Absences

If your child will not be at school for any reason, please inform the office before 9.00am:

• use the absentee form on the Skool Loop app (preferred method)

• email the office

• or phone (03 329 9854) and leave a message

State your child's name, room and the reason for the absence (i.e. sick, travel, etc). After the attendance registers are completed by the kaiako | teachers in the morning, the office manager cross-checks the absentees with the phone and email messages to ensure all tamariki | children are accounted for. If we have not heard from you we will follow up with a phone call to ensure we know all ākonga | students are safe and accounted for.

It is important that you state the reason for the absence ; we are required by the Ministry to record the reason. Medical, Dental/Doctor, etc. Days off for skiing, birthdays, etc are marked as unjustified but explained. Please speak with Rebecca if you have any questions about this. 

Accidents/Illnesses

Duty teachers and office staff attend to minor matters. You will be contacted if your child becomes ill at school or if an accident requires ongoing attention. In such cases children are to be collected and taken home. In an emergency, an ambulance and parents will be called immediately. Please ensure we are informed of any chronic conditions or allergies and that we have up-to-date emergency contact numbers. If your child requires medicine at school, this needs to be discussed with office staff and a consent form signed. Any medicines must be handed in to and kept in the office.

Activity Fees

The school plans and budgets for as much as it can afford for the additional activities that enrich students’ learning experiences. However donations to cover the costs of extra-curricular activities such as trips and shows will be requested at times. This can be charged to your child’s student account which is sent out for payment twice each term.

After School Care

After School Care is offered five days a week by an independent provider. Please see the information on our website for further details.

Assembly

Assemblies are held approximately every second week on Rāhina | Monday at 2:30pm for about half an hour. Please check the calendar on the school website or fortnightly ‘Update’ school newsletter for planned dates. Each class takes a turn at hosting the assembly. Whānau and families are welcome to attend. The ākonga | students join together to run the assembly with a focus on celebrating successes in the classroom and on the sports fields, reinforcing good social behaviour and promoting the arts in the school. Kaiako | teachers award certificates that align with our school values. If your child is receiving a certificate, you will be notified through an email from the office and invited to attend.

Attendance

Punctuality matters. Please ensure your tamariki | child/ren arrive at school before 8:50am, in time for the bell that signals the start of learning. For your child's safety, tamariki | children should not be at school before 8:30am or stay after 3:10pm unless engaged in an organised, supervised activity e.g. sports practice, after school care or they are being actively supervised by whānau. Ākonga | students can enter classrooms from 8:30am onwards and kaiako | teachers will be available to attend to student needs during this time.

Behaviour

In 2021, we introduced the Zones of Regulation as a way to be consistent with the language and expectations of positive behaviour.

The Zones of Regulation are a framework to support students' self-regulation and emotional control. Our staff have chosen to learn more about this framework to underpin a school-wide focus on positive behaviour and emotional regulation. It will provide us with a shared language to use with our ākonga in the classroom and in the playground.

Our school has a no tolerance policy for bullying. Bullying is deliberate – harming another person intentionally:

• Bullying is usually not a one-off – it is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated over time

• Bullying involves behaviour that can cause harm – it is not a normal part of growing up (Bullying-Free NZ Week website, 2017).

Cyberbullying is bullying online, via the internet, mobile phones and social media. It’s a common form of bullying, especially amongst young people (Steiner-Fox, 2016).

If problems occur, a joint approach between home and school is the most effective way to help children learn more appropriate behaviour. As a result, we will contact you if there are any major problems. We also encourage students and/or parents to report any concerns.

Bikes and Scooters

Children may bring their wheels (skateboards, rollerblades/skates, bikes or scooters - no drift trikes) to school to ride at play times on Hot Wheels Friday. Please ensure your child has a safe set of wheels. Wearing a helmet is compulsory. For the safety of pedestrians and small children, students may not ride their bikes or scooters in the school grounds before and after school. Please reinforce this with your tamariki | children.

Camps

Ākonga | students in Pīwakawaka and Kererū classes have an annual overnight camp experience. Information regarding this is shared with whānau and families closer to the camp booking.

Car Parking

Most schools have parking issues and ours is no different! It is vital that we all obey the road markings. We ask that you drive carefully to put child safety first and park with consideration for others.

Community Involvement

Whānau and parents at Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School can get involved in lots of different ways. We have an active Parent and Teacher Association who meet regularly throughout the year. You are warmly invited to join in any capacity you have. The PTA assists with substantial fund raising activities and provides an important link between home and school. It is an excellent way to meet other families and contribute to your school community. You can find details about these meetings on our website and dates are in the fortnightly ‘Update’ school newsletter.

Whānau and parents are often invited to accompany classes on school trips, provide transportation and supervision for sports and cultural events and to assist with school events. Please let your class teacher know if you have any special talents to share with us or if you would like to help in the classroom, library, the gardens or on the sports field.

Contact

Please ensure the office always has up to date phone and address details in case we need to contact you. Please note: Students are not permitted to use the school phone unless it is an emergency.

