School Bus Information
If you live a certain distance from school, your child may be eligible to travel to and from school by bus.
CLICK HERE for the bus registration form
Once registered, your child will show up on the bus roll every day they are enrolled.
If your child is not travelling by bus on any given afternoon, it is required that you phone or email the office (03 442 9120, office@queenstown.school.nz) before midday to mark your child absent on the roll. This will ensure that the buses are not held up while we look for missing children. If you need to collect your child directly from the bus line, you must inform the duty teacher (not the bus monitor). If you wish to collect other people’s children, the school will need to receive consent from their parents/caregivers.
New Entrant students need to be settled into school routines before they can use the bus service (usually 2-4 weeks) unless they have a big brother or sister at school that can look after them.
Before students start travelling to or from school on the bus, they need to know their full name, their address, which bus route they are on and which bus stop they get on or off.
Buses are funded by the Ministry for the purposes of getting children to and from home only and are not to be used for play dates, sports activities etc.
Please have your child at the bus stop 5 minutes earlier than the pickup time.
Duty of care is transferred to the bus driver in the morning only once your child/children have boarded the bus. Until this time, parents are responsible for supervising their child/children at the bus stop.
In the afternoon, duty of care is transferred back to parents as soon as the child/children exit the bus at their designated stop. It is expected that parents will be present at the bus stop to meet and collect their child/children.
At the conclusion of the school day, staff will verify that all junior students are present in accordance with the bus roll.
Students in the middle, senior, and intermediate year levels are expected to be responsible for following their designated bus arrangements. In the event that a student from these year levels misses the bus, parents or caregivers will be contacted and required to collect their child from school.
BUS CONTROLLERS
Matt Leach and Justine Lock are our Bus Controllers, responsible for bus route administration and safety. If you have any queries please contact either Matt mattl@queenstown.school.nz or Justine justinel@queenstown.school.nz
INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS
Students are to report immediately to their respective bus lines (or the duty teacher's room if wet).
The duty teachers will supervise bus monitors checking names off the appropriate roll, will escort bus lines to the correct bus and will supervise seating arrangements.
Please go through these expectations and safety requirements with your child:
When boarding the bus in the morning, children need to wait in the designated place, well back from the road.
Wait until the bus has stopped before approaching.
At all times, stay seated until the bus has stopped.
Carry your bag in front of you so it does not get caught in the door.
Get on and off the bus carefully without pushing. Get off the bus through the front door if possible.
When getting off the bus in the afternoon, if you need to cross, find a safe place and wait until the bus has moved away. This will ensure that you have a clear vision of the road.
Students must wear shoes at all times.
Skateboards, scooters, skis and snowboards are not permitted on the buses.
Please encourage your child to wear their high visibility vest.
Junior School students must be met by a parent/caregiver at the bus stop.
When collecting your children, get out of the car and meet them on the same side of the road that the bus has stopped and go with them to the car.
Please think safe! Ensure that you are not blocking children’s line of sight if they have to cross the road, model safe behaviour and allow the bus plenty of room to pull in and out.
BEHAVIOUR EXPECTATIONS
Students who use the school bus may continue to do so while they behave in a reasonable and safe manner. To ensure that a bus is a safe place for everyone, the following behaviour is expected of all students:
Students are to listen to and follow the requirements and instructions of the bus driver and the teacher/s on duty at all times.
Students must use socially acceptable language when talking to the driver and/or other students and speak quietly so they do not distract the bus driver.
Students are not to engage in any behaviour that could put other passengers, the driver, or themselves at risk.
Students must sit down immediately and remain in their seats for the whole journey. When no seats are available students must stand in the aisle holding on with both hands and not move around the bus.
Students must show respect at all times. No throwing of objects inside or out of the bus.
Eating or drinking is not permitted.
Students are to respect the bus operator's property at all times (e.g. refrain from standing on seats or vandalising the bus in any way).
Students are not to harass, bully, or abuse other passengers or drivers in any way, whether verbal or physical.
If any students disregard these procedures, the school will take appropriate action.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who will help my child catch the bus in the first week of school?
Your child will be assigned a bus buddy, who will come to your child's room just before 3pm. Should the bus buddy not be available, the class teacher will provide backup. Please be aware that many senior children have after-school activities and are not always on the bus. We do our best to find someone who is on the bus most of the time.
What if my child travels by bus and wants to bring a friend home to play? Parents must organise alternative transport arrangements for play dates, additional children are not permitted to travel on the buses for this purpose.
Can my child take the school bus to the Events Centre for after-school activities?
No. The bus service is available for transport to and from school/home only. You must arrange your own transport for after-school activities.
Can I contact the bus driver on their cell phone?
