General Information

Absences

It is very important that you contact the school before 9am if your child is going to be absent.

You can let us know via our Facebook Messenger, the SkoolLoop app, an email or a phone call. (Due to website security our website absence form is temporarily disabled).

The office staff follow up when this does not happen and then if necessary the Attendance Service. It is also very important to inform the office of any change to phone numbers, so you can be contacted if your child is sick, hurt or there is another sort of emergency.

Why Attendance at School is so Important - Support for Whanau

Before & After School Care

The YMCA currently run a Before and After School Care programme on our school site. For more information email Ycentral.org.nz or call 027 704 7093

Bicycles / Scooters

We accept Police advice that only children ten and over should ride to school unaccompanied. Safety helmets are essential protection for your child and we require any child riding to or from school to wear one. This is still the responsibility of parents even though they are at school.

Cell Phones / Valuable Items

Children are not encouraged to bring cell phones or any other valuable objects to school. The school takes no responsibility for them. If, with your permission, your child has to have a cell phone with them, then like any valuable item it must be given to the class teacher during the day.

Cultural Events

Children are not only encouraged to participate in the various arts but also to attend professional performances of the arts that take place here from time to time.

Dental Clinic

We have a dental clinic attached at the side of our school grounds with the entrance further down Moonshine Road. Contact can be made with the dental therapist by ringing the dental clinic number 0800 TALK TEETH.

ESOL

We have a part time teacher responsible for students who have English as a second language. She has up to date knowledge of effective teaching and learning for English language learners and works hard to assist students to reach their appropriate level.

Newsletters / Website

We try to keep parents informed of school news and activities. Newsletters are emailed to parents every alternate Wednesday and placed on the school app Skool Loop. A paper copy may also come home with your eldest child if you do not have an email address. School activities and term dates are on the Skool Loop App, and included in the latest newsletter to help families who like to plan ahead. Please let the office know if you do not want your newsletter emailed to you.

Parent Feedback

The parents of newly enrolled children are encouraged to provide the school with feedback as to how the first 6-8 weeks have been for their child(ren).  A form will be mailed home for parents to complete and return.

Parents are regularly asked to provide feedback on various aspects of the school. This forms part of our review process and lets us know what we’re doing well and what needs improving.

Parental Involvement in Classrooms

While parent help is welcomed in classrooms / programmes it does not suit everyone. For those it does, it brings with it certain obligations including confidentiality and a sensitivity to what teachers and their class are involved in by making sure there are no distractions.

The bottom line, that is sometimes forgotten, is that a classroom is a teacher’s work place. Any visits or help in the classroom is after prior arrangement with the teacher concerned, just like any other work place.

The very busy 2.30 – 3.00 pm time slot when teachers are finishing off the day’s programme as well as getting the children ready to go home is the least appropriate time to visit.

Reporting to Parents

The school has four formal reporting sessions per year. There are parent/teacher/child conferences in Term 1 and 3. A formal written report is sent home at the end of Term 2 and the end of the school year (December). Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s class teacher to discuss their child’s progress, as required.

School Donations

Our Board of Trustees has agreed to opt into the Government’s donation scheme for 2022.  We receive a $150 per student, per year payment instead of seeking donations from parents.  This funding will be used for curriculum related learning activities, including school trips.  The Government has advised that we are still able to ask parents and guardians for payments related to optional activities outside the curriculum, for example after-school sports.  We hope this helps relieve some of the financial pressure on our families.

School Hours

We start the school day at 5 minutes to 9.00am and finish at 3.00pm. We expect all children to be at school on time so their learning is not affected.

School Patrols

Our school patrollers supervise the crossings on Fergusson Drive and Moonshine Road before and after school. Students and parents are asked to co-operate with the school patrol and road wardens and use the crossings. We ask that you meet the requirements of the NZ Road Code by parking well clear of the crossing area, bus stops and yellow lines.

School Trips

Traditionally parents and caregivers have been asked to sign a permission form prior to students going on each visit or activity out of the school grounds. In order to streamline processes we ask that on enrolment parents give permission for students to participate in the wide range of opportunities our students are offered outside of the school. The blanket permission would cover trips in the Hutt Valley area only. The blanket parental permission would not cover trips out of the Hutt Valley area and school camps. A separate permission form will be required for these trips.

Parents will still be informed of each coming activity, i.e. date, time, venue, clothing required, purpose and cost of the visit. If you wish to withdraw your child from the activity you need to send a note to your child’s teacher advising him/her. All activities will comply with the school’s Risk Management requirements and your child will be supervised at all times. When travelling in private cars all students will be in a warranted and registered car, with a fully licensed driver and wearing a seat belt. This permission will be valid for the entire time your child attends Trentham School.

It is important that any money required is returned by the deadline so children do not miss out. Please be aware that we are unable to give refunds due to a budgeted cost for trips.

Skool Loop

This parent notification app is used for newsletters, absences and parent alerts.  Simply download the Skool Loop NZ app from your app store, select Wellington and find Trentham School.  Make sure you allow the app to send you notifications. 

Stationery

New Entrant packs can be purchased from Qizzle online. Teachers will supply students with a list of stationery requirements at the end of the year, and new students will receive a list on enrolment.  Stationery requirements are listed on our website and can be ordered through Qizzle - www.schoolpacks.co.nz 

Sunsmart

Trentham School has a Shady School policy of “no hat, no play” for Terms 1 and 4. This restricts unprotected children to designated shade areas only. Parents are asked to provide their children with a sun hat during these two terms.

Swimming

All students have the opportunity to participate in an intensive daily swimming programme for three weeks twice a year, which takes place in our heated indoor swimming pool. From this children can then take part in the annual interschool swimming sports or after school Flippaball (mini water polo) competition that takes place at H2O Xtream. Students are required to wear swimming caps which can be purchased from the school.

There are also after school and weekend swimming classes in our pool taken by Trentham Swim School admin@trenthamswimschool.com, 02102461134

Whanau Teams

On enrolment every child is placed into one of the following Whanau Teams - Rata, Kowhai, Mahoe, Kauri.  The aim of our Whanau Teams is to foster relationships across the school for students, staff and the community through purposeful activities linked to the school values.  They provide an opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and get to know teachers from other classes.  Teams get together for Fun Days and school wide sporting events.  We encourage students and staff to get into the spirit and come dressed in their Whanau colour.