School Information
A full list of what you need to know about Queenspark Te Hua Mānuka.
Starting School
Your child is legally entitled to start school at five years of age.
We will invite you and your child to meet with Sue Page the NE /YR1 Team Leader and also to our New Entrant family meeting the term prior to them starting school. This enables the child to meet the teacher and become familiar with the new surroundings. Three visits to the class are also arranged at the same time.
Please log on to the school website: www.queenspark.school.nz and complete the online enrolment form. Please also make sure you have sent in the required documents to the school office (birth certificate, immunisation form, proof of address and zone letter).
Parent Involvement:
There are many ways in which parents may participate in the life of the school.
In the Junior School parents may help in the Reading, Writing and Mathematics Programmes. Some other areas of participation are:
· Making equipment at home or school
· Helping in the library
· Helping at camps
· Assisting with concerts and productions
· Putting away reading books
· Helping with school road patrol
If you are able to help in any way please contact the following people:
· Classroom activities – your child’s teacher
· Road patrol – Taryn Boyte tboyte@queenspark.school.nz
· Library – our librarian, Cushla Nichols librarian@queenspark.school.nz
· PTA activities - queensparkschoolpta@gamil.com
The School
The school is administered in six areas:
- New Entrant – Year 1
- Year 2/3
- Year 4/5
- Year 6
- Year 7 and Year 8
School Hours
8.30am The bell rings and children may enter school /classrooms
8.55am School begins
9.40am Carb /Fruit break
10.35 – 11.00am Interval (10.35-10.50 play /10.50-11am eating)
12.30 – 1.25pm Lunch (12.30-1.10 Play /1.10-1.25am eating)
3.00pm School closes
Parents are asked to ensure that their children are at school on time and in correct school uniform.
School Patrol
The patrol is operated by a parent or teacher and two senior patrol monitors. Parents can assist us by using the patrol themselves and encouraging their children to do so. If you are able to assist with parent supervision please email admin@queenspark.school.nz
Cars
Many children are dropped off or picked up by parents in cars. Cars must be parked outside the school grounds, and well clear of the patrol – this is vital to the welfare of our children. Please keep all cars out of the staff car park and also away from neighbour driveways.
Stationery
Stationery can be bought online at www.myschool.co.nz or from any bookstore. Children will be provided with a stationery list at the end of each year for the following year. Parents may also choose to buy stationery from any stationery outlet prior to the school year beginning.
Copies of all stationery lists are on our school website
Absence / Late Arrival
If your child is away from school or is going to be late in arriving, please telephone the school office & leave a message on the school absentee line (telephone 383-1578) or email office@queenspark.school.nz - This is a Ministry of Education requirement and ensures the safety of our children. Please leave a 'reason' for them being absent also. Failure to call will result in the office calling to check up. You may also use the Skool Loop NZ App to advise school as well. You can download this app to your phone or device for free. Please see the office if you have questions. If your child is late to school please ask them to sign in at the school office before going to class. They will receive a late pass to take to their class teacher to show they have signed in. Parents will receive a 'late to school text' to let them know they were late and have now arrived to school.
Uniform:
Our entire school uniform is available from either:
Mainland Uniforms
511 Wairakei Rd
The Warehouse
Belfast (This is the only ‘Warehouse’ store to stock the QPS uniform)
Uniform items are to be appropriate to suit weather conditions and/or personal preference. Please refer to the enclosed Uniform Code.
Sports Uniform – House t-shirts ($8) and Sports Shorts ($18) are both available to order from school. Find out your House Colour from your teacher or the office once you start school.
Rimu (Red), Totara (Blue), Kowhai (Yellow) or Matai (Green). Sport shorts are compulsory from YR5-8 but maybe purchased at younger levels if you wish.
Yr 7/8 uniform – our Year 7/8 students have a different polo shirt and jacket, both of which may be purchased from Mainland Uniforms or the Warehouse Belfast.
Sunhat Policy
It is the policy of this school that children wear school issued sun hats when outside during term 1 and 4 only. Children not wearing hats will be confined to a shaded area in the playground.
Please refer to the school uniform code for more details.
Library
All classes are timetabled to use the Library /Information Centre once a week. At this time children exchange books and participate in the Library Information Skills Programme.
In addition to these times, children are able to use the library independently during lunch times and after school on certain days.
Small groups of children may, upon presentation of a permission slip from their class teacher, make use of the library during the day for research purposes, with the help of the Librarian.
