Information and reminders from Kaiapoi High School.

Attendance and Punctuality

Successful students have high attendance, many at or close to 100%, and they are always on time.

Kaiapoi High School adheres to the Ministry of Education guidelines of 85% as a minimum attendance requirement.

Please note: Classes start at 9 am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday and 8.55 am on Wednesday. Students who are not in class by this time are recorded as 'late'. Any lateness is a disruption to the start of class and shows a lack of respect to both teachers, who are beginning their lesson, and to other students. Respect is a core value of Kaiapoi High School.

Attendance is monitored every period, and student absences are followed up, and an email is sent every morning to parents of students who have an unexplained absence. Tutor teachers and deans will follow up unexplained absences. If the school and/or family requires extra support for attendance, a referral will be made to the School Attendance Service. If difficulties persist we refer to ROCKON. This is a multi-agency approach to supporting attendance at school. In the worst case scenario, the ROCKON process can lead to parents being prosecuted for non-attendance. We have prosecuted in the past.

We look for parental support in promoting high attendance. Parents can access attendance data on the parent portal. Please advise us by phoning 375 5004 if your son or daughter is absent from school for any reason.

The Ministry of Education definitions are:

Explained absence: An absence for which an explanation is received by the school outlining the reason for the absence.

Unexplained absence: An absence for which no explanation is received.

The decision about whether an absence is ‘justified’ or ‘unjustified’ is determined by the school:

‘Justified Absences’ include:

• Explained absences for short term illness/ medical reasons (a medical certificate may be requested for a prolonged illness), medical appointments, school arranged work experience, class trips, students sitting school examinations, exam/study leave
• Unplanned absences such as bus breakdowns, accident, road closure, extreme weather conditions
• Absences due to national/local representation in a sporting or cultural event in NZ or overseas
• Absences due to bereavement, visiting an ill relative or exceptional family circumstances
  
• When a student is stood down or suspended
  
• Attendance at a Secondary Tertiary Programme, e.g. Trades Academy, CTC, Ara and STAR courses.

'Unjustified Absences' are when no reason has been notified or an absence where no justifiable explanation is received, or the explanation does not fall within the school’s protocols for justified absences.

Please note:

1. A parent’s note does not necessarily provide justification.

2. A family holiday is treated as an explained but unjustified absence.

3. After 20 consecutive days of continuous unjustified absence, our school is required to remove a student from the roll and make a referral to the Non-Enrolled Truancy Service.

Informing the School of an Absence

If your child is going to be absent for any reason, please ring the school absence line on 375.5004, email learn@kaiapoi.school.nz or notify the office through the KHS app.

Naming School Uniform

A number of unnamed lost items of uniform have been handed into the office. Could parents please name all uniform items so, if lost, they can be returned to their owners.

Subject Selection for 2021

Our Subject Information Evening for Years 10, 11 & 12 students will be held in Karetu Block on Tuesday 18 August from 4-6pm.  In our modern world, we see schools offering a wide variety of options for students, both in and out of school. Students need to be aware that the options they take from Year 11 do have a bearing on their academic future and we try to clearly spell this out. For University Entrance in New Zealand, a student must achieve 14 credits in three Level 3 university approved subjects. If a student chooses five University Entrance subjects, rather than three, then they are nearly twice as likely to succeed in gaining entry. So why have we said students need to be aware when choosing their options in Level 1? If a subject is taken in Level 1 and the student does well in it, then they gain entry for Level 2 in that subject area and beyond to Level 3. The clear message here is that students need to keep their options open and plan ahead.

Reader-Writer Volunteers Wanted

We have an increasing number of students at school who have Special Assessment Conditions given to them by NZQA to help support NCEA assessments, both internal throughout the year and external during the exams in November. This means that we require more helpers to aid these students to read aloud assessments and/or write dictated answers for them.

This is a voluntary role that would suit people that are possibly retired or who have free time during the week with few commitments. It also requires someone who is a competent reader with legible writing, good spelling and punctuation as well as social skills. Guidance and support will be provided and a police check is compulsory. Remuneration is offered by NZQA for the November exam assistance only.

We value support from our community and your help will be appreciated by both students and staff alike. If you are interested then please contact Susan Yardley, Learning Support Coordinator, via email: s.yardley@ kaiapoi.school.nz or phone: 03 375 5004 ext 903.