School Information

Our Objectives & Guidelines

School Strategic Plan:

Communication Between Parents & School

We want all our school families to be aware of events and communications between home and school.  In order to do this it is vital that all parents read weekly newsletters and notices.  It is your responsibility as a parent/caregiver to keep up to date with important communications which may affect your child.  Thanks in advance for keeping your in the loop.

Reporting to Parents/Parent Portal

Paraparaumu Beach School values its opportunities to report to parents on children’s progress and has an “open door” policy for parents to view programmes. The school has an ongoing ‘Reporting to Parents/Caregivers’ programme as outlined below. A number of formal opportunities are arranged during the year for dialogue to take place. These are:

• Individual Reporting: Parent/Teacher Conferences February.
• Parent/Teacher Interviews Mid Year.
• Reporting for students in Years 0-2 occurs throughout the school year via ‘See Saw’ – please download this platform
• Reporting for students in Years 3-8 occurs throughout the school year via our parent portal, under the “Learning Space” icon (Students and Staff often refer to this tool by its other name SPOTLIGHT).

The parent portal is a one stop shop for parents and the school. It enables parents to access their child’s:

• sick bay history
• attendance and absence history
• permissions
• contact and medical details 
• Learning Space (progress and achievement)  Years 3-8 
• School calendars
• Newsletters

 Reporting at PBS

Over the last two years PBS has been gradually moving to online reporting. This means parents are able to access their child’s learning on the parent portal (Years 3-8) and via “SeeSaw” if your child is in Years 0 – 2.

What we need parents to do:

We require every parent to register for the Parent Portal  regardless of the age of your child. To do this on your phone, tablet/ipad go into the App Store or Google Play store and type in ‘atschool’ .  The app you need to download is an orange @ symbol on a white cloud background.  The App is called @school Mobile by eTAP Limited.  To do this on your computer/laptop go to https://www.atschool.co.nz/app/login From here you will need to enter the  unique user ID number (supplied by the school – contact mbarfoote@pbs.school.nz for this).

Once you have loaded the app, please make sure you go into the ‘settings’ on the dashboard and activate ‘notifications’.  This step is very important if you want to keep up to date with new information regarding your child’s learning progress.  If you have attended one of our parent education evenings on this tool you will have a better understanding of how this portal works.

If your child is in Years 0-2 you will also have to download  Seesaw.  See your child’s classroom teacher for further instructions.

What will parents see?:

Online reporting, via the Learning Space tab (on the parent portal) and Seesaw, gives parents the opportunity to log in and view their child’s progress and evidence of their learning at any time during the school year. Throughout the year teachers will upload progress on your child’s reading, writing and maths, as well as general comments on learning, attitude and behaviour.

When you are viewing curriculum comments about your child, via these portals, you will notice a reference to the NZ Curriculum level your child is working at, at the beginning of the comment.
For example EL1 = Early Level 1, L1 =Level 1, EL2 = Early Level 2, L2 = Level 2 and so on.

NB: Typically students in Years 0-2 are working at NZ Curriculum Level 1, Years 3-4 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 2, Years 5-6 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 3, Years 7-8 students are working at NZ Curriculum Level 4

What are the benefits of online reporting?:

The benefits of reporting online mean that the information parents are receiving about their child’s progress is more timely and accessible. We recognised that by the time the old paper copies of reports were sent home at mid and end of each year, the assessments and comments were already outdated due to the 6-8 weeks it takes to compile them. This new way of reporting also enables teachers to support students with individual goals throughout the year as opposed to sitting and writing reports for blocks of time which have all passed by. With online reporting students have greater ownership of their learning, especially when they can upload evidence to show their achievements. Furthermore, parents have the ability to comment on their child’s progress, which helps to encourage and reinforce the gains they are making.

Why are we using SeeSaw for Years 0-2?

We have assessed the ‘Learning Space’ tool on the parent portal for use with Year 0-2 students and feel it does not yet cater well enough for their needs. Therefore, we have made the decision to broaden the Junior team’s use of Seesaw to include reporting.

Newsletters/Class Updates

To keep parents/caregivers up-to-date a School Newsletter is produced every Tuesday and is available via Skool Loop (download from Google Play or the App Store), our school website or emailed home (upon request).  Newsletters from the Board of Trustees are also published throughout the year as the need arises.