  School phone number -  03 329 9854

  School Office (Pae Mānawa) email address - office@governorsbay.school.nz

  Tumuaki | Principal email - principal@governorsbay.school.nz

  Physical address - 1 Jetty Rd, R.D. 1, Lyttelton

Communication

Communication between teachers and parents is encouraged. Email is our preferred form of communication and each kaiako | teacher has a school email address they check when they are not teaching (between 8:50am and 3pm). You will find their contact details in the Ngā Tangata | Our People page on our website. Meagan Kelly, the tumuaki | principal, is happy to meet with whānau and parents and an appointment can be made by ringing or emailing the school office.

In an emergency, our chosen communication option is a dual send via email and school app. If, while on an EOTC trip, there is an accident or incident, communications are handled via the school office wherever possible - to remove the strain of communication from the teacher with the group and to ensure that the messaging is clear and consistent. In some individual cases, teachers will message or ring parents directly.

Dental Service

The mobile dental clinic van visits school each year to check on children's teeth. You can contact the Community Dental Clinic on 0800 846 983.

Digital Literacy & Devices

Ākonga | students have access to technological devices in their classrooms. Classes may use ChromeBooks or iPads. The devices are used as one learning tool within the normal class programme and internet access is supervised. Ākonga | students in Pīwakawaka and Kererū have a digital user agreement which is shared with you and this forms the basis of understanding for all students about the rights and responsibilities of device use and digital citizenship.

Donations

Government funding only provides the essentials. In order to provide extra resources and programmes we ask for a voluntary school donation. The School Board sets this each year, with a family concession. One third of this donation is tax deductible. If you require a tax receipt for your donations paid this year, please contact the office.

Duty Teachers

We always have at least one kaiako | teacher supervising in the playground during play times. Duty teachers are there to supervise tamariki and provide assistance if any is needed; from skinned knees to conflict management. Duty teacher can be identified by their high-vis vest and they carry a duty bag and cell phone at all times.

Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)

EOTC is considered an important part of the learning programme. As there are different levels of risks involved in various events, ākonga | students may bring home notices of planned trips and we may need the permission slip to be signed and returned to school prior to these outings. All permission slips are to be returned to the kaiako | teacher or to the office.

Emergencies - Fire, Flood, Earthquake

Please note it is essential you keep us informed of any change in your contact details. Emergency drills are held each term. All pupils and parents must keep calm and follow the instructions of the fire warden. Please note: Whānau, parents, tutors and other visitors on site during a drill or real evacuation MUST follow the directions of the site warden and join evacuation actions.

In case of fire, the fire alarm will sound, telling us to evacuate the building. Kaiako | teachers are in charge of evacuating their class in a safe and timely manner. The roll is taken once all classes have met on the field. In the event of a real fire, whānau will be notified and may be required to collect their tamariki | children. Ākonga | students will be released to whānau or parents from the assembly point once the warden has given the all clear.

In case of earthquake, students are instructed by the adult they are with at the time. The bell will sound when it is considered safe for ākonga | students to move to the assembly area. The collection of ākonga | students will proceed as above.

In case of flood, each whānau will be emailed to advise if the school is closing. Collection will be expected in the following hour; flooded water can affect the sewerage and toilet systems. It is a good idea to have contact details of other parents in your child's class in case you are unable to get to school. Please ensure your contact details are up-to-date with the school office.

Other emergency procedures are contained in school policies available to view in SchoolDocs. 

Username: governorsbay
Password: Jetty

Home Learning

Home Learning is a regular part of the school programme. Each kaiako | teacher will outline the expectations and purpose of this learning at the beginning of the year. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s kaiako | teacher if you are unsure of how to support learning at home.

Houses

The school is divided into four houses:

 Whero (Red)

 Kahurangi (Blue)

 Kākāriki (Green)

 Kōwhai (Yellow)

The classes and ages levels are mixed across these Houses, and students stay in the same House for their time at school. Siblings are placed in the same House. House points are awarded regularly for a variety of activities and actions including sports, being helpful, showing initiative and going above and beyond as a friend.

Health

The Health Nurse visits the school regularly. Sight/hearing tests of all new entrants are conducted as well as any child referred by whānau, parents or kaiako | teachers. When your child enrols at the kura | school, you are asked about any medical conditions or medication, including allergies. If anything changes regarding their health and wellbeing, you are asked to inform the school office. All medication (including epipens, asthma inhalers and antihistamines) are kept securely in the office and can only be administered by staff with explicit permission from the whānau or parent.

Library | Te Rapu, The Margaret Mahy Library

The Library is a special part of our kura | school. Magic happens here! Each class has a specific library day when they can browse, check out and return books. Please support your tama | child to return their books to school weekly. Due to the high cost of books, whānau or parents will be sent a notice of overdue books and charged if these books are not returned.

