Starting school is both exciting and a little bit worrying for children and parents – it’s a big moment in a child’s life. The following information should help make those first few days a bit easier.
In the months prior to a child starting at school, all parents and caregivers are invited into a zoom meeting with the Year 1 Team Leader -Mrs Erin Lingard
This will give you an insight as to how the reception (Year 0/1) class works.
If you miss your Zoom meeting please phone the office to reschedule another date for you. This may not however be in line with your child’s start date.
SCHOOL VISITS
We recommend that new students attend a school visit prior to starting school. This can really help with settling any pre-start nerves. This visit includes parents attending and, depending on how the child copes, may involve leaving your child for a short classroom introduction on their own. You must however remain onsite for the duration of the visit. This will give your child an idea of what to expect when they start.
FIRST DAY FOR OLDER STUDENTS
On your child’s first day please report to the office before 8.30am where any final enrolment procedures can be completed. Then you will be shown to their classroom and welcomed by the teacher and the other students.
THE SCHOOL DAY
The first school bell/music will ring at 8.30am. The school playground is not supervised before this time so all children should sit outside the school office if arriving early. Classrooms are available for entry from 8.30am. The birdsong (bell) will play at 8.55am to start class. All students should be in their classroom ready at this time.
STATIONERY PACKS
All children attending Cornwall Park District School must have a Stationery Year Pack (dependent upon the year the child is in). A stationery pack for your child should be collected from Onehunga Books & Stationery, 251 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga, Auckland 1061, prior to starting school. Simply visit Onehunga Books & Stationery, tell them the name of the school and the year level your child is in.
For New Entrants Only – Please bring the stationery pack to the school visit and leave with the teacher. She will arrange for this to be made ready for when your child starts school. If your child is starting in Term 3 or Term 4, please check with the school office the date packs will be available for purchase as these packs are reduced in line with the school year.
SCHOOL DONATION
The school donation is set annually by the Board of Trustees. The Government does not fund our school for the level of resources and facilities that our parents want for their children and have come to expect for many years.
School donations collected annually help ensure that Cornwall Park District School continues to provide the best resources for our children’s learning, providing specialist teachers in music and physical education, a modern e-learning environment, high quality ESOL and gifted and talented programmes. These areas are not 100% funded by the Government and without receiving donations from our parents these cannot be guaranteed in the future.
ADDITIONAL CHARGES
Kindo is our preferred method of payment for your child’s school expenses. By downloading the Kindo app and creating a login that uses the same email address as you supplied at the time of enrolment you are able to make full or part payments for one or all of your children when it suits you… anytime, anywhere. Sending cash and forms with your children to school, looking up bank account numbers, amounts and details, or visiting the office to pay are all things of the past. Just log in and click. You can choose to pay as you go or add funds to your Kindo account in advance, using fee free options of internet banking and POLi or, for a small additional fee, by credit/debit card. While the payment of requested amounts for core curriculum areas cannot be enforced the school is dependent on receiving such contributions from parents. These payments are considered as donations for tax purposes and therefore can be claimed as a tax rebate by you using the receipt that Kindo provides. The payment of charges for optional extra-curricular activities such as itinerant music lessons and sport team participation are enforceable.
LUNCH
Your child should bring adequate food and drink each day to consume during morning tea time and lunchtime. Morning tea is from 10.30-10.50am. Lunch is 12.30-1.25pm. These times can be a bit overwhelming for new students and you may find they initially struggle to eat all their lunch. Over the next few weeks this should become part of their routine. You can help by discussing with them what they should eat at each break and ensuring they can open or unwrap their food and drinks. If you have any concerns, please talk to your teacher.