Classroom teachers send home notices called “Class Updates” at the start of each term outlining learning programmes, and information about special events as necessary.  

Parent Information and Education Opportunities

Opportunities to keep up-to-date with curriculum, teaching programmes and new school initiatives maybe offered throughout the school year. Such events are published in the school newsletter.

Appointments With Staff

Appointments to discuss any issues affecting your child can be made by phoning the school office and requesting the staff member to contact you to arrange a convenient time to meet.  Any concerns about your child should be addressed through the classroom teacher in the first instance.  

However, appointment bookings can also be made to meet with the Principal Jess Ward, Deputy Principal Sarah Chambers or Assistant Principal Vicki Wilson.  To make a booking please speak with office staff. 

Health & Safety

COVID-19 

• Up-to-date information on the PBS COVID-19 response.

Accident and Sickness

If a student has an accident or is sick at school, we contact the parents/caregivers or designated emergency contacts as soon as possible, and care for the student until they can be collected. Facilities at the school are limited and only short-term care can be provided. To assist us in contacting you quickly, it is imperative that parents/caregivers inform the office of any changes to phone numbers or people listed as ‘emergency contacts’.

We do not send students home unattended or with other students. We require a parent/authorised caregiver to collect them from the sickbay situated in the School Administration area. (‘Sign–out’ procedures apply). If we know that a student has received a bump to the head, big or small, the school will contact parents to keep you informed.

Furthermore, we request that parents/caregivers keep sick children at home.  Kids are more likely to recuperate faster if kept home to rest and stay warm.  This also helps protect the healthy students and staff present at school, and prevents bugs from spreading.  Lastly, we request that if your child has experienced diarrhoea or vomiting that they are kept away from school for 48 hours after their last episode.  

Public Health Nurse

Staff can arrange for a Public Health Nurse to visit if there are concerns about the child’s health. Free sight and hearing tests are conducted for all new Year 0/Year 1 students and arrangements can be made to visit a free clinic at other times. Year 7 students are offered an immunisation programme and sight checks.

Dental Care

We no longer have a school dental clinic.  Instead we have a ‘Bee Healthy’ Mobile Dental Clinic (van) which visits our school throughout the year.  When the van is at school, it is parked at the end of Room 27 by the field. If you have queries call 0800talkteeth or visit www.beehealthy.org.nz

Medication

Parents/caregivers should ensure the school is aware of any particular health issues affecting their child (e.g. asthma, food allergies, bee and wasp sting allergies etc). If students require medication at school, parents/caregivers must fill out the appropriate form available from the office. All medication should be clearly labelled with the child’s name and specific instructions and will be kept in the medical room. No medication can be given unless parents/caregivers have provided the office with the signed form. If students require regular medication such as asthma inhalers, parents/caregivers should check regularly that their child knows how often and when to use the medication.

• PBS Administering Medication Form (pdf download)

Civil Defence/Emergency Situations 

In the case of an emergency situation during school hours the school needs to be able to account for every student.  As part of the enrolment procedure parents/caregivers are required to nominate those adults who have authority to collect their child if there is an emergency situation. 

Classroom teachers will only release students once the all-clear is received from the Principal and then only to those adults who have authority to collect them.  In addition to regular methods of communication, in a civil defence or emergency situation, information for parents will be posted on our school app Skool Loop, School Facebook page and school website.  For further details about our Emergency procedures refer to ‘School Polices’ on our school website.

In the event we need to evacuate the school or if we require you to pick your child(ren) up we will send an emergency text message via our school app School Loop, and student management system (assuming the internet is working). This text message will be sent to the cellphone number of the primary contact person in our system. Please make sure you keep your details up to date with the office.

Road Patrols/Road Safety

Our school has two entrance gates. Road Patrols operate on the crossings in Gray Ave and Martin Road with the assistance of an adult.  Patrols operate between 8.30am –  8.55am and again at 2.55pm to 3.15pm.

