Useful Information

Assemblies

School assemblies are held every second Wednesday afternoon at 2.20 – 2.55pm in the Motupipi Hall. It is here that student achievements are recognised and children are given the opportunity to share their work in front of the school. Parents are most welcome to attend.

Attendance / Absences

Students are required to attend school on all days that the school is open. It is very important that students arrive on time for school with enough time to prepare for the day. In the event of your son/daughter not coming to school for any reason, please ring the school and let us know before 9.15am. For student safety, we take a check every morning and afternoon and will ring you if your son/daughter is absent without prior notification.

Complaints / Concerns

Hopefully there will be few causes for complaint. However, from time to time these arise. Often they arise due to a misunderstanding, or there is a need to clarify some point.

Complaints and concerns should first be discussed with your childs teacher.

All complaints that cannot be amicably resolved after the teacher concerned has been consulted, should be referred to the Principal, who will mediate if the need arises.

If the situation is not resolved a written letter should be forwarded to the Board of Trustees. The Board will then follow up the matter.

If the issue is with the operation of the school contact the Principal or a member of the Board of Trustees.

Dental Treatment

Children needing dental treatment travel to the Dental Clinic at Takaka Primary School.

The dental nurse will arrange appointments with the parents and it is the parents responsibility to get their child to Takaka Primary School. Any problems or queries please phone the Mobile Dental Clinic 0800833846

Emergency Meeting Point

In the event of an emergency, the school emergency meeting point is on the basketball court by the goal post nearest the main school gate.

Homework

Formal homework is set at the discretion of the teacher. Home readers will generally be sent home with the junior children.

All children should be encouraged to set aside some time to read each night, whether it be alone or shared with a parent.

Library

We have a well resourced library. Students are encouraged to borrow books for personal reading and research. Your helping ensuring that the books are carefully treated at home and returned when due will help us maintain this excellent resource. Children are to transport library books and readers home in reading folders or plastic bags.

Lost Property

This is put in a container outside the library. Named items can be returned to their owners quickly. Unclaimed items are disposed of after a reasonable time.

The school newsletter is emailed every Thursday and is this is the main form of communication between the school and home. The newsletter is also available on our website: www.motupipischool.co.nz

Parent Help

We welcome the help of our parents in our school. If you have a special interest or strength that you can share with the children we would love to hear about it.

Pre School Visits

Before New Entrant students begin we recommend preschool visits to provide your son / daughter with the opportunity to get to know their teacher and get a feel for what the school is about.

Please contact Wendy Webster, our new entrant teacher, to make an appointment for the first visit at least a month prior to your child starting.

Reporting to Parents

Reporting is important in the establishing of good relationships and understandings between parents, student and teacher. During the year you will be provided with the opportunity to meet with the class teacher at the beginning of Term 1 and in Term 2. An information gathering report will go out in Term 1 and written reports will go out in Term 2 and 4.

You may at any time request an interview outside of formal reporting times if you wish. Simply contact the class teacher at school to arrange a mutually agreeable time.

Smoke Free Policy

The school has a smoke free policy which does not allow smoking within the school buildings or in the school grounds at any time.

School Bus

We have three bus runs. The Wainui and Packards Road runs are paid by the Ministry of Education. The town bus is a 'pay as you use' service. The school needs to be informed by phone call or note if there is to be a change of travel plan for your child. This includes a change of bus or if someone is going to pick your child up.

Packards' Road

The Packards' Road bus run leaves Motupipi at 8.45am, travels down Glenview Road to Packards Road corner then to the end of Packards Road and back to Motupipi School.

In the afternoon the bus leaves school at 3.00pm following the above route.

Wainui

The Wainui Bus is for those children who live further than 3.2km of school. It leaves Tui Community at 8.00am, Tata Beach at 8.15am, is at Pohara Valley at 8.25am, heads to the top of Birds Road for 8.35am, and arrives at school at 8.45am.

In the afternoon the bus leaves Motupipi after the Packards' Road run has finished at 3.10pm. It travels to Clifton, up Birds Road around 3.18pm, back to Clifton corner, heads to Pohara store, then meets the High School Bus at the Pohara tennis courts about 3.25pm, It goes up Pohara Valley Road, then on to Ligar Bay, and Tata Beach at 3.35pm. The journey finishes at Tui Community, Wainui Bay at 4.00pm.

Town Bus

The town bus leaves Bickleys Depot on Commercial Street at 8.10am travelling to Motupipi via Meihana Street and arriving at school at 8.20am.
In the afternoon the bus leaves Motupipi at 3.40pm and travels back to the depot, arriving by 3.50pm.

The cost of this bus is currently $1.00 per trip and parents will be billed monthly.

School Lunches

School lunches are made on Fridays by parent volunteers, in order to raise funds for the school.

We try to make the lunches as healthy as we can whilst keeping them attractive.

We ask, if possible, that parents do one Friday lunch duty during the year to help distribute the lunches.

Sport

Regular class progressive skill lessons are taken each week. These are generally planned to lead up to events such as swimming sports, athletic sports, cross country run, and interschool sports events including rugby, netball, soccer and hockey.

A well-stocked Sports Shed means there is no shortage of equipment for lessons and playtimes.

Sunhats

All children need to wear a sunhat / cap during the daylight saving period. Children will not be able to play in the sun if they are not wearing a hat. Please make sure your children’s hats are named.

Swimming Pool

The normal swimming season runs from the end of November to mid March. The pool is available for use out of school hours by parents, pupils and the community. Keys are available from the school, at a cost of $50 with a refund of $15 if you hand your key in when requested.

School Donation

The school donation is currently at $50 per child and $75 per family. The donation is a non compulsory school payment which is used to pay for or subsidise school trips, bus hire, and cultural performances.