A to Z or Everything You Need to Know about Bayswater School!
Absences
To ensure your child’s safety, please report any absences before the start of each day that your child is off school. There is an answerphone on 445-6226 to leave a message or you can email the school office on admin@bayswater.school.nz Please state your child’s name and class, who you are and give a reason for the absence. This is necessary for required Ministry of Education coding.
Accidents and Illnesses
If your child is hurt or becomes unwell at school, they are taken to the sick bay. A large number of staff are St John's qualified and they will make a decision about what needs to be done. If a child is too unwell to stay at school, or if an injury is at all concerning, you will be contacted. Whānau are always contacted if a child receives a head injury.
After School Care
Before and after school care is provided on site by Kelly Club. Please see their website for further details.
Assembly
Celebration assemblies take place each Friday, starting at 9:00am. These are celebrations of the week, with certificates being awarded and sports results announced etc Sometimes a class will share some of their learning or a group from within school or from another local school will perform something they have been learning. Assemblies are organised and run by our Year 6 children. Families are warmly invited to attend.
Attendance
Children are required to attend school every day unless they are unwell. It is absolutely clear that children who have frequent absences are less successful learners than their peers who are regular attenders. Every day in your child’s education is precious so please ensure your child comes to school every day.
Behaviour
Bayswater School has a positive behaviour policy which focuses on children learning to manage themselves so that they can be the best learners possible. Children are taught desirable behaviours. They discuss with their peers and adults ways in which they can demonstrate the school's values (hauora, personal excellence, resilience and respect). Classes agree on ways in which positive choices can be celebrated and rewarded. Should things go wrong, children are listened to. They have a chance to explain what happened and to think about how they can put things right. Consequences are logical and proportionate. Whānau are contacted and involved in the process if necessary.
Board of Trustees
The board is entrusted to work on behalf of all children, families and staff and is accountable for the school’s performance. It focuses on strategic leadership, sets the vision for the school, and ensures that it complies with legal and policy requirements. Trustees are elected by the school community. The board usually meets on the last Monday of each month and anyone is welcome to attend meetings. Minutes are displayed on the school’s website and on the noticeboard near the foyer.
Buddy Classes
Each class in the junior school is buddied up with a class from the middle or senior school. Classes get together regularly to read together or share other learning activities. We foster a tuakana teina approach where younger children learn from the older children and big buddies look out for their little buddies.
Collecting Children Early
Please avoid collecting your child from school early. Early departures are highly disruptive for the class, unsettling for the child concerned and a real disruption to your child’s learning.
Choir
Singing is part of lesson time throughout the school. Additionally, children from Year 4 up may join the school choir.
Contact
It is essential that school can contact someone if a child is injured or sick. Please make sure that you advise the office if your contact details change.
Dental Service, Hearing and Vision
From time to time the school is visited by the dental van and by hearing and vision testers. You will be advised if there is any cause for concern.
Duty Teachers
The teachers on duty at morning tea and lunchtime are easily identified by the beautiful fluoro vests they wear! They are your child’s first port of call if there is a problem which they need help with at morning tea or lunchtime.
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
A variety of trips out of school are organised to support the children’s learning. We are always looking for parents or grandparents to help out. Please see your child’s class teacher if you would like to accompany your child’s class.
Enviro Group
Children with an interest in the environment can join the Enviro Group. They meet weekly to discuss all things environmental and are often involved in showing visitors around the school.
Fees and Donations
Fiona or Irene, our school administrators, will advise you about term fees and the annual donation. There are several payment options available.
As a school, we do not want any child to miss out on activities from which they would benefit because their family cannot afford to pay. If your child would like to participate in an activity but it is not possible for financial reasons, please see Lindsay. The school holds a small, discretionary fund for just such purposes.
Food
Children in Whānau Puna (the junior school) need a small healthy snack eg a raw carrot, a handful of raisins or half an apple, each day. All children need morning tea and lunch. Filtered water is available through drinking fountains, and milk (see below) is available at the start of each day. Children may order a variety of lunches to be delivered to school. See Irene or Fiona for current options. As a Green-Gold Enviro school, we endeavour to be rubbish free. Use of containers and reusable packets is encouraged. Lunch box rubbish is returned home and not disposed of at school. Worm bins are used for organic waste. No glass please.
Hats
Children are required to wear a hat for all outdoor activities during terms one and four.
Head Lice
Unfortunately, head lice are endemic in most schools. From time to time it is almost inevitable that your child will catch them. If this happens, don’t be embarrassed: lice generally prefer clean hair! It is a good idea to treat the whole family at the same time. If you let us know, we can inform other families that there are head lice in school.
Home Learning
Reading is the major component of home learning for all year groups. From time-to-time there will be additional tasks sent home eg spelling words to learn and maths games to practise basic facts.
Home-School Partnerships
Children learn best when there is a strong partnership between home and school. We welcome your input, ideas and suggestions. We love whānau coming into school to help in a wide variety of ways. Classes often invite parents in to share with their learning. If you would like to be more involved but aren’t sure how, speak to your child’s class teacher. We will find something for you to do!
Houses
Every child (and teacher) is a member of one of the school’s houses. These are named after New Zealand Navy ships: Endeavour, Tui, Achilles and Leander. Children earn house points for pro-social behaviours and at the end of the term and year, the winning house has a celebration.
Kapa Haka
Kapa haka is an important part of the life of the school. It is open to all children. At certain times, when the group is preparing for a festival, kapa haka rehearsals may involve only the performance group.
Lateness
If your child arrives at school after the roll has been taken s/he must report to the school office to be marked present. Like frequent absence, lateness has a detrimental effect on children's learning and wellbeing.
