We hope that the information in this booklet is of assistance to parents and caregivers of present and prospective children at Hutt Central School.

There are many opportunities for those who wish to be involved in their children’s education.

We expect learning to be a rewarding fun experience shared among child, teacher and parents. Everything done at Hutt Central School is directed towards empowering children to become purposeful, sensible citizens who find their own rewards in the control they gain over their lives through the exercise of responsibility.

Yours sincerely

After School Care
Alicetown After School Care operates out of the school hall each school day from 3.00pm to 5.30pm.

The fee structure is quite flexible and depends on your usage (they do have some of the best rates in the valley).

The After School Care is privately owned and is affiliated to O.S.C.A.R (Out of School Care And Recreation services).

For more information see the brochure in the enrolment pack (these are also available from the office) or contact Sue Blackett Ph 938 4038 Mobile 021 212 6321 email llama@paradise.net.nz

Agencies –
A range of support groups are in place for children who experience learning or behavioural difficulties. The school has regular contact with personnel from health agencies and Special Education Service eg psychologists, intinerant teachers. With parental involvement Guidance and Learning Unit (RTLB’s) professionals work at school assessing children’s difficulties and providing behavioural strategies. Reading Recovery teachers and Resource Teachers of Reading also offer programmes at school.

Allergies and Ailments –
If children use asthmatic remedies, have ailments or allergies to bee stings, responsibility rests with parents/caregivers to provide a spare dosage of appropriate medicine in an original prescription container clearly labelled with the child’s name and exact dosing instructions.

These medicines are kept under lock and key in the main office area.

Following recent safety legislation, schools require written authority from parents/caregivers to dispense medicines, along with a Doctor’s statement confirming the necessity for a child to be given medicine during school hours. The appropriate forms are available at the school office.

Communicable Diseases The times listed are the recommended minimum exclusion periods from school, although parent discretion should be used.

Chicken Pox – 5 days from appearance of spots.
Measles- 7 days from the appearance of rash.
Infective Hepatitis- until cleared by a Doctor.
Mumps- 10 days from the onset of symptoms.
Rubella ( German Measles) – 5 days from appearance of rash.
Whooping Cough – until cleared by a Doctor.

If children contract common skin infections and insect manifestations such as Impetigo (school sores), Ringworm, Head Lice (Nits), we would ask parents to act promptly to treat these conditions, as failure to do so can cause minor outbreaks at school. We also ask that you let the school know about the infection as soon as possible.

Public Health Nurse
The school can contact the local Health Nurse for advice when there is a health issue needing clarification. Parents are also able to contact the Health Nurse directly.
Health Nurse – Paula White
Ph 570 0044..

Assembly –
A full school assembly is held every Friday at 2.30pm.Certificates;Sport reports, singing and general notices are shared at this time.
All parents/caregivers are most welcome to attend.
 

B
Behaviour Management –

Hutt Central School’s Discipline Programme

This booklet details the way our school approaches discipline

OUR AIMS/expectations?

• every child to know what behaviour is expected of them while part of our school.
• every child to know exactly what will happen when they do something wrong.
• parents/caregivers to be aware of expected behaviour and what will happen if behaviour is not acceptable.
• a consistent, fair and firm policy.
School Rules (expectations)

AT HUTT CENTRAL SCHOOL WE: -
• Respect other people and their property.
• Keep hands and feet to ourselves at all times.
• Speak politely at all times.
• Follow instructions first time without question.
• Keep ourselves safe at all times
• Enter rooms/buildings quietly and sensibly.
• Use equipment with care and respect.

Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees (BOT) is made up of 5 elected parents one elected teacher representative, and the Principal. The BOT perform a Governance role over the school on behalf of the Government. The BOT control such things as Policy, Property, Finance, and Personnel for the school.

The Board of Trustees meets once per month (last Tuesday of every month – unless notified otherwise). All parents/caregivers are welcome to attend meetings.

A list of present BOT members can be found in the enrolment pack.

Book Club
Through Scholastic N Z, children are able to order books from ABC, Lucky, and Arrow bookclubs approximately once per term. Cheques should be made out to Hutt Central School. Order lists are sent home for parents and child to select from. Orders should be sent to school sealed in envelopes to the main office.

C
Child Safety
Children are not permitted to leave the school grounds unless permission has been given by parents/caregivers or staff. Should your child need to go off-site for any reason, please write, or ring the school. Advise the teacher when the child is leaving and returning, as this will save confusion and worry as to the child’s whereabouts.

Civil Defence – Emergency Procedures
We are fully prepared for any emergency situation that nature may throw at us, with water, medical, food supplies etc. In order that we can care for your child to the best of our ability, if parents/caregivers are not able to collect them, we request that all parents/caregivers complete the special medical and collection forms marked with the child’s name and room number.

You will find these forms in the enrolment pack or available at the main office. Please inform the school immediately of any changes to your arrangements.