At peak times roads around the school become very congested. Please help us keep our students and pedestrians safe by:

• Parking legally.  This means not parking on the yellow lines, in marked clearways, on grass verges, over footpaths in neighbours driveways. These practices are illegal and often block the patroller’s view of the road and pedestrian access.
• Using ‘drop off’ zones correctly. ‘Drop off’ zones are for pulling in and letting children exit the vehicle, not for parking.
• Not using the school gateway/staff car park or neighbours’ driveways as turn-around areas.
• Never u-turning in congested areas.

Use of the school driveway and carpark is restricted to staff, before/after school childcare companies and vehicles with disability permissions only. 

We appreciate help with road patrol duty.  If you are available for a regular slot during the week, please contact Vicki Wilson on vwilson@pbs.school.nz

Bicycles, Scooters and Skateboards

Many PBS kids ride bikes, scooters and skateboards to and from school, which is great exercise! All students riding bikes to school must wear approved cycle helmets. The school also recommends helmets for riders of scooters and skateboards. On the advice of the NZ Police, children under the age of 10 are discouraged from cycling to school.

The following rules apply:

• Students MUST stop riding and walk their bike/scooter/skateboard from the blue lines (painted on footpaths nears school gates) and within the school grounds.
• Bicycles are to be walked to the bike stands, which are available near both gates
• Scooters and Skateboards are placed outside classrooms
• For safety reasons, bicycles are not permitted to be ridden in the school grounds between 8.00am and 4.00pm.  Please make your child aware of this.

Sun Safety

Paraparaumu Beach School is a Cancer Society ‘Sun Smart’ accredited school.  Our school’s ‘Sun Safety’ Policy, requires all pupils to wear a bucket-type hat (wide brim) when out in the sun during the summer months. This makes hats a compulsory item of clothing for Term 1 and Term 4.  Parents are expected to provide sun-block for the children to keep in their school bags.  School hats are for sale in the school office.

Finance, Payments & Family Accounts

Aroha Fund

One thing our school community is rich in is KINDNESS. It’s something we work hard to promote amongst our students. When we know someone is in need we try to give some additional support because not everyone’s circumstances are the same. We do our best as a school to ensure every child has equal opportunities regardless of finance or personal circumstance. Our PBS AROHA fund was set up to enable our whole community to offer support to such families.

The PBS AROHA fund enables anyone in our school community, including businesses, to donate money to help those in our school community who find it hard to make ends meet. It also means that we can provide lunches when kids don’t have any.

If you would like to contribute to this fund you can find it in KINDO labelled PBS AROHA. You can contribute $5, $10 or $20 at any time during the year. If a local business wants to make a contribution they can contact Libby on lrichardson@pbs.school.nz

Please talk to the office, Sarah Chambers or Jess Ward if you would like to know more about our PBS AROHA fund. All discussions will be confidential.

Giving a little means a lot!

Fundraising

A number of fundraising activities are organised throughout the year, with proceeds going towards resources/equipment identified by the Staff, Parent-Teacher Association, Whanau Group and the Board of Trustees. Notification of fundraising events is via School Newsletter or special notices.  We thank you for your support with these ventures. Without additional fundraising, it would not be possible to provide all the facilities and resources we believe important for the best education we can offer your child.

Family Donations (Sometimes referred to as ‘School Fees’ at other schools)

The Board of Trustees requests an annual family donation, which enables the school to provide enhanced expenditure on curriculum related resources and activities.  The suggested donation is $65.00 for one child; $100.00 for two or more. Any donations you make to the school may be claimed back as a tax rebate.  

Payment for School Events & Family Accounts

The school’s preferred method of receiving any permission slips for trips and payments for school events is using an online system called Kindo.  Kindo is an online school shop which you sign up for using your email address.  Any charges from the school will appear on your account and can be paid for using whichever online payment method you prefer.  Permission slips for trips can be done online very quickly with no need to return the paper slips back to school.  It is very easy to use and you can either drip feed your Kindo family account with automatic payments regularly, or you can top up your account whenever it suits you with Internet banking, account2account or credit card (a small fee applies for this method). 

Once your child has started school you can set up a Kindo account. For details on how to do this see the separate leaflet about Kindo or see the ‘Shop’ page on our school website.

