Parkland A-Z |
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Download a copy our Parent Information booklet Or scroll down to view the following...
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Welcome to Parkland School, We encourage all parents to be involved in their child's learning and contribute to the ongoing growth and development of our school culture and values. Accidents at School Every care is taken to avoid accidents in and around the playground. However they do occur and in these situations the staff take the necessary steps to attend to your child’s needs. It is very important that you keep your emergency contact details up to date. Arrival Time at School Parents are requested not to have children at school prior to 8.30am. In some circumstances, those few children who arrive prior to 8.30am are required to sit on the bench seats outside Rooms 2, 3, 4. There is no access to classrooms until the 8.30am bell rings. Pupils should arrive at school early enough for them to prepare for a smooth start to the day. For example to bring in readers, take down chairs, etc. School STARTS at 8.50am. Teachers check the roll at 8.50am and report absences to the office staff who follow up on every absence. After School / Playing with Friends Children who wish to go and play with their friends after school should have arranged this activity with both sets of parents the day before. The school telephone cannot be used for this purpose. Please ensure that your children understand the importance of going straight home after school, before visiting or playing. If a child, or children, arrive at your house to play and this has not been prearranged please send them home or ring the parent. Attendance It is important that we keep track of the children enrolled at our school for several reasons. One is to prevent truancy and another is to protect your child from danger. If your child is away for any reason, please use the school App on your phone to notify us. Please remember a note or phone call from you is required each time your child is away, stating the reason for their absence. Your child's attendance and punctuality will appear on their Learner Profile. |
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Carpark
To ensure the safety of everyone using the carpark, we outline the guidelines for use below:
Civil Emergencies If an emergency occurs at any time while the children are at school they will be kept at school under the care of our staff. We will not send the children home, as many caregivers work. The school will provide parents with information via the school App and/or email. Communicating with Parents / Reporting to Parents A close relationship between parents and the school enhances learning. The staff value the chance to meet parents to talk about the progress of their children. In a school such as ours, this often happens informally on occasions such as dropping off or collecting children. Below, we outline the programme for the year so parents are aware of what to expect. Term 1:
We emphasise that parents are welcome to discuss matters with teachers, or the Principal, at any time. We would however, ask that you do not approach the staff on these matters during class time.
Our reporting to parents is online - Your child's Learner Profile is available at all times via the school App and your personal access code. (Contact the Office to help you set the App up on your phone.) |
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Concerns/Complaints 2.2
To ensure the best educational outcomes for students and facilitate confidence in Parkland processes, it is important that the concerns of students, staff, parents and members of our school community are recognised and resolved in an appropriate manner. Our aim is to provide a process for complaints to be addressed appropriately and promptly. Our procedures will differ depending on the seriousness of the complaint, the nature of the complaint and the people involved. Please note, serious issues should be immediately referred to the Principal. Procedure for Concerns by Parents and Students For Students Depending on the age of the child, students are encouraged to talk directly to the teacher concerned if they have an issue or are unsure of any matter. It is most important that children talk with their parents at all times and seek parental support in all school matters. For Parents Classroom Concerns / Issues
Most classroom issues can be managed through direct face to face contact with your child’s teacher out of class contact time. If a personal visit is not possible, parents are advised to phone the School (06 358 1469) and ask for the teacher, or e-mail the teacher (e.g. j.smith@parkland.school.nz). (This should be done out of class contact time.) Teachers will respond to messages or emails within 2 school working days. Please remember that during those days when the school is closed the teacher may not be available through these channels and it may be better to wait until the School re-opens. (Teachers are not required to respond to emails or phone requests during these periods.) 2. If the response provided via this method does not fully address your concerns, you may wish to meet with the Team Leader, Deputy Principal or Principal. (Whichever is the most appropriate.) Other Concerns If you have a concern about a matter which does not involve a particular teacher, you should make contact with the Principal. Again, it is suggested that you visit in person, in the first instance. School Support Staff If you have a concern with a member of the Administration or Support Staff, this should be discussed with them in the first instance. Should the concern not be rectified to your satisfaction, or you feel the matter is of a more serious nature, then your first point of contact is the principal. Procedure for Making a Formal Complaint If you have raised your concern through the above channels but are not satisfied with the School’s initial response, or there is a serious matter you wish to discuss, you can make a formal complaint as set out below: 1. Detail your complaint in writing (e-mail is fine). Include details of efforts that have been made to resolve the matter, along with your name and contact phone number. 