Prospectus

Tomarata School is a co-educational, rural primary school catering for students from Year 0-8. It is approximately 16kms northeast of Wellsford. The roll of Tomarata School is currently 123 (as at 26th September 2019). The school has 6 classrooms in operation and the office is manned from 8.00am to 3.00pm daily. Teacher Aides are employed to enhance student learning and provide support in a number of areas.

The school buildings consist of a permanent block which houses a library, staff-room, Principal’s office, main office, resource room and sickbay. We have a block of 4 new classrooms, less than 2 years old. We also have a hall, toilet blocks, sports shed, changing sheds, covered outdoor stage area and a covered sandpit. The school house is adjacent to the school. Outside facilities include the swimming pool, tennis/netball courts, playing fields, gardens, worm farms, a small orchard and an adventure playground.

We appreciate parental help with transport, coaching of sports teams, club work, musical productions, working bees and resource management. There are also opportunities for parents to assist in some learning programmes.

Students with special talents and abilities are catered for within the classroom programmes and are offered extension opportunities. Students who are identified with special learning needs are monitored closely with appropriate programmes implemented and outside agencies involved where needed. The Principal shares the role of Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) with the Deputy Principal.

Any concerns regarding a student’s progress or class placement should be discussed with the class teacher or Principal. We ask that you make appointments through the School Office by email.

Our school works as a collective team  Regular meetings are held to discuss planning, teaching and learning strategies, monitoring of children and programmes. Composite classes are common due to roll size. We employ quality relieving teachers who are usually familiar with our school, the children and routines.

Absences

If your child is going to be away we need you to notify us, either by ringing before 8.15am, by sending a note via a sibling or entering the information on the school website. Please feel free to leave a message on the answer-phone stating your child’s name, room number and the reason for your child’s absence. You can also add the information onto our website by following instruction s to report an absence. Attendance reviews are completed each term. We use electronic registers.

Appointments

We welcome contact with parents. If you wish to make an appointment to discuss any matters with your child’s teacher please contact the office, or the teacher, about a suitable time. E-mails work very well.

Assembly

School assemblies are usually held every second Friday afternoon at 1.50pm, and are advertised in the weekly newsletter which is also posted on our website. Parents are encouraged to attend. The senior students lead the assembly and amongst other things this is a time for the students to share their work.

Brain Break

Students have a daily 5 minute break at 9.30am when we encourage a healthy snack of fruit, nuts, cheese or crackers and a drink of water.

Please ensure that your child is appropriately dressed for such activities as art and physical education.  It is important that girls do not wear shoe string straps in the summer, as shoulders need to be protected.  Clothing and footwear should always be named. We give students every opportunity to claim their lost clothing.
We have a sports T-shirt that is also to be worn on trips out of the school.

Contact Details

It is very important that we have current addresses and telephone numbers. Please inform the school of any changes.

Curriculum

All New Zealand Primary Schools develop their own documentation, based on the Ministry of Education curriculum which has:

Dental Treatment

The mobile dental van visits us once a year, or treatment can be received at the Warkworth Dental Clinic phone 09 425 8701.

Education outside the Classroom

Throughout the year individual classes, syndicates and sometimes the whole school, go on educational trips to support major learning themes. There is usually a small charge for these trips. Parental involvement is greatly appreciated. Senior classes usually have a camp towards the end of the year.

Enrolments

New Entrants may be enrolled at any time before their fifth birthday by making an appointment to meet the Principal. There are a few forms that need to be filled in by parents/caregivers. You will need to bring your child’s birth certificate and record of immunisations. We encourage up to six pre-school visits, usually one a week, before their fifth birthday. Please contact the New Entrant Teacher to arrange these. When enrolling other students who are not New Entrants please bring any records or books from the previous school as well as a copy of their birth certificate or passport.

Emergency Procedures

In the event of an accident or sickness students are attended to in the Sick Bay. If our Staff is in doubt, or if the situation is serious, parents will be contacted immediately. If we are unable to contact your family, we will notify the emergency contact listed, or if appropriate, a doctor. We keep an up to date list of medical problems and action plans in the Sick Bay and the Office.

In the event of a Civil Defence Emergency, the school is the Civil Defence community assembly area. If there is an emergency school closure we will implement our Phone Tree.

We have regular evacuation (‘Safer Outside’) and lock down drills (‘Safer Inside’).

Homework

Homework is related to the class and learning programmes. It is usually given from Monday to Thursday nights, with Friday night and the weekend seen as quality family time. Junior School homework will usually consist of reading, poems and library books. Some students may also have short spelling lists and maths basic facts. At this level homework should not take more than 15-20 minutes. Year 5–8 students are expected to read for at least 20-30 minutes every day. Usually basic maths facts are given to be completed each night (Mon–Thurs). At times other topic related homework tasks/research will be provided. Homework enables student’s learning at school and at home to be coordinated, with parental support important. It is equally important for parents not to take over and do their child’s work for them! We aim to establish good routines and develop time management skills.