Alternatively, if you prefer to pay by cash it should be in a sealed envelope with the correct change labelled with what it’s for, the child’s name, room number and amount. The envelope should then be dropped into the blue ‘money box’ which will be outside the staffroom between 8:30-9:00am. Permission and payment for school trips needs to be received by 9am the morning of the day before the trip at the very latest.  Please make sure envelopes go to the money box or straight to the office (if the money box is not out), not to your classroom teacher.

If you have any queries about your account please contact our Accounts Manager, Libby Richardson at lrichardson@pbs.school.nz or phone the school office.

Raumati Technology Centre

All Year 7 and Year 8 students are involved in weekly Technology classes at the Raumati Centre. These classes include woodwork, cooking, sewing etc. The school pays a portion of the costs of providing these programmes, but parents/caregivers will receive an invoice for the cost of materials used. This payment provides the “take home” component of the course and is compulsory.  Yours child’s teacher is able to give you further information on this.

Digital Technologies

At PBS we use digital technologies for educational purposes to enhance student learning and as a tool to access the New Zealand Curriculum.  Digital tools help students become collaborative, creative and critical thinkers, who are capable of engaging confidently and respectfully in their community.  When using digital technologies and online spaces, we recognise the necessity for teaching students ways to keep safe and make positive choices.  

Knowing how to be a responsible digital citizen helps make our school a safe and positive place for everyone. Primary aged students are still developing critical evaluation skills and need the help of teachers and parents to ensure they stay safe online. 

School Responsibilities 

At PBS, the school will do this by:

• making everyone aware of the student responsibilities (see below) and school expectations 
• teaching positive online behaviours and ways to keep safe
• monitoring student use of digital devices and activity
• using recommended filtering systems to protect users 
• helping students who need support to deal with online problems
• keeping personal information safe 

Student Responsibilities 

Students are responsible for ensuring their own behaviour is safe, friendly and fair.  This means following our school’s values when online or using digital tools. 

At PBS, students are expected to: 

• Keep it kind. When you are online, think about others and talk or share in a kind way.  Cyber bullying is not okay at any time.  Talk to an adult if this happens to you or a friend. 
• Keep it to yourself. Keep your passwords and information about yourself or other people safe and private.
• Keep it careful.  Think carefully about what you share and make sure it’s something you are proud of and would be happy sharing with someone else face to face. Tell an adult if you are feeling unsafe or unsure.  
• Keep it real.  Not everything you see online is real. It might look or sound real, but some things are made up or fake, so be careful to check or ask an adult if you’re not sure.
• Keep it honest. When we copy or use words, pictures and ideas from the internet, we need to make sure we share these things in the right way and follow the rules for sharing things that don’t belong to us.
• Keep it fair. Make sure you check with others if it is okay to record them, or share photos or videos they are in. They should have a say in what happens to things which include them. 
• Keep it responsible. If you bring your own device or use a school device, use it in ways and at the times that your teacher says it is okay to. If you bring your own device, make sure you have charged it at home. 

Parent / Whānau Responsibilities  

Parents have responsibilities too.  Please be aware of your child’s computer and online use. At school we are able to have many layers of filtering and monitoring but the same levels may not be possible at home.  Sites like Netsafe and The Parenting Place have some robust and useful advice for parents around the use of devices at home. We encourage you to look at these sites. 

Netsafe can help you and your family if you are having problems online. They have free, private help for any online safety problems, and they are there to help seven days a week. Ring 058 638 723 or visit their website at netsafe.org.nz

N.B. Most social media platforms are for people 13 years and above.  

Network and Filtering 

As a school we access the internet through the Ministry of Education’s N4L (Network for Learning).  This network provides filtering and limits access to unsafe sites and also protects the school from external threats. The school also uses Family Zone (Linewize  and Classwize) as another layer of filtering and monitoring.  This enables staff to set rules, block sites and monitor online behaviour of users.  In addition we use Google Safe Search and have put limits on YouTube.  

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) at PBS Year 5-8

The NZ Curriculum has a strong focus on promoting digitally capable, global citizens.  Access to individual devices allows for increased digital fluency, confidence and engagement.  It also increases learning opportunities and feedback in real time.  As a result, individual access to devices has become a basic requirement for learning in these years.  

At PBS, the Chromebook is our preferred device.  These may be purchased through retail outlets or Norrcom 

• Learn more about our Bring Your Own Device Policy and Chromebooks.