2. Address your written complaint to the Principal. It may be that the principal delegates an investigation to another staff member or an external investigator, depending on the circumstances. 3. If the complaint is about the Principal, it should be raised with that person first and then directed to the Parkland Board Chair. 4. When the complaint is received, you will be contacted by the appropriate person (as above) to discuss the matter. If the matter requires a meeting, you may bring another person with you when you discuss the complaint, if you wish. 5. The complaint will be appropriately investigated by the principal or chairperson talking to the person about whom the complaint has been made and interviewing anybody else who may have an involvement or important input. Written statements will normally be taken. 6. A written record must be kept of any interviews or information that comes to hand. 7. You will be informed of the outcome of the investigation and in order to respect the privacy of those involved, not all details will necessarily be disclosed. 8. Depending on the nature of the complaint, the Principal may refer the matter to the School Board but this is at his discretion. Complaints can not be referred directly to the Board by any other person without approaching the principal in the first instance. 9. Your complaint will be treated in confidence. However, in the interests of natural justice any persons included in a complaint must have the opportunity to hear all details about the complaint and reply to it. They may be accompanied by a support person during discussions of the complaint if they wish. In addition, there may be circumstances where disclosure of information is required by law. Parents should note that under no circumstances should complaints or any interactions with school staff be abusive or threatening. Parents should not use social media in any way to deal with any issue that may arise. Dental Treatment
Dental treatment is provided by a mobile clinic which spends approximately one term at the school. The phone number for the mobile clinic is 027 244 4159. When the mobile clinic is not on site, a dental therapist can be contacted at Roslyn School Clinic to make an appointment for your child. Phone 357 9868. |
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Enrolment Scheme
An Enrolment Scheme operates at Parkland School with strict enrolment guidelines. If you have a pre-school child and are looking for an exceptional school, with traditional values, please make sure you contact the principal to arrange a tour of the school. Applications are currently considered using the following criteria and this would not change. Priority 2 Siblings of current students Priority 3 Siblings of former students Priority 4 Child of a former student Priority 5 Child of a staff or Board of Trustee member Priority 6 All other applicants Home Zone All students who live within the home zone described below (and shown on the map) shall be entitled to enrol at the school. The home zone is defined as all homes in the area enclosed by:
Proof of residence within the home zone will be required Enrolment of Pupils Pupils may not start school prior to their 5th birthday. It is very helpful if children are placed on our pre-enrolment list well before their birthday. The admission procedure requires the child’s birth certificate (not a copy) to be sighted and copied, and for a health card and an enrolment form to be completed. We are also required to sight and copy the vaccination certificate. ERO Report Simply go to the Education Review Office /Home Page and search for "Parkland School ERO Report |
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Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills guide our teaching and learning in the Junior classrooms at Parkland School. They are skills your child needs to have to be “ready” for formal learning. Foundation Skills include: Speaking, Hearing, Moving, Seeing and Print. These skills are needed before children are truly ready to read and write. Think of your child’s brain as a ‘bucket’ with holes in it – if these holes are not plugged then formal learning can be lost. The plugs are the Foundation Skills for Formal Learning. Therefore these skills are the ‘plugs’ that fill the holes in the bucket! In our bucket we have Reading, Writing and Maths at the top. However, if we focus entirely on these skills at the top of the bucket the holes in the lower areas will undermine our efforts. To find out more please
Finance The school currently participates in the Ministry of Education's 'School Donation Scheme'. This means there are no donation requirements for parents. The school will cover the costs of: Swimming, Visiting Performers, Small trips related to the school curriculum, Life Education Trust, Plant to Plate, GATE costs, Mathletics. You will still need to pay for your child's stationery, school uniform and sports fees that you may opt into that are played out of school hours. |
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Health and Safety
When using the school grounds at any time - no actions by you should cause harm to yourself, others or school property. Anyone found climbing on the school roof or any building will be reported to Police “Homework” We no longer have onerous lists of homework to be completed at home. We do value however children reading and discussing ideas at home with family/whanau. Junior Team - up to 10-15 minutes per night (as a guide only)
Senior Team - up to 30 minutes per night (as a guide only)
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Illness at School