Library

Our school library is bright and attractive with a wide selection of books, including a New Zealand authors’ section. The library is continually being updated and maintained and is an attractive resource for our school.  We have just completed a library upgrade project, which included the addition of a ‘reading deck’, ranch sliders for access, and replacement of windows.

Lunches

Sausage Sizzle lunches and ice blocks are available for sale a few times each term – advertised in the newsletter.

Parental Concerns

If you have any concerns/issues about your child’s schooling please follow our policy and approach the Class Teacher first. If there is still a problem approach the Principal. Following this, if the matter is still unresolved, parents may put the details in writing and give it to a member of the Board of Trustees or hand it in to the Office. Specific issues are expected to be brought to the attention of the Principal before being taken to the Board. The Board Chairperson Sheila Russell can be contacted on 09 423 8104. Cherylene Neels is also also on the Board of Trustees, along with a staff trustee. The Complaints Procedure and Flow Chart are readily available in the office.

Parental Involvement in Daily Programmes

We are most grateful for the support and assistance which many parents give in our classrooms, under the guidance of the Class Teacher. Their help in our reading/language programmes on trips and club work is much appreciated. Students benefit greatly from this lowering of the adult/child ratio in their classroom. Please contact your child’s teacher if you wish to help.

PB4L

We are a ‘Positive Behaviour For Learning’ school. We focus on desired, positive behaviours that link strongly to our Values. Every week we have a new focus for each class to discuss, unpacking what it ‘looks like’ for that group of students. We hold short assemblies each week that are led by teachers to further build positive expectations.

Photographs

Once a year Photolife Studios take individual, family and class photos.

Public Health Nurse

The Public Health Nurse, Mrs. Maretta Hodges is available by arrangement or on request. She also assists us by providing expertise in some of our health programmes.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

We are an environmentally friendly school, with a focus on sustainability. We recycle paper and containers, promote less use of plastic wrappers and gladwrap, and operate worm farms. We have a school orchard and compost bins, and promote ‘litter free’ lunches.

Reporting to Parents

We issue written reports on students’ progress twice a year, once at mid-year and a more comprehensive report at the end of the year. Parents of New Entrant students are invited to an interview after 8 – 10 weeks of school entry, and the Principal meets with parents after completion of the 6 year old Literacy assessment to discuss the outcomes and next steps.

Scholastic Book Club

Approximately 8 times a year your child will bring home brochures from Scholastic books. The school receives bonus coupons for orders placed and we use these to purchase more books for our Library. They offer quite a range of books at reasonable prices, with a really engaging selection of titles.

School Donation

The annual school donation should be paid by Term Two – $30.00 per student or $50.00 per family.

Show Day

Formerly known as Calf Club, Show Day is a feature of our school and is held in October each year, usually the end of week one, Term 4.

Stationery

Stationery is available at school from the School Office at a very reasonable cost.

Support Agencies

The school works with a variety of agencies to further support student’s needs. These include the RTLB service (Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour), Stand for Children (formerly the Maunu health camp) and Learning Support (formerly Special Education – High Learning Needs, On-going Reviewable Support, Speech Language, Attention and Behaviour, High Health Needs, etc).

Support Team (PTA)

Our group is called the ‘Helping Hands’ team. It is important to have these effective links between parents/home, teachers, students and the wider community. A small sub-committee organises the annual Guy Fawkes fundraiser, and other teams will be responsible for various events throughout the year. This group is also a valuable consultative body for new initiatives or when reviewing procedures. The school runs Home-school Partnership programmes to further engage parents in their children’s learning.

School Discipline

We strongly believe that every child has the right to a quality education. We promote values such as respect, honesty, responsibility, consideration and independence and there are strong links to the PB4L programme.  All students are aware of our SMART Values and our Good Citizen programmes.  We do not tolerate rudeness or lack of respect from any student in the school and hope that parents appreciate these values.  School must be a safe and happy place for all of the large ‘family’ – students and staff.  Parents will be contacted if behavior is a concern. We are very fussy about respect for school property and resources and do not expect to see students mistreating school equipment.

Technology

All Year 7 and 8 students attend Technology lessons at Rodney College on Tuesdays in six week blocks. The bus leaves school at 9.20am on Wednesdays and returns after lunch.  The College runs a 2 year programme with each class taking part in 3 technology areas per year.

Uniforms

Tomarata T-shirts are available at the School Office. They are not compulsory but it is preferred for sporting events and trips.