SCHOOL INFORMATION

If your child is going to be absent please either register their absence through the Hero App or ring the school office between 8.30 – 9 am.  A message may be left on the office answer phone earlier than this.

If we don’t hear from you by 9.20 and your child is absent, our school secretary will contact you.  This is to ensure the safety of your child.

Any minor illness or accident is dealt with at school.  In more serious cases every endeavour is made to contact a parent by telephone to ask that the child be collected from school and taken either home or to a doctor. If appropriate, an ambulance will be called for immediately.  If a parent cannot be contacted, then it is usual for the school to make any decision required and act accordingly.  Please make sure we have an emergency contact number.
In the case of a head injury/bump, you will be contacted.

Please advise the class teacher if your child is on any form of medication during the school day.  Parents / caregivers will need to fill out an Administering Medication form before Staff can administer medication.
If your child has any allergies please inform the school of these on the Enrolment Form.

Children on bikes are always an area of concern to us and one which is physically impossible for us to monitor completely.           

If your child does ride to school, note -  All children must wear a helmet when biking to and from school. Check regularly that your child’s bike is in perfect going order.

Road Transport Safety Authority advises that children up to the age of 10 years will struggle to co-ordinate road rules and the physical requirements of riding a bike.

Many of our pupils travel to and from school on school buses.  The bus routes are:
Lake Kaniere/Milltown

           Ruatapu
Ross / Woodstock / Rimu

To be eligible to travel by bus, you must be on an approved Transport Entitlement Zone (TEZ)  and live more than 3.2km to your nearest appropriate school.

More details on the TEZ and bus applications can be obtained from the office.

As part of the class programme, day visits, or in some cases, overnight camps, are undertaken by classes.  These are a valuable extension of the class programme.  Your help on such occasions is essential and greatly appreciated.

Kaniere Children attend the mobile dental clinic at school. If further work is required an appointment time will be made to attend the dental clinic at Hokitika Primary School.  Children may be enrolled from age two and a half. Emergency appointments can be made by phoning 756 8047.

We constantly promote our motto ‘Learning, Caring, Sharing’ in all we do.

Students are also taught to understand and practise the school values and the underlying key competencies

Manaakitanga (Care, show kindness and respect)

Kaitiakitanga (Care for possessions, school, community and wider world)

Whanaungatanga (Relationships)

Rangatiratanga (Self directed confident learners)

You are most welcome to come along to our Home and School meetings. This is a good opportunity to meet other parents.  These meetings are usually held once a term.

Some children may have some home learning.  Content and time spent doing it will vary according to class level.  If difficulties with the work arise it is better for it to be left and sorted out with the teacher the next day.

The junior children may have some reading to share at home each night.
Reading may be
- a book they have enjoyed before, a browse box book
- a poem to share and read along with you
- a poem nursery rhyme / jingle

We require the children to have a reading bag ($4.50) and library bags ($5). These bags are available from school and will be organised by the classroom teacher. 

We email regular newsletters to parents to ensure you keep in touch with school news.

You can also join our Facebook page: Kaniere School
This group is for the Kaniere School community. This group is a positive area. If you have any school problems or concerns please come into the school as this page is not the place to discuss them.

You can also download the Hero by LINC-ED App
which also keeps you up to date with school events, allows you to report absences and view student progress.

If children are to leave the school grounds e.g. go home for lunch, doctor’s appointment, please either send a note or ring school and let us know.  The children are to check out and back in through the school office.

Kaniere School is an Enviro School and we encourage our students to reduce waste by having a Litterless Lunchbox. A litterless lunch will be packaged in containers that can be re used.

These can be Kai Carriers, snap lock bags, plastic containers, lunch paper, or honey sandwich wraps. 

If you like further information on how to make your lunch boxes litter less see a member of our Zero Waste team.

Lost property is stored in the corridor outside the First Aid room in a plastic container.

School books are often inadvertently left at home by pupils.  Parents should feel free to return school books at any stage they have been rediscovered. 

If the grounds are wet it is a good idea for the children to bring old gear for wearing when playing on the field in order to preserve uniforms.

These are a regular and important feature of school life and we ask that you read them carefully. 

They are emailed to keep you up to date with events as well as letting you know of any matter that we feel may be of interest.

The newsletter is also available to view on our website.

There are many occasions where parents are able to help with school activities and teachers are grateful for the support.  Opportunities arise at such activities as sports days, working bees, visits and camps.  

There are further opportunities in general class work where parents may be involved in helping the classroom and with preparation or repairing of books and materials.  If you would be interested in assisting please contact us. 

Children love parents showing an interest in school.

All children will receive two written reports each year.

All classes Year 1-6

There will be a written report at mid and end of the year.

Towards the end of term 1 there will be an optional conference and at the beginning of term 3 a compulsory one. 

Traffic Safety When Delivering or Picking Up Children at School
If you bring your child to school by car, would you please drop them off at the school gates in St Albans Street, parking on the school side of the road (Cars parked on both sides can cause a safety hazard for the children).

On wet days when there are a lot of cars, rather than double park we ask that you wait in Camp Street until there is a space in St Alban’s Street.

If you use Camp Street entrance please show consideration for the Playcentre families and do not park in front of the Playcentre if you intend being at school after 9am.

When private cars are being used by the school for school activities, the number of pupils per car shall not exceed the number of diagonal restraints available.

Car must also be registered and warranted and the drivers licensed.  We need to sight the drivers’ licenses, car registration and warrants of fitness as per Board requirements.

Information sheets, which include order forms are sent home with children once or twice a term.  Many parents take advantage of the opportunity to purchase good quality books at substantially reduced prices.  The children return their completed order form and money to school in an envelope marked with ‘Book Club’ and their name or use the online ‘Loop’ ordering system.

The school receives bonus points for the orders which are used to buy free books for the school.
The books usually arrive about two weeks after the order has been forwarded to Scholastic New Zealand Ltd.

Our secretary is in the office from 8.30 am to 3.15 pm
Phone messages may be left on the answer phone outside of these hours.

Kaniere School will not be asking for school donations as we have entered into the school donation scheme with the Ministry of education. 

The school will, however, be able to seek contributions toward non-compulsory activities such as visiting performers, sports trips, transport, etc

We encourage children to take books home to read.  

Please ensure that the books are cared for and returned promptly.  Children are able to change their books weekly.  There is a charge to replace lost books.

On Friday lunches may be purchased at Kaniere Motors, parents are to order and arrange payment with the garage, before 9am.

On Wednesdays lunches can be ordered and paid online from New World by 9am at http://www.ezlunch.co.nz/.

Kaniere School is a ‘Smoke Free Environment’.  Smoking is not allowed within the school boundaries.

All pupils are expected to participate unless there is a good medical reason why they should not do so.  

If your child is not to take part in physical education or sport please send along a short note or give us a call to save any possible problem.

As you will be aware, Kaniere School is part of the Toki Pounamu cluster of schools on the West Coast.  

The positive benefits of being in this cluster include digital enablement and access to proven professional development for digital immersion for 21st century learning.  

The priority goal is to raise student achievement.   A requirement of being in the trust is that all students have access to a device to enable equity and excellence among learners.  Chromebooks can be purchased through the Toki Pounamu Trust.

Children are encouraged not to bring their toys and / or any valuables to school as teachers cannot be held responsible for any damage or loss that may occur.

Cell phones, trading cards, MP3 and iPod players are not permitted.