You will notice we have a dual name for our whare pukapuka | library... Margaret Mahy is one of New Zealand’s most renowned children's authors. She was our school’s neighbour for half a century, living on Merlincote Crescent which joins Jetty Road. She gave our school many signed and illustrated copies of her books as they were published. She came in to school for poetry workshops, literary competitions and book celebrations. When our school library was built, it was named in her honour and she opened it in 1998 with everyone at school dressing up as a book character to celebrate the occasion.

In 2020, the kura | school worked with Matauraka Māhaanui to name our spaces. The library was gifted the name Te Rapu, which is the stream that flows into the head of the bay in Whakaraupō | Lyttelton Harbour. Rapu also means to search for, inquire, investigate and to seek. Perfect for a space that encourages all that and more!

Lost Property

All items of clothing are to be clearly named to enable them to be returned. We do not have a lost property bin and students quickly learn to look after their belongings! 

Music Lessons

Students can learn piano, voice, ukulele and guitar with our itinerant teacher of music. If you are interested in your child receiving tuition please ask for more information at the office.

Newsletter - The Update

Regular communication with whānau and families is through our school newsletter, the Update, which is emailed fortnightly on Monday afternoons. This is also published via Hail on our school website. Kaiako | teachers provide information on learning and classroom activities at the start of each term with a classroom newsletter, also published via Hail on the website.

Out of Zone Students

Enrolment of tamariki | children at Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School is governed by an enrolment scheme - details of which are available from the office or on our website.

The School Board has determined that, at the time of this advertisement (September 2022), there will be six places available for tamariki living outside of the zone. These places are likely to be in Years 5-8 unless siblings currently attend our kura. As we have four ballots throughout the year, this number can change each term depending on the number of applications we receive from students who live within the home zone of our kura | school.

Applications for out of zone places are now being invited for those tamariki and whānau who will become eligible in Term 1, 2023 for enrolment (30 January - 6 April, 2023). The deadline for receipt of applications is Rāapa | Wednesday 28 September 2022. Ballot day (if necessary) is Rāmere | Friday 30 September 2022 and you will be notified within three working days whether your child has been successful for entry next year or not (Term 1). 

If you live in the school zone and have not yet signalled your intention to enrol your child during 2023, please contact the school as soon as possible to assist us with our planning. 

Physical Education and Sports Events

Regular access to quality physical education including swimming at the local pool is a key learning area and all ākonga | students are expected to take part unless prevented by ill health or injury. A note from whānau or parents needs to be supplied if a student is to be excused from participating. 

We also have three whole school sports events over the year:

• Swimming Sports (Term 1)

• Cross Country (Term 2)

• Athletics (Term 4)

Ākonga | students in Year 5 - 8 may qualify to compete at the Zone and then Canterbury level. 

Parent Teacher Association

Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School has a very active Parent Teacher Association. More information on the PTA can be found under the ‘About’ tab on the website. The PTA can be contacted via email or on Facebook.

Reporting to Parents

Please see the article on our website which outlines this in detail.

Smoke and Vape Free School

Please note that the entire school site (including buildings) is smoke and vape free at all times. See more at Smokefree at School.

School Board

School Board meetings are usually held twice each term at 6.00pm in Kāpuhi | Staff Room. Whānau and caregivers are welcome to attend these meetings by arrangement. Please email the office if you wish to attend. Meeting dates are advertised in the ‘Update’ school newsletter and on our website.

Elections are held tri-annually and will next be held mid-2025.

Presiding Member: Sally-Ann Fitzhardinge
Board Members: Annie Collins, Glen Naysmith
Tumuaki | Principal: Meagan Kelly
Staff Representative: Ruth Stevens

School Hours

School begins daily at 8:50am and finishes at 3:00pm.

• 8:50am - 10:00am - Learning Session #1

• 10:10 - 11:10am - Learning Session #2

• 11:10 - 11:30am - Play break

• 11:30 - 11:45am - Eat in class groups, teachers supervise

• 11:45am - 12:45pm - Learning Session #3

• 12:45 - 1:15pm - Play break

• 1:15 - 1:35pm - Eat in class groups, teachers supervise

• 1:35 - 3:00pm - Learning Session #4

School Photos

Class, individual and sibling photos are taken each year in Term 4. This is an opt-in for whānau and tamariki. More information will be shared closer to the time. 2024 date for photos is in Term 4, exact date TBC.

Skool Loop

We use a school app, Skool Loop, to communicate with whānau and parents. 

Sun Hats

We are a ‘Sunsmart’ school. During Term 1 and Term 4 all children must wear a full brimmed sun hat when they are outdoors. If children forget their hat, they will be directed to spend playtime/ lunchtime in designated shade areas. Ākonga | students are not permitted in classrooms during these times without permission.

Uniform

Uniform is compulsory at Te Kura o Ōhinetahi | Governors Bay School. A new uniform was introduced in 2018 and all items will be compulsory from January 2022, to allow time for whānau to phase out old items of uniform. Uniform can be ordered through the office.

Valuable Items

Valuable items and toys are best kept at home. Their loss or a breakage causes a lot of distress and the school can take no responsibility for items worn or brought to school.