offers. From time to time the nurse is also called upon to check children with other health issues. Referral forms are available at the office.

Dental Health

A Dental Therapist treats children's teeth each year, at the school, in a mobile Dental Clinic. If you need to make contact with the Dental Therapist please phone the school office for the current contact number.

Hearing and Vision

Hearing and sight checks of all new entrants and children who have shown any problems in the past, are made annually by a visiting audiometrist. Any children suspected of having a problem are referred to a clinic or specialist. Teachers are constantly on the alert for signs of any newly developed problems. Any parent who suspects their child may have a hearing or sight problem can contact the school, phone 364 8272.