Toys and Valuables
We discourage children bringing toys to school. Teachers cannot take the responsibility for the loss or damage of any toys at school. Anything brought for study purposes must be labelled.
Newsletters
These are sent directly to your email each month. Please ensure you have given the office your email address so you can be added to the database or email this to admin@queenspark.school.nz.
Please advise the office if you have a change of email address or any contact details also. A reminder to keep checking the school website, facebook or the school app for calendar events and notices. Our Facebook link is connected on the website also so you are able to see our latest news at a glance.
Lost Property
It is vital that ALL CLOTHING be NAMED so that it can be returned immediately if lost. Please enquire as soon as clothing goes missing.
Lost property is kept in the entranceway of the staffroom (Red door entrance at the end of the covered walkway). You are welcome to visit this area if you are missing an item of clothing.
Taking Children From School
If you need to take your child from school during the day, could you please send a note to the child’s teacher in the morning, or see the teacher or another staff member when you collect the child. If you are planning an overseas trip or the children will be absent from school, a note is to be presented to the school office (and class teacher) advising of dates. Alternatively you can send the office an email to advise of the child's absence admin@queenspark.school.nz
Should a member of the family (unknown to us) be required to pick up the child, then it is very important that they identify themselves to a staff member before departure – this will avoid possible embarrassment, as the school has some very clear legal obligations here.
Please note that children will only be released to those adults listed on the student emergency contact list. Please register any updates with the office.
Reporting To Parents
Teachers will make contact with parents at any time during the year if there are concerns about a child’s academic, social or behavioural development. You are invited to also email your child's teacher at any stage through the year if you would like additional information. Parent Learning Conferences are held at certain times in the year. Information about registering for a time will be advertised to you via email.
Communication
School Text Alert system
We also encourage you to join our school app, Hero. This is a great way to keep up to date with school reminders or cancellations. Here you can report an absentee, check the latest newsletter, calendar and receive texts directly to your device. Please contact the school office if you need any help with this. ALL parents must be signed up to this app please.
Email will also be used for communicating to parents. Please play your part in checking emails and looking at facebook regularly.
Lunches
NE/YR1 children eat their lunch in the junior shade house area and YR2 outside Room 8. Year 3 & 4 children sit outside Rm 19 & 20 & in the shade area. Yr 5 & 6 sit outside Rooms 14 & 15. Year 7 & 8 sit near the court at the front of the school.
On wet cold days lunch is eaten in the classroom.
Subway lunches are available every Tuesday. Orders must be done online via your KINDO account, see details below on how to set this up, (or you may drop to Subway Parklands and state it is a late order from Queenspark School).
Ezlunch Lunch Order school lunches online with ezlunch. Go to www.ezlunch.co.nz and fill in your details. This creates your family mykindo account for easy online ordering.
There is a wide variety to choose from. The Box Sushi options are on Mondays, Subway onTuesdays, Pure Sushi is available every Thursday and and warm subs and dumplings on Fridays. Please set up your account on line at www.mykindo.co.nz
Shopping online with KINDO - QPS preferred payment system
We’ve set up our Kindo online school shop to make it easy for our families to pay for school costs anywhere, anytime. It’s open 24/7, and available at www.mykindo.co.nz
Now you’ve set-up your family account, have funds available, and it’s time to make a payment.
Select the service you require. Remember to only pay for the items /activities relating to your child. Hard copy notices will still come home advising you of what the activity is.
Select the item you require by clicking on the initial icon of the child.
School Donation
We are a Decile 8 school which means that we receive less funding than other comparative lower decile schools in New Zealand. This means that to offer the same facilities and resources as other schools we must rely heavily on our parental community for support. One of the most tangible ways you can offer support is by paying your school donation.
The Board of Trustees have received feedback on the new form of the school donation introduced in 2007. In response to this feedback the Board has decided to return to the earlier model of a donation and an Activity Fee.
The Activity Fee is a compulsory payment and has been set at $16 per term per child for 2021. We are entrusted to deliver the New Zealand curriculum in order for our children to become the best people they can be. As you are aware learning does not just happen in the classroom. The New Zealand curriculum expects us to enrich children’s learning by visiting places such as museums and other places of interest as well as catering for visiting speakers and performers. The Activity Fee has been set to cover the cost of activities that support curriculum learning . The Ministry of Education does not cover the cost of these activities therefore we must pass on this charge to our parents. We are mindful of home budgets and as such we work hard to secure the best transport deals and to keep these costs to a minimum. Our expectation is that all children take part in all learning activities set by the school. N.B. Activities such as camps and outdoor education programmes, Aranui technology, swimming and gymnastics will still need to be funded by invoicing the families of children participating.