Concerns
See the classroom teacher first of all, then the syndicate leader or Principal if you need further assistance. Please come straight to the school with any concerns. Most problems can be quickly and easily dealt with if staff are informed early.

Curriculum
It would be impossible to give a comprehensive outline of the New Zealand Curriculum in this booklet. Ministry of Education documents that explain it in detail are available for parents/caregivers to borrow: however it may be of interest to give just a little of the scope of our programmes.

The Curriculum is broken into 7 essential Learning Areas.

* English
* Maths
* Science
* Technology
* Social Studies
* Physical Education and Health
* The Arts

These are broken into 8 Learning Levels, Levels 1 – 4 are the levels that primary schools cover (levels 4 – 8 are Intermediate and Secondary)

Children are taught according to their individual needs and abilities, and not their age level or age. Some classes can have children working at 2 or 3 Levels within one subject all in the same class. Likewise depending on individual strengths, a particular child could be working at more than one Level across different subjects.

If you have any questions regarding all of this please make an appointment to discuss this with your child’s Teacher, or request the Ministry of Education Documents from the main office.

D
Dental Clinic
There is a Dental Clinic at Hutt Central School. The Dental Therapist is at the school usually twice a year (July/August). The Dental Therapist can otherwise be contacted on Ph 568 6275 for work required at other times.

Donations
Donation rates are set by the Board of Trustees, and are requested each year, either paid term by term or in lump sums.

Parents are encouraged to support the family donation scheme established at our school. Money raised in this manner goes towards establishing resources and equipment and the ongoing running of this school, and helps the school provide a better education for your children.

These Donations are tax deductable, a receipt will be issued on recieving school donations.School Donation is set at $30 per term per child, plus an ICT fee of $50 per year per family.

E
Emergency Phone Numbers
Occasionally there is a need to alter the friend or relative originally nominated as emergency contact in case of accident to your child. To be of any use in an emergency details need to be correct. For this reason please notify the school as soon as any contact details change. This can be done through the main office at any time.

Extra Curricula
Students are educated in the essentials and extended in a number of fields. They are helped to acheive mature, responsible self-directed behaviours.

Children have access to extra curricula options such as: -

* Australian Maths, English, and Science Competitions.
* BP Technology Challenge.
* Professional sport coaching.
* In-school sport, after school and Saturday sport fixtures.
* Regular interschool sport and cultural fixtures.
* Artsplash, the Wellington Young people’s Festival of Art and Music.
* School musical productions.
* Speech competitions.
* Accelerated learning programmes.
* Science Fairs.
* Gymnastic competitions.
* Choir participation.
* Cross Country running
* Life education trust
* Visiting performers
* Special Needs Assistance.
* Outdoor education and Camps

F
Fundraising
School FUNDRAISING activities help raise money for additional school equipment, not paid for by Government. The Fundraising Committee meets once a month and usually organises at least 2 or 3 fundraising events per term. Eg Quiz nights, chocolate selling, pizza promotions, school gala etc.

If you are interested in helping the fundraising committee, please enquire at the main office; they are always welcoming of new members – also a great way of getting to know others within our school community.

H
Homework
Formal homework is available to all pupils at all times, if you require your child to have regular homework please inform your child’s teacher. Otherwise homework is set where and when appropriate to practice skills already taught, or to complete work started. Homework should not be an onerous task – but should be fun and meaningful.

The type of homework you could expect to see from time is: -

* Individual reading
* Current events
* Learning times tables and spelling
* Research on current study topics
* Completion of unfinished work.

The amount and regularity of this homework may depend the class level and the individual teacher.

I
Information Technology
The school is cabled for an ether net computer network through which children can communicate internally, nationally, and internationally. All classrooms have computers which are in constant use as an extra learning tool.

All computers have access to the Internet, and internal intranet – the use of this is strictly monitored at all times.

Feel free to contact your child via email at their
“classroomnumber”@huttcentral.school.nz eg room1@huttcentral.school.nz or the office at admin@huttcentral.school.nz

The school is committed to ongoing development and extension of Information technology

L
Lost Property
We ask that all items of clothing be clearly named/marked so that the owners can be easily identified. Should personal belongings be lost, parents /caregivers should check our lost property box in the main admin area. Lost property is displayed for children to check at least twice during the term, the last two days of each term – any unclaimed items are donated to a worthy cause at the end of each term.

Toys and expensive technological apparatus such as game boys, radios, etc. should not come to school unless specifically requested – the school takes no responsibility for these items should they go missing or get damaged.

Library
The school library is our most valuable non-human resource. We are continually upgrading it to encourage its intensive use, and urge children to read as widely as possible. Your help at home taking an interest in children’s recreational reading is very valuable in developing good reading habits and interests.

Each class has regular visits to the school library each week. The library is automated for issuing and returning books. The library also has two computers that are used as an extra research information tool.

Classes also have the opportunity to visit the local Lower Hutt Library at least twice per term.

