As next term is a summer term, there are some changes to our uniform requirements.

· All students must wear a school sun hat when outside. These are available for $10.00 from the Resource Room.

· Students are encouraged to wear sun glasses and use sunblock daily.

· Students can wear black sandals.

· Plain black shoes with black or white ankle socks may still be worn.

Grooming:

The school’s grooming bylaw is intended to be age appropriate yet inclusive of all cultures and religious beliefs. Our focus is on students being able to learn in a supportive environment without unnecessary distractions.

Expectations:

· All students are to wear their uniform correctly and with pride to and from school each day.

· All students are expected to look natural in appearance.

· Only hair colours in the natural human hair range are acceptable. Purple, orange, lime green etc are not acceptable.

· Hair must be well groomed and tidy.

· Long hair must be tied back during technology classes.

Jewellery permitted at school:

· Plain studs, plain sleeper or a spacer less than 10mm may be worn in each ear.

· Watch.

· Medic Alert bracelet.

· One necklet which can be either a thin, plain chain or leather thong with or without a small attachment.

· Taonga such as a religious pendant, greenstone pendant or bone carving. (These may be worn in full view but will need to be tucked under the top in the hard materials workshop.)

· Religious bracelet.

· Hair ties.

· One small nose stud.

Jewellery not permitted at school

· For health and safety reasons, dangling earrings of any length are not permitted.

· Rings.

· Nose rings.

· Bangles or bracelets.

· Neckbands, thick chains, pearl or bead necklaces.

· Ankle adornments.

· Visible body piercings other than a plain nose stud.

Cultural or Religious considerations:

· Variations to the school’s grooming bylaw for religious or cultural reasons will be treated on a case-by-case basis.

Keeping Sun Smart

The school takes student health and wellbeing seriously and actively promotes the SLIP,SLOP,SLAP and WRAP sun smart message from the New Zealand Cancer Society. We encourage students to put on sunblock before coming to school, wear a hat and sunglasses.

Sun Hats:

All students are expected to wear a sunhat during the summer terms and these are compulsory items in terms one and four. They can be purchased from the School Resource Room.

Sunglasses:

Sunglasses are an optional item that we encourage students to wear in the summer terms. They should be black, preferably a wraparound style and have a UV rating.

Why We Believe Sunglasses at School are Important:

As soon as the sun comes out, we all know we should slap on sunscreen and put on a hat to protect ourselves against ultraviolet rays. These can burn the skin, causing premature ageing and cancer. What many people don't realise is that UV rays can also cause serious and potentially irreversible damage to our eyes. In fact, eyes are ten times more sensitive to UV light than the skin, according to the British Eye Care Trust.

It is children who are most at risk, because younger eyes have bigger pupils and clearer lenses, allowing up to 70 per cent more UV light to reach the retina than an adult's eye does.

Worldwide, experts are urging adults and children to wear sunglasses as soon as the sun comes out - winter or summer. Even when it is overcast, UV light penetrates into the eyes and experts advise wearing sunglasses whenever the UV rating is three or higher.

Sun damage is linked to serious eye problems such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the industrial world. Sunlight is also linked to other eye conditions including cataracts, pterygia (benign growths on the white of the eye, which can end up blocking vision) and skin cancer of the eyelid. Very bright sunlight - reflected off sand, snow, water or the pavement - can cause immediate damage to the cornea, the eye's surface.

One of the most effective ways to protect our eyes is to wear sunglasses.

Attached are examples of what are and what are not acceptable uniform or grooming items at our school