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established 1903 achieving maximum potential through balanced educational programmes prospectus

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welcome on behalf of the staff board of trustees and the home school i would like to extend a very warm welcome to you and your children developing a positive partnership between home and school is an important goal for us always feel free to contact myself or our staff at any time to make an appointment to discuss any matters of concern or interest we look forward to providing a caring stimulating and exciting environment for young persons to learn kind regards richard lloyd principal contact details oroua downs school rd 11 foxton 4891 phone 06 329 9730 fax 06 329 9900 e-mail office@orouadowns.school.nz our vision that all children will achieve their maximum potential through a balanced educational programme our mission statement to provide a quality school with child centered programmes where children are encouraged to be thinkers and to take responsibility for their learning while actively pursuing excellence r esults e ducation s elf esteem u nderstanding l oyalty t olerance s kills

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school description oroua downs school is a decile 5 country school delivering education to year 0-8 students the school is situated 11 kilometres north of foxton and is located on state highway one our staffing composition includes four classroom teachers along with three teacher aides an administrator and a caretaker/groundsperson the school roll is currently 97 and has risen gradually over the last couple of years most of our children travel to school by bus with a large area covered by our bus routes our school is extremely well resourced with two swimming pools large concrete areas including two netball courts a sizeable playground area and a field consisting of both rugby and soccer grounds add to this a `roomy library with constantly updated reading material and a pe shed with the latest sports gear and you will recognise that our student s needs are well catered for the teaching staff at oroua downs school are constantly undergoing professional development to keep pace with the latest educational shifts and also run programmes to aid and extend every individual students academic progress our school is in the final year of participation with regards to numeracy and ict contracts and also possesses a fully trained reading recovery teacher our school culture is very inclusive and the climate is always positive we pride ourselves on providing a safe environment and believe it is important to promote child-centred learning academic success and physical activity.

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personnel management principal teaching staff years 0-2 years 3-4 years 5-6 years 7-8 ancillary staff office administrator teacher aides richard lloyd liz sullivan deputy principal barbara noaro tanya hunter tanya zander librarian contract cleaner caretaker nancy martin kara lummis library janine vertongen maria kauri kara lummis sharon mahoney doug strawbridge important times and dates 2011 term dates 2011 term 1 jan 31st ­ apr 15th term 2 may 2nd ­ july 15th term 3 aug 1st ­ oct 7th term 4 oct 25th ­ dec 15th public holidays 2011 waitangi day feb 6th good friday april 22nd anzac day/easter monday april 25th queens birthday june 6th labour day oct 24th daily timetable 8:40am school starts 10:40am morning tea 12:15pm lunch 1:00pm afternoon session 2:30pm bus bells 2:45pm school finishes office hours the school office is open from 8.45am ­ 2.30pm mon fri

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general information reporting to parents formal opportunities for the reporting of children s progress to parents and caregivers will be provided at regular intervals throughout the year term 1 week 7 week 9 term 2 week 5 term 3 week 5 week 10 parent interviews goal setting parent teacher child student portfolios sent home mid-year written report student portfolios sent home parent interviews ­ review goals progress and achievements term 4 week 8 final written reports sent home this term communication with parents oroua downs school is committed to keeping parents/caregivers well informed about the school s activities school newsletters are issued fortnightly and sent home via the eldest or only child in the family they are also available online via our website teams teachers or home school committee will also initiate newsletters or notices from time to time we have an `open door policy parents are encouraged to visit the school and to keep in contact with their child s teacher.