School Websites and Apps

The school has a website and also uses other platforms e.g. Spotlight, Skool Loop, Facebook and See Saw. 

With parental permission, these platforms may contain uploaded content eg photos of students participating in events and class work, examples of student’s work and class tasks.  The school will only use student’s first names when referring to photos of them, or acknowledging a piece of their work. 

Our school website provides information like newsletters, enrolment information and general procedures.

Google Classroom is used predominantly in Years 3-8.  This is preferred platform for class teaching and learning. 

Google Accounts

All students will be given their own school google account on enrolment.  However these will only generally be used for learning from Year 3 onwards. 

Inappropriate use

• Teachers and / or Senior Leaders will deal with any instances of students not following the expectations. 
• In circumstances where a student has used technology in an unsafe or irresponsible way, we will follow our school’s Positive Behaviour Plan.   
• Parents will be contacted over on-going or serious misuse of technology or breaches. 

General

2022 Term Dates

Term 1: Wed 2 Feb — Thurs 14 Apr
Term 2: Mon 2 May — Fri 8 Jul
Term 3: Mon 25 Jul — Fri 30 Sept
Term 4: Mon 17 Oct — Thurs 15 Dec

Attendance and Punctuality

Regular school attendance is a legal requirement and essential for any effective learning process. Attendance records are kept on all students. Parents will be contacted if absenteeism becomes a regular occurrence. 

Our school day begins at 8.55am – please ensure your child is here before this time. Conversely, children should not be at school before 8.15am – teachers are busy with morning preparation and meetings, and do not commence supervision of children until 8.30am.

Absences/Student Leave Forms

Parents/Caregivers are required to advise the school if their child is to be absent. 

To ensure the safety of students, if a student is not in their classroom when the roll is called and the staff have not heard from a parent/caregiver, it is our policy to phone the home, send a text message and/or phone emergency contact to enquire as to their whereabouts. Please contact the school on 298-5775 (answer phone operates after hours) or text in your message to 027-755-7915 before 9am.  Absences can also be advised via our school app Skool Loop.

Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds during the school day unless written permission is provided, and the student is collected by a parent/caregiver from their classroom or the School Administration area. Parents/caregivers are required to fill in the ‘Sign In/Out’ book situated in the School Administration area before departing with the child, and if applicable on returning them to school.

If your child is going to be absent during term time, for a family event or trip, parents/caregivers must complete a ‘Student Leave form’. You can now do that online here: Student Leave Form

Custody and Legal Issues

It is important that the school is conversant with all current custody/legal issues involving students. Copies of all applicable court orders should be provided to the Principal. This information is essential to enable the school to effectively manage situations which may arise from time to time. Parents are responsible for ensuring the school is provided with up-to-date documents and informing of any changes in circumstances/court orders.

Damage to Property

Parents/Caregivers are advised that where intentional damage to equipment, furniture or buildings is caused by a student, an invoice to cover the cost of repair may be sent to the parent/caregiver. 

Dress Code

Dress, appearance and accessories should be comfortable and appropriate for the learning situation and school activities.  If the dress or appearance of a student is inappropriate, the parent/ caregiver and Principal must be informed before any formal action is taken. Our dress code is designed to reinforce pride in appearance, self respect, personal safety, so students can focus on learning. 

Guidelines and Procedures for Paraparaumu Beach School:

CLOTHING: 

• Students are expected to dress in a clean, tidy and comfortable manner.
• Clothing may express the wearer’s individuality, but must not be offensive or revealing.

SUN SAFETY: 

• Hats must be worn outside during Terms 1 & 4
• Clothing that protects skin from sun damage is encouraged during Terms 1 & 4

HAIR:

• Hair should be kept clean and tidy.    
• Any hair dye must be within the natural (human hair) colour spectrum. 

JEWELLERY: 

• For safety reasons, only stud earrings are acceptable.  Only ears may be pierced.
• Other jewellery must be removed or made safe for physical activity.

FOOTWEAR:

• Sensible footwear is required.  No shoes with heels or wheels. 
• For safety reasons, Year 7/8 students need to wear shoes with closed toes to the Technology Centre.