The donation for 2021 has been set at $95 for one child, $150 for 2 children or $200 for 3+ children in a family which is the minimum needed to cover the shortfall in Government funding. Please feel free, however, to donate more if you wish - remember donations are tax deductible! We have information with regard to how to go about claiming back at the school office.
Four years ago we introduced a new innovation whereby you can select what area of the school you would like your donation to be applied towards by simply ticking a box on the direct debit form. The areas available are Academic , Cultural, and Physical Education/Sporting .
With your help we can fill the gap in our income pie. If you pay by direct debit it works out to be less than half the price of a cup of coffee per week. We really need every family to contribute in order for the current learning opportunities for children continue.
Helping Queenspark children to Step Up – Reach Out.
Thank you
Yours sincerely
The Board of Trustees
Great News! Through careful allocation of funding and budgeting the Board of Trustees has been able to retain the suggested school donation for 2021 at the above rates: $95 for one child, $150 for 2 children in a family and $200 for 3+ children in a family.
The range of payment options are as follows:
- Cash
- Cheque
- Credit
- EFTPOS
- Automatic Payment (forms available from the office or on the school website)
Manual payments can be made by weekly payments or Term by Term. If you elect to pay by automatic payment the annual donation can be spread over the full 12 months.
The board expects your full support on this. Please contact our admin staff or the principal if you wish to discuss an alternative plan.
School Costs 2022
The Activity Fee is a compulsory payment and has been set at $64 per child for 2021. We are entrusted to deliver the New Zealand curriculum in order for our children to become the best people they can be. As you are aware, learning does not just happen in the classroom. The New Zealand curriculum expects us to enrich children’s learning by visiting places such as museums and other places of interest as well as catering for visiting speakers and performers. The Activity Fee has been set to cover the cost ofactivities that support curriculum learning . The Ministry of Education does not cover the cost of these activities therefore we must pass on this charge to our parents. We are mindful of home budgets and as such we work hard to secure the best transport deals and to keep these costs to a minimum. Our expectation is that all children take part in all learning activities set by the school.
If your child begins mid way through the year, you will only be required to pay a portion of these amounts. Please check with the school office if you are unsure of the totals.
Other compulsory payments during 2021 will be:
Technology Fee (Yr 7 & 8 children only) $82.00 - to attend technology at Mairehau HS.
School Camp $150 - $200 est
Swimming programme (full school) $52 est
Our School Bank Account Number is: ASB 12-3240-0078812-00
We encourage automatic payments. Your payments will show on your statements that are emailed each Term.
Many thanks for your support.
Your PTA
About the Queenspark School P.T.A
Our Purpose
Queenspark School is fortunate to have a fun, energetic and highly motivated PTA. Our main aim is to provide a very important link between parents, staff and the Board of Trustees for the benefit of our children, and the wider school community.
We Do This By
Sharing relevant and topical information with parents and the wider community, through information sessions, the school’s weekly newsletter, the PTA quarterly newsletters, and the School website.
Working in conjunction with the school’s annual strategic plan to raise funds throughout the year to provide the many ‘extras’ the school has identified to be a priority so that Queenspark students have a well-resourced and attractive school to enjoy.
Providing a forum / voice for parents to discuss school–wide issues that may be of concern to them.
Ensuring that all the support services we provide help to foster a strong and healthy community spirit, and positive relationships between parents, whanau, teachers, board members, and students.
Chairperson
Natalie Carson & Kelly Garlic
Secretary
Shontelle Andrews
When Do We Meet?
The Committee meets the third Monday of each month at 7pm in the school library or classroom area. Any parent / caregiver of a child enrolled at the school is very welcome to come and attend a meeting, see what we are all about, or raise an issue for discussion under general business. Alternatively if you are unable to attend the meetings you are welcome to help out with various activities during the school year. Please email us your details and we will contact you when we need further help.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the PTA is welcome to email at the above address for a friendly, informal chat.
How The Parent Community Can Help?
To successfully achieve the purpose of the PTA we not only need people who are willing to become members of the committee, but also to those who do not wish to commit to meetings but are able to put their names down on our database of volunteers who give their time / skills / assistance with the activities we organize and are involved in. Please feel free to contact Krissy or the school office if you might be interested in this option of supporting your child’s school.