Library
We are lucky to have a fantastic school library. Children visit the library every week as part of their class learning. Additionally, the library is open for children to use at lunchtimes. We have a fabulous group of parents who work in the library. If you would like to get involved, speak to Allison Butcher.
Lost Property
From time to time, your child may lose something. Lost property is stored in the patrol shed.
Lunchtime Activities
There are lots of activities which your child can join in with at lunchtimes. There is often sports coaching (run through school or by outside agencies) and social games organised by staff (from a lunchtime swim, to table tennis and table football, to big games of softball or rugby). In the library, there are often craft activities and always reading and board games. Chess coaching and dance classes are also offered at lunchtime, at an additional cost.
Milk and Breakfast
Milk is available at the start of the school day at the classrooms for any child who would like some. Parents must sign a permission slip first. Breakfast is served in the staffroom from 8:30am for any child who would like to join us.
Newsletters
These are produced every Tuesday of term time. The newsletter is posted on our website and an email alert with a link is also sent to each family. Any family can request a hard copy of the newsletter and these are sent home with the children (usually on a Wednesday).
Hall Hire
Our school hall is available for hire and this provides useful revenue for the school. Please tell your friends!
Instrumental Tuition
Tuition in a wide variety of instruments is available during school time. Please see the office for details.
Open Door Policy
If there is anything puzzling, pleasing or bothering you, please contact your child’s class teacher or Lindsay. The sooner an issue is raised, the sooner it can be dealt with. If, after speaking to the class teacher and Lindsay, you are still unhappy, there is a complaints procedure which can be followed.
Parent Group
All parents are automatically members of the Parent Group. The Parent Group organises social activities for school families to come together and also fund-raising activities. New, active members are always welcome so, if you would like to get more involved, ask at school.
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Photos
Class and individual photos are taken in term one and sports and group photos are taken in term three.
Pick-up and Drop-off
For the safety of all our children, please do not drive into the school grounds before, during or after school - even when it is raining!
Playgrounds
All children are allowed to play anywhere ‘in bounds’ in the school grounds, with the exception of the front (senior) playground which is for children from Year 3 up and the back (junior) playground which is for children in Year 3 and down. Children playing on the back courts must play in a manner which is safe for younger children. Children playing on the front courts may expect to find more robust play!
Road Patrol
Children in Year 6 are trained as road patrollers. They operate the crossing on Bayswater Avenue before and after school. We are always looking for parents or grandparents to support this. If you could offer one morning or afternoon a week, please see Marianne Coldham.
Reporting
Each term, there are special times when families come together with teachers to discuss children’s learning: term one - start of year interviews; term two - three-way conferences; term three - student-led open afternoon and term four - a full written report. Additionally, there are often smaller ‘communications of learning’ and special days to which you will be invited. If at any time you would like to discuss your child’s progress and achievement, make an appointment with your child’s class teacher. They will be happy to talk with you.
School Council
Every class from Year 1 up elects two representatives to the school council. They hold a class meeting each week and also meet with Lindsay as a council once a week. They are responsible for initiatives all kinds of initiatives around school.
School Visits for New Entrants
We encourage at least two visits on the Tuesdays mornings preceding your child’s first day at school. These visits can be arranged by you through the office.
Scooters, Skateboards and Bikes
We encourage children to ride to and from school but they are not allowed to ride through the school grounds. Bikes and scooters should be padlocked to the racks provided and skateboards are kept inside. Children under 10 years old must have a permission letter if you wish them to ride to and from school unaccompanied by an adult. The class teacher has copies of these for you to complete and sign.
Sport
Apart from school sports, which are covered as part of the curriculum, there is a wide variety of competitive sports which your child can get involved with. These vary slightly from year to year but basketball, netball and various rugby codes are usually available through school. Please ask the teacher if you would like to know more.
Smoke Free
Like all schools in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are smoke free. Please do not smoke on school grounds.
Stationery
This is available for purchase at the school office at the start of the year. Additional purchases as books are filled and pens run out, can also be made at school.
Swimming
Bayswater School is lucky to have a recently refurbished pool on site. The pool is heated and is used during terms one and four, weather permitting. All children are expected to swim as this is part of the school’s Health and PE curriculum.
Syndicates
School is organised into three syndicates or whānau. Whānau Puna (spring) is the junior school; Whānau Wai (water) is the middle school and Whānau Kokoru (bay) is the senior school. The teachers, teacher aides and children in each syndicate work closely together.
Te Reo Tuatahi
This is the Māori language programme in school. All children attend weekly, as part of their classroom learning.
Timetable
8:20 earliest time for children to arrive at school (prior to this time, children must be enrolled in Kelly Club)
8:55 to 11:00 learning block 1 (Whānau Puna stop for feed and read / brain snack at around 10am)
11:00 to 11:40 morning tea (including ten minutes of supervised eating)
11:40 to 1:10 learning block 2
1:10 to 1:50 lunch time (including ten minutes of supervised eating)
1:50 to 3:00 learning block 3
3:00 home time
Travelwise
Bayswater is a Travelwise school and we encourage everyone to come to school sustainably if possible. We support Walking School Buses and if you are interested in your child joining one, helping on one yourself or starting one, please contact school.
Waterwise
All Year 6 children have the opportunity to learn to sail as part of the Waterwise programme, which takes place on Wednesday afternoons throughout Terms one and two. We are always looking for parents who would like to train as instructors (no previous experience of sailing necessary) or who are willing to help out with lifts to and from the beach and supervision. Ask at the office if you are interested, regardless of what year your child is in.