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enrolments new pupils enrolling at oroua downs school will receive a pack containing all of the relevant information required this will include an enrolment form a health sheet for the public health nurse school and bus rules an outline of our disciplinary procedure and a use of the internet policy along with an internet permission form pupils transferring from another school will receive the same pack request information from their previous school we will also donations the board of trustees requests each family to pay a school donation these funds enable the purchase of class consumables and materials along with subsidising other costs that are incurred throughout the school year the full yearly donation can be made on enrolment or arrangements can be made through the secretary for payments to be made on a term by term basis 15 per term health/first aid if a child is injured at school first aid will be administered by teachers and office staff as required if a serious accident occurs staff will look after the best interests of the child and then parents will be notified immediately it is important that our records of home work doctors and other emergency numbers that may be required are kept up to date please advise the school promptly of any changes illness children should not be sent to school if they are feeling unwell if a child becomes unwell at school the parents or caregivers will be contacted and asked to collect the child please advise the school of any health problems your child may experience while in our care casualty room this room is situated close to the school office it is used for the treatment of minor injuries and for injured or ill children to rest while their parents or caregivers are contacted allergies or asthma records are kept in the casualty room regarding students who require special or immediate attention for any allergy or illness should your child require this type of attention we would appreciate you filling out our medical form.

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administering medication at school we have an `administering medication policy form to fill out if you require your child s medication to be administered at school appropriate information must be provided by law the medical practitioner s directions must be included on the label of all dispensed medication this needs to be sighted by the school information on the administration of medication is available through the school office curriculum including support and enrichment a comprehensive core curriculum programme is provided through sound teaching and a wide range of experiences and resources to complement the core curriculum support and booster programmes will be provided and will include the following special needs support children who have been identified as needing extra support will be provided with inclass programmes to aid their progress this additional support will be provided by personnel on an individual and/or small group basis depending on the individuals needs special abilities support it is our goal to discover children that are excelling above their chronological age groups we aim to nurture these children within their classrooms through the provision of programmes that reflect the child s need for extension we also provide children with the opportunity to participate in external examinations and inter-school competitions to further enhance and stimulate their talents cross grouping between classes is also utilized to keep these children working at the correct levels reading support all teachers group read and teach children according to their levels of ability within the classroom programme additional support includes junior classes ­ reading recovery reading recovery is a programme for 6 year old children requiring additional support in reading the support given is one on one tuition on a daily basis by a teacher trained in reading recovery middle and senior classes ­ rainbow reading rainbow reading is a programme especially designed to increase confidence in reluctant readers and to increase the skills and reading levels of children in need of a boost it is taken in small group situations by trained personnel.

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maths support as in reading all teachers group teach children according to levels of mathematical ability the school is implementing the enp and anp numeracy programmes we also have numeracy support which is funded by the bot and is designed to give students added support in an area of maths they are finding difficult ict room the ict room has a pod of 14 computers these are used for ict instruction library a focal point of the school the library/information centre provides a wide range of up to date books magazines periodicals to meet the recreational and learning needs of all children information skills are taught as in integral part of all classroom programmes sports/physical education opportunities to learn physical skills are provided through a comprehensive physical education programme with participation and enjoyment being part of the key objectives interschool sports exchanges enable children to experience healthy competition music/dance/drama these are an integral part of our curriculum to supplement these areas opportunities are provided for children to be involved in and participate in our end of year production and class music programmes art and craft student creativity in a range of media and styles are nurtured and developed through class programmes education outside the classroom we at oroua downs school believe that education outside the classroom provides numerous benefits that in-class learning can not provide we endeavour to cater for these opportunities through field trips field trips are utilised to experience first hand the subjects being read about researched and discussed in the classroom enabling learning to become more meaningful they are utilized when the curriculum area being studied suits this purpose school camp school camp will be held as a part of our school programme for selected year groups parents will be invited to attend these camps.

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information/technology the use of a wide range of information/communication technology ­ including computers faxes telephones the internet data projectors cd players digital cameras video recorders etc ­ is integrated where appropriate in our classroom programmes we realise and value the importance of ict learning in what has become an increasingly `knowledge orientated era board of trustees the board of trustees members are steve hodson chairperson richard lloyd principal liz sullivan staff representative david read george siebelink chris gordon fran curtis the board of trustees meets once a month these meetings are open to members of the public to attend as observers if you would like to raise something at a board meeting we would ask that you contact our chairperson beforehand home and school committee we are fortunate enough to have an active home and school committee this committee aids our school by raising funds helping at all events involving our school providing opportunities for parents/caregivers to contribute to every day school life the committee meets on a monthly basis notification regarding these meetings are sent out via a note home our school newsletter and website attendance if your child is going to be late or absent please contact the school so we know your child is safe we have an answer-phone service that is available if your call is made outside of our secretary s office hours lunches the home school committee offers school lunches on a friday please ensure that your child s order is in a named envelope with their room number included order forms are available from their class teacher or the school office pool the school is very lucky to have an excellent pool complex keys are available to the community for purchase these can be obtained from the school office.