No. Contact with the bus driver can only be made in an emergency, as it is illegal for drivers to answer cell phones while driving. For any queries, please contact the school office.
What happens if there is an accident? As soon as we are aware of any incident, immediate contact will be made with parents to advise them of the situation and the procedures in place.
How do I know what time the bus comes in the morning or after school?
All details are in the bus routes provided. Also, check with your neighbours if you are new to the area.
The school bus service is run by Go Bus. They are contracted to the Ministry of Education.
Contact Information for Go Bus is:
Phone: 03 451 0090
email: queenstown@gobus.co.nz
BUS ROUTES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
ARTHURS POINT - D130421
8:20 Stop Public bus stop out of Coronet Ridge Resort
8:25 Stop Public Stop at Top 10
8:26 Stop Public stop opposite Cnr Gorge/McChesney Rd
8:40 Stop Queenstown Primary School
8:45 Stop St Josephs School
_____
15:20 Depart QPS
15:25 Stop public stop cnr McChesney/Gorge Rd
15:30 Stop Morning Star bus stop
15:35 Stop Public bus stop out of Swiss-Belresort
CLOSEBURN - D130416
8:15 Stop at Tui Drive bus shelter
8:16 Stop across the road
8:20 Stop 664-607 Glenorchy-Queenstown Road (Closeburn upper)
8:22 Stop Moke Lake Rd
8:30 Stop Queenstown Primary School
______
15:20 Depart QPS
15:25 Stop Moke Lake Rd
15:27 Stop Bobs Cove
15:28 Stop Stop at Tui Drive Bus Shelter (1200 G-Q Rd Glentui Heights Subdivision)
15:45 Stop U-turn at Tui Drive (1200 G-Q Rd Glentui Heights Subdivision)
15:47 Stop Drop off students across the road
15:52 Stop Cnr Closeburn Rd/G-Q Rd
School buses are only for the purpose of getting students home. Ministry of Education guidelines stipulate that students are not to use school buses for transport to after-school activities or playdates.
QPS Bus Buddies - Tuakana-Teina
Here at QPS, we value the Tuakana Teina model this relationship is an integral part of traditional Māori society, providing a model for buddy systems here at QPS. An older or more expert tuakana (brother, sister or cousin) helps and guides a younger or less expert teina (originally a younger sibling or cousin of the same gender). Here at QPS, we replicate this model through careful consideration and peering of students throughout the school. This also includes students that travel on and utilise the school bus system.
Our focus is to build confidence in students and strengthen our school community in a way that echoes our mission statement.
Bus Buddies
Bus Buddy partnerships allow students at school to experience a connection with a variety of pupils at different levels. All students will be given the opportunity to experience being respected, receiving and giving care and being valued members of Queenstown Primary School while demonstrating integrity. Bus Buddy partnerships support students in experiencing a sense of belonging from the very beginning, in particular when transitioning to our school.
The benefits of a Bus Buddy are twofold; the older students learn to take on responsibility, while the younger ones know that they have a fellow student they can confidently turn to for support.
The Bus Buddy helps to promote relationships and support between older and younger students. This fosters a sense of whole-school community and creates friendships that enable both older and younger ‘Buddies’ to bond more closely within the school and together as they travel on the bus. This increases the likelihood of more positive bus behaviour for all students as well as promotes success.
A successful Bus Buddy programme lets the children know they are capable of building relationships and capable of showing care to their Bus Buddy partner beyond the classroom setting.
Aims of the programme
To assist students in having success and feeling successful as a bus student
To accompany a rider and teach them how to navigate different routes
To know and understand bus routines
To ensure safety is paramount and offer tips and greater support when needed
To promote positive relationships between students and vertical collaboration
To develop students’ feelings of compassion and empathy towards others
To develop responsible student behaviour and leadership skills in older students
Programme Details
Younger students are buddied with older students. This allows students to develop leadership skills and relationships with other students that can support them at any point in time.
Senior Buddies (Tuakana) play an important role in familiarising (Teina) with bus routes and routines, ensuring their success. They feel secure in knowing where to go and what to do when travelling on a bus.
Once a student has been enrolled for a bus buddy will be assigned by a member of the office support team. The office staff will introduce buddies to each other prior to students taking their first journey on the school bus service. Office staff will ensure a reminder is delivered to the Tuakana’s classroom on the first day of travel for the Teina, ensuring they meet their Teina buddy at 2:55. They will walk them to the correct bus line and support them every step of the way. Should the bus buddy not be available, the classroom teacher will provide backup, taking the student to the bus line, and assigning a buddy for the day.
Buddies are available until the Teina feels comfortable and safe to ride the bus with improved independence, knowing when and where to get on and off the bus safely.
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