MAKE-UP:

• Face make-up is not to be worn.  Teachers may allow face paint or make-up for special occasions or performance purposes.

Education Review Office Reports

Home Learning

Guidelines for home learning are available here Home Learning 2021(pdf download).

Learning Support/Extension Programmes

At PBS, we value working in partnership with whanau to support students. We also value inclusion and understand that additional support is sometimes required to enable success. This support can take many different forms. 

We have a full time SENCO (Special Needs Coordinator) who works closely with a range of agencies e.g. MOE Communication Team (Speech Language Therapists), Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), Kapiti Youth Support (KYS) and A Safer Kapiti (ASK). 

We also run some specific programmes to assist students e.g. Quick 60 and Steps Web.

We believe strongly that all students should experience success at school. Further information is available from the Deputy Principal and SENCO. Please feel free to come and talk about your child’s learning needs at any stage.

Library

Lost Property

The school does not accept any responsibility for the loss of valuables or personal possessions that are brought to school by your child. Parents/caregivers are asked to assist us by ensuring children are aware they are responsible for their own possessions if they do insist on bringing them to school.

It is essential that all your child’s belongings are named. Any clothing left lying around the school is placed in the lost property cupboard located outside the old Dental Clinic/opposite tennis courts. Parents/Caregivers are free to search the lost property cupboard at any time.

At the end of each term all unclaimed property is given to a worthy charity.

Parent/Caregiver Complaints Process

School begins – 8.55 am 

Morning Tea – 10.40 to 11.00am (play),  11.00 to 11.10am (eat)

Lunch –  Snrs 12.00-12.50pm; Jnrs 12.50-1.40pm 

School finishes – 3.00 pm

School Lunches

At PBS students eat their lunch under supervision.  Students sit and eat at the end of the break.

Most PBS students bring their lunch from home. Drinks should be in a plastic container.  Water is recommended as the most appropriate drink for school.  Fizzy drinks, sweets and chewing gum are not allowed.  

Ezlunch orders are currently available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Order online at www.ezlunch.co.nz using your ‘mykindo’ family account.  To get started, ‘create account’ and follow the prompts or log into your existing mykindo account and add a student at this school.

School Trips/Education Outside the Classroom

Educational trips are recognised as a valuable way of enhancing student learning. Teachers appreciate the help of parents/caregivers on these occasions and will ask for your assistance with outings. Cars transporting students on a trip must have a current warrant of fitness, registration and (shoulder) seatbelts for every passenger.  Drivers must have a full license.

Parents/caregivers will be advised in advance of the details and cost involved, and are required to sign a permission slip to enable us to take your child from the school grounds. Payment for class trips/performances needs to be received by 9am the morning of the day before the trip.

The School police vets parents/caregivers attending overnight camps.

Shoes/Slippers

It is school practice that students do not wear their shoes in classrooms during the winter terms. We encourage them to bring a pair of slippers.

Sports/Representative Uniforms

Students who participate in sports teams with ongoing competitions through the season must purchase a school polo-shirt through the office.  We recommend all students purchase a school polo shirt which they can wear on regular school days as well as when representing the school. 

Stationery

At the end of Term 4 or on the enrolment of your child you will be given a class stationery list. All the items can be purchased at local retailers. A small stock of stationery is kept at the School office for additional purchases during the year. Download your 2022 stationery lists here: Year 1 Stationery 2022 Year 2 Stationery 2022 Year 3&4 Stationery 2022 Year 5&6 Stationery 2022 Year 7&8 Stationery 2022

Student Cellphones at School

Where needed for before or after-school communication with home, students are permitted to bring cellphones to school.  Cellphones are handed in to the class teacher at the beginning of the day, and returned at the end of the day.  Any student found not to be following this procedure will lose the privilege of bringing the phone to school.

Students with Special Needs

Swimming

Learning to swim is a part of the NZ curriculum. All Year 1-6 students are involved in swimming and water safety lessons in our solar-heated pool during the summer months. If for some reason your child is unable to participate, please write a letter to their class teacher to exempt them.

The Year 7/8 students undertake various swimming activities at the Kapiti Aquatic Centre throughout the year. 

Third Party Providers at Paraparaumu Beach School 

Values