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money sometimes children are required to bring money to school for various reasons in these instances please place your money in a sealed envelope with your child s name room number and what the money is for on the front thank-you stationery stationary packs are given out at the beginning of the year to each child at the lowest price possible we also keep some stationary on site for purchases throughout the year smoke free oroua downs school is a smoke free environment smoking in the school buildings and grounds is prohibited at all times.

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cyber safety procedures ­ updated may 2011 oroua downs school elearning statement the web 2.0 environment offers numerous opportunities for teaching and learning at oroua downs school we intend to utilise the most from the positive aspects and exercise caution in the areas we see little educational benefit ultimately we will utilise web 2.0 on-line tools to complement and enhance student learning students will be creators of their own learning with the potential to share to a larger authentic audience safety procedures 1 on enrolment all children must read or have read to them and sign the cybersafety agreement to use the internet and have work/images published from year 5 this agreement will need to be re-signed each year parents will also need to provide their written consent for children to use computer/internet technologies and to have their child s image/work published children who do not give consent will not be able to have access to these technologies 2 cybersafety rules and information will be made accessible to students and displayed in the classes information will also be made available to parents/whanau 3 should there be a breach of the cybersafety regulations by any member of our school community this should be logged with the principal 4 if the breach is deemed serious the report should be made immediately with the principal or deputy assistant principal in their absence the issue will be dealt with according to the disciplinary procedures of the school if the issue is illegal law enforcement will be informed as will the board of trustees 5 less serious matters should be documented to the principal at a convenient moment on-line procedures children 1 all children own the right of their own artistic and literary works 2 children have the right to decline their learning from being published on the internet 3 children will only be identified by their first name children will not record any personal information such as phone number and address 4 children can only use the internet when a staff member is present in the room on-line procedures staff 1 work/images will only be published on sites that have been approved by the leadership team 2 all on-line accounts will be owned either by a staff member or the school not by a child 3 on-line accounts will use the school domain email address orouadowns.school.nz 4 a google doc will be used to store on-line account information 5 the purpose for using a particular on-line tool/environment should be clear to all ie to enhance learning 6 sites/class blogs/wikis are to be monitored by the classroom teacher and/or principal ensuring the quality of learning posted censoring and approving comments and third party gadgets/widgets that may be used.

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cyber safety use agreement for students ­ updated may 2011 this document is comprised of this cover page and three sections section a introduction section b cybersafety rules for students section c cybersafety use agreement form instructions for parents caregivers/legal guardians 1 please read sections a and b carefully if there are any points you would like to discuss with the school let the school office know as soon as possible 2 discuss the cybersafety rules with your child 3 sign the use agreement form section c and return that page to the school office 4 please keep sections a and b for future reference the term `parent used throughout this document also refers to caregivers and legal guardians 1 1 1 1 important terms used in this document the abbreviation `ict in this document refers to the term `information and communication technologies `cybersafety refers to the safe use of the internet and ict equipment/devices including mobile phones `school ict refers to the school s computer network internet access facilities computers and other school ict equipment/devices as outlined in d below the term `ict equipment/devices used in this document includes but is not limited to computers such as desktops laptops pdas storage devices such as usb and flash memory devices cds dvds floppy disks ipods mp3 players cameras such as video digital webcams all types of mobile phones gaming consoles video and audio players/receivers such as portable cd and dvd players and any other similar technologies as they come into use ie ipads tablets etc `objectionable in this agreement means material that deals with matters such as sex cruelty or violence in such a manner that it is likely to be injurious to the good of students or incompatible with a school environment this is intended to be inclusive of the definition used in the films videos and publications classification act 1993 1 additional information can be found on netsafe s website www.netsafe.org.nz/ua