N
New Entrants
Parents/Caregivers are welcome to remain with a child during the settling-in period, but it is wise to leave unobtrusively once the child is involved. Accepting routines independently and working with others is part of the process of getting to know the class. Most children adjust quickly once they take responsibility for themselves. If a child has continuing difficulty transferring from home to school, parents/caregivers will be contacted as a matter of course.

Newsletters
A newsletter from the Principal is published most weeks, and is sent home with the children. We consider them very important communications and urge all parents to read them in order to remain fully informed about school events, activities and requests.
If you do not receive your newsletter or wish to request an extra copy – there are always extras available at the main office.

P
Parent Involvement
We encourage parents to be involved in many aspects of school life, as we believe that together we can do more. We seek parent support in both formal and informal ways. Parents may wish to stand for election to our Board of Trustees, or our fundraising committee (the social and fundraising side of things), or may wish to involve themselves in other ways by assisting with school programmes, or in management and supervision of school facilities. These include helper roles, resource support and in assisting with learning programmes.

See your child’s teacher, or ask at the main office if you are able or willing to help in any way possible.

Parking at School
The very location of our school makes it very difficult for the dropping off and picking up of children (in terms of being directly by the school entrances), a problem that we have to live with.

One thing that we do not allow is parents/caregivers to drop children off or pick them up from the school driveway directly before or after school. This is for a number of very obvious reasons i.e. safety of children walking in this area at this time – it is very hard to see small children who can be below vision height from a car, plus we have had a number of minor car accidents i.e. dents in parked cars. If you are visiting during school hours then it is permitted for you to use the school driveway and parking area.

Playground
Hutt Central School has spacious fields, netball court, miniball court, adventure playground, and plenty of trees for shade.

A monitor system rosters physed equipment to children during play periods.

Children can bring their own sports equipment, though the school accepts no responsibility for its loss or damage.

Pre School Visits
Parents /caregivers whose children are likely to attend Hutt Central are encouraged to make more than one visit to the school’s New Entrant class before enrolment. Parents are also encouraged to make an appointment with the Principal to meet him/her and find out a bit more about Hutt Central School.
Visits or meetings can be arranged through the office at any time.

R
Reporting to Parents
Parents are always welcome to phone the Principal or other members of staff to arrange an appointment to discuss aspects of the school life of their children.
Formal reporting happens three times a year i.e.

Term 1 – March – Goal setting interviews
Term 2 – May/June Goal checking and resetting plus discussing any other aspects of progress and achievement.
Term 4 – November/December – Written reports.

If at any time parents have any matters of concern about their children and their work, please make an appointment to discuss it with the child’s teacher. This overcomes misunderstandings and often prevents small problems from becoming large ones.

Please remember, parents are always welcome to discuss their child’s progress with the staff, and there is no need to wait for formal occasions.

S
School Expectations
Students are expected to treat others, as they themselves like to be treated. To protect every child’s right to secure and positive learning, we have a discipline plan in place which promotes and teaches positive behaviour. There are incentives offered as reward for good behaviour, as well as a set of consequences for children who fall outside the expected boundaries.

To find out more about this programme ask for a full copy of the School Behaviour Programme, either from the teacher or the main office.

School Hours
Hutt Central School is officially open from 8.30am; we expect that children should not be arriving at school before this time, as we cannot guarantee supervision before this time.

School Times: -

8.55am School Begins
10.25am Morning Interval
10.45am School resumes
12.30pm Lunch begins
1.30pm School resumes
3.00pm School ends for the day
3.15pm All children must be clear of the school grounds, unless at After School Care, or organised sport coaching.

School Stationary
The school does not sell stationary at the beginning of the year, but we do sell replacement stationary through the school office. Such purchases should be made at the beginning of the school day.

Stationary lists for the next school year are given out before the school breaks up for Christmas Holidays, to give you plenty of time to purchase.

Sports
Hutt Central School has a proud reputation of doing exceptionally well in a variety of sports.

The school encourages participation of children in sports teams. We organise interschool fixtures with other schools, as well as taking part in various festivals and tournaments.
The school has Miniball teams and Flipper Ball teams that take part in after school competitions with other schools, as well as two Saturday Netball teams.

Our prime aim in our sports is to promote enjoyment and develop ideas such as, good sportsmanship, co-operation, and healthy competitiveness, as well as the attainment of new skills.

We welcome and invite parents to become involved in coaching the various sports.

Swimming
A swimming programme is run twice per year at Huia Pool i.e. Term 2 for 2 weeks and Term 4 for 2 weeks. The programme is based around water confidence and safety as well as the traditional stroke tuition.
There is a cost involved with running this programme, and you will given a lot of warning prior to its start.

T
Trips and Visits
School policy encourages visits to a variety of institutions and places of educational interest. Parents are always advised by way of note and permission slip from the classroom teacher, also informing them of costs, place, date etc.

W
Web site

– please have a look if can.

www.huttcentral.school.nz

Regular updates and additions will be made, our Newsletter will also appear here on a weekly basis.