If your child becomes ill at school, we take steps to inform you, or the person you’ve elected as your ‘emergency contact’. If we’re unable to locate either you, or your emergency contact, we will ensure that your child is cared for until such contact can be made. Each year parents are required to update emergency and medical information. |
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Lost and Found Please note that any item of school uniform that is named will be returned to the owner. Parents - Your task is to make sure every item that comes to school is named. The 'Lost Property Rack' can be found outside the red double doors to the administration block. (Near the Library) |
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Medication
If your child requires specific medication for asthma, bee stings etc, this can be held in the sick bay. Medications must be clearly labelled and replaced each year. If the school is required to administer any form of medication to a pupil, a form must be completed and signed at the office. |
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Newsletters
Newsletters are sent home on the first Thursday of each term and then each alternate Thursdays to keep families informed of what is going on in the school. (Odd Weeks) A full colour version is also provided on the school website. Parents and caregivers may register on the website and will receive these automatically. The Newsletter will also be available via the School App. Community members are welcome to include items in the Community Notices section. To maintain the quality of our newsletter we do not include advertising flyers unless they are directly related to the operation of the school. |
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Parent Help
We encourage the help of parents in our school. If you have a special interest or strength that you could share with the children, we would love to hear about it. We also look for parents to help out with the fortnightly BBQ Lunch. Let the office know if you can help in any way. All volunteer helpers will need to be Police Vetted. Public Health Nurse The Public Health Nurse works in the school by networking with social and health agencies in our community. Her tasks include the following:
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LSC (Learning Support Coordinator )
This new position was created in 2020. The LSC's job is to advocate for children who need extra help to access the school curriculum. This may involve testing, helping teachers by providing Professional Development or requesting assistance from outside agencies. The school's LSC is part of a group of 9 other LSCs in our Kahui Ako who work together to provide guidance for each other and expertise in different fields. You will find the LSC in the Te Awe Awe offices by Room 1. Learning Support Programmes at Parkland and agencies we work closely with. Our teachers and teacher aides support our learners on various programmes to provide for their individual and specific learning needs.
Smart Start Give your future five year old a "Smart Start" at Parkland School! Smart Start is a programme offered to all future five year-olds and their parents, who are enrolled to start at Parkland School. Smart Start will give you and your child an informative, hands-on, fun-filled introduction to Parkland School, to ensure a smooth transition for your child. Smart Start will give you both an opportunity to:
What you need to know Where: The New Entrant Classroom your child will be starting in When: Any morning - arrive 8.30-8.50 and pick up 10.50. These are start up to four weeks before your child starts school - one visit per week for four weeks. What: Bring brain food snack and morning tea & drink bottle of water If you attend Parkland Kindergarten please talk to the Kindergarten Teachers as your visits are organised for you. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the school. Stationery Stationery is made available to children on the first school day each year to ensure a prompt start to programmes of work. Parents are then invoiced for these. Stationery can be purchased at the school office each morning between 8.30am and 8.50am at competitive prices, both at the beginning of the year and also throughout the remainder of the year. New entrants will be provided with requirements on enrolment. Sun Smart Policy Parkland is a 'SunSmart Accredited School' Parkland School was one of the first schools in New Zealand to require sunhats for all pupils to be worn during summer months. Each child is required to have their own named hat. The Parkland, bottle green, bucket style hat is available for purchase from Academy Apparel. Sunscreen is also provided in a dispenser near the library for the use of children. Hats are compulsory in Terms 1 & 4 |
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Travel to/from School
The Police, Board of Trustees and staff strongly recommend that only pupils in Years 5 and 6 ride bicycles to school. By law, cycle helmets must be worn by all cyclists. Parents collecting pupils at 2.55pm are asked to be very considerate to ensure the safety of our pupils. When you are parking outside the school (Balmoral Drive or Parkland Crescent) please leave access to resident's properties clear. Children using bicycles and scooters must walk these into and out of the school grounds. We strongly advise that they are locked when placed in the rack provided. |
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Open hours8.30am Office opens
8.50am School starts 10.40am – 10.50am Read & feed 10.50 – 11.20am Morning Interval 12.50pm – 1.00pm Lunch in class 1.00 – 1.40pm Lunch Interval 2.55pm School ends |
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Contact UsParkland School
41 Parkland Crescent Palmerston North Phone: (06)358 1469 Absences: Use the App office@parkland.school.nz Website design by Bridging the Gap
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