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for parents the measures to ensure the cybersafety of oroua downs school outlined in this document are based on our core values the school s computer network internet access facilities computers and other school ict equipment/devices bring great benefits to the teaching and learning programmes at oroua downs school and to the effective operation of the school our school has rigorous cybersafety practices in place which include cybersafety use agreements for all school staff and students for children at our school we aim to have a cybersafe culture which is in line with the values and beliefs of our school this use agreement includes information about your role and responsibilities and the possible consequences if you chose to break the rules all children will be given a use agreement and once signed consent has been given and returned to school children will be able to use the school ict equipment/devices the school s computer network internet access facilities computers and other school ict equipment/devices are to assist with our learning this applies whether the equipment is owned or leased and used at or away from school the school may monitor traffic and material sent and received using the school s ict network the school may use filtering and/or monitoring software to restrict access to certain sites and data including email the school may check its computer network internet access facilities computers and other school ict equipment/devices or commission an independent forensic audit.

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these rules will help us to stay safe when using ict at school 1 i cannot use school ict equipment until my parent/s have signed my use agreement form see section c and the completed form has been returned to school 2 i can only use the computers and other ict equipment for my school-based learning and only with my teacher s permission 3 i can only go online or use the internet at school when a teacher gives permission and an adult is present 4 if there is something i m not sure about i will ask my teacher 5 i will not use the internet email mobile phones or any other ict equipment to be mean rude or unkind about other people 6 i will not tell anyone my password my teacher may have a copy for quick reference 7 if i find anything that upsets me is mean or rude or things i know are not acceptable at our school i will not show others turn off or minimise the screen get a teacher straight away a i must take care and be responsible for any ict equipment/devices i bring to school this includes things like mobile phones ipods games cameras usb drives and software b the only personal information that i can put online are my photo and first name c i will be careful and will look after all our school lct equipment by not being silly and playing around with it following our school cybersafety rules telling a teacher about anything wrong or damaged 4 i understand that if i break these rules the school may need to tell my parents and i may face disciplinary actions and/or consequences e agreement form

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to the parent/caregiver/legal guardian please 1 read this page carefully to check you understand your responsibilities under this agreement 2 sign the appropriate section on this form 3 detach and return this form to the school office 4 keep the document for future reference as well as the copy of this signed page which the school will provide i understand that oroua downs school will do its best to enhance learning through the safe use of ict this includes working to restrict access to inappropriate illegal or harmful material on the internet or school ict equipment devices at school or at school related activities work progressively with children and their families to encourage and develop an understanding of the importance of cybersafety through education designed to complement and support the use agreement initiative this includes providing children with strategies to keep themselves safe in cyberspace keep a copy of this signed use agreement on file respond to any breaches in an appropriate manner welcome enquiries from parents or students about cybersafety issues use of images/information i/we give permission for my child s image and/or learning to be respectfully placed on the internet for the primary purpose of enhancing learning my responsibilities include i will read this cybersafety use agreement document i will discuss the information with my child and explain why it is important i will return the signed agreement to the school i will support the school s cybersafety programme by encouraging my child to follow the cybersafety rules and to always ask the teacher if they are unsure about any use of ict i will contact the principal or school cybersafety manager to discuss any questions i might have about cybersafety and/or this use agreement and i am welcome to do this at any time additional information can be found on the netsafe website www.netsafe.org.nz/ua please detach and return this section to school i have read this cybersafety use agreement and i am aware of the school s initiatives to maintain a cybersafe learning environment including my child s responsibilities name of student name of parent/caregiver/legal guardian parent s signature date please note this agreement for your child will remain in force as long as he/she is enrolled at this school and will be renewed annually from year 5-8 if it becomes necessary to add/amend any information or rule parents will be advised in writing.

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