General Information
SCHOOL START & FINISH TIMES:
School starts: 9.00am (students are not permitted in classrooms before 8.30am)
Morning Tea: 11.00am - 11.20am
Lunch: 12.30pm - 1.20pm
School finishes: 2.50pm
MORNING ROUTINES:
To promote “self managers” it is important to encourage children to carry their own bags in, to unpack and hang up their own bag and to follow any morning routines your child’s teacher might have in place.
END OF DAY ROUTINES:
Students will be responsible for packing their own bags at the end of the day and ensuring they have collected their own belongings. If your child is travelling on the bus, please ensure they have their bus vest each day.
COMMUNICATING AND REPORTING TO PARENTS:
Our main form of communication with parents is the use of the Hero App. Within this app we are able to keep parents informed of day to day notices, sports draws, permission forms, celebrations of student successes and much more.
You can also view your school accounts, record absences and view your child’s report on Hero. This app can be downloaded on your phone, tablet or PC — all you need to do is provide the school with your email address.
Parents who are pre-enrolling their child may even be able to view some content.
We hold our Student Learning Conferences in the first half of the year. These are a time for parents and children to sit with the teacher and discuss work completed so far and set future goals for learning.
Written reports are loaded on to Hero in Term 4 for parents to view. New Entrant children will receive a modified version of the school report indicating how they have settled in to school life.
If you have any questions, please ask at the school office.
SCHOOL BUSES:
We have two buses that operate daily. If you are unsure about eligibility, please check with the school office for clarification.
Our primary focus and intent is that the students travelling on the bus do so in a safe and orderly manner. For this to happen, everyone needs to be aware of the school’s expectations.
Students will stay seated throughout the duration of their bus journey
There is to be no movement around the bus and no eating or drinking on the bus
Students will follow all requests made of them by staff, the bus driver or senior students monitoring the bus
Students will not annoy or disrupt the driver or other students on the bus
It is very important that you inform the office of any changes to your child’s bus requirements before 2.00pm.
All students travelling on the bus MUST wear a bus vest! These are available for purchase from The Warehouse and your child must be responsible for wearing this on every bus journey. If your child forgets their bus vest, there are some spare ones in the school office for them to borrow. It would be appreciated if these are returned asap.
Any matters relating to behaviour on the bus must be reported directly to the school and may result in your child being removed from the bus for a nominated period of time.
UNIFORM:
Uniform is available for purchase from The Warehouse or you are most welcome to come and view our second hand uniforms in the office. All items are a gold coin donation each. Merino jersey’s can be purchased through the Home & School Committee.
STATIONERY:
A Stationery List will be provided by your child’s teacher. If there are items that you have trouble sourcing, please see the school office for supplies.
ABSENCES:
Absences can be recorded on our school Hero App (please give a reason) or by email or phone call to the school office. Please do this before 9.00am
MEDICAL INFORMATION:
Please make any medical concerns clear to the school office and your child’s classroom teacher. Any medications required, must be handed in at the school office at the beginning of the day with clear instructions and medication must be in it’s original packing from the pharmacy.
SCHOOL ACCOUNTS:
All our school accounts are run through the Hero App. If you have downloaded the app you are able to view your school account for each child any time you please. Payments are allocated regularly so accounts are as up to date as possible.
SUPERVISION DURING BREAKS:
Duty teachers supervise the children during morning tea and lunchtime breaks. They wear a fluro pink vest. You child may approach the duty teachers during breaks with any concerns.
ASSEMBLY:
Several Friday’s during the term, from 2.15pm we have whole school assemblies. Syndicate groups take turns at leading the assemblies and parents will be notified via Hero as to when these will be held. Parents, Caregivers and any other members of the school community are welcome to attend. Classroom certificates and Principal's certificates are handed out during these assemblies and you will be notified if your child is to receive one.
LOST PROPERTY:
The Lost Property box for clothing/uniform is located inside the foyer of the school Hall. Smaller items such as watches, earrings, hair accessories etc are kept in the school office.
SCHOOL DONATION:
The Board of Trustees asks for your voluntary school donation each year. This is set at $100 for one child or $200 for a family of two or more children. Tax receipts are available for these payments.
SUN PROTECTION:
At Barton Rural School we encourage Sun Smart behaviour in Terms 1 & 4:
A wide brim hat (green)
Sunscreen to be applied at home before arriving at school but available at school during the day for re-application
A rash top to cover shoulders in the summer months while swimming
COLLECTING STUDENTS FROM SCHOOL DURING THE DAY:
If you need to collect your child from school during the day for any reason, please advise your child’s teacher and the school office so this can be noted.
HOUSE GROUPS:
Your child will be placed in a House Group before they start school. They will be in the same group as any siblings already enrolled at our school. Our House Groups are Fairview (Green), Claremont (Red) and Adair (Blue) representing the significant areas surrounding our school. Tokens are given out for positive behaviour in the playground or classroom, participation in school events such as the Cross Country and other school based activities and points are tallied up each week to eventually have an overall winner at the end of the school year.
SWIMMING:
We are fortunate enough to have our very own school swimming pool. Where possible each class swims every day during the warmer months so please make sure your child brings their togs and towel each day.
SWIMMING POOL KEYS:
Keys are available for the swimming pool for the season (normally November—April) at a cost of $55 with a $5 rebate once the key is returned at the end of the season.
KAPA HAKA:
The Barton Rural School Kapa Haka group is a relatively new group which meets every Tuesday and Friday at lunch time to practice waiata.
HOT DOGS & HOT FOOD DAYS:
On Mondays we offer Spud Supreme as a hot lunch option for students. You can place your order for filled spuds, nachos or sausages by clicking on the “Food” icon on the home page of your Hero app.
On a Tuesday we cook Hot Dogs for children at a cost of $2 each. There will be a list in the school
office for your child to highlight their name on and place their money in the container provided. At lunch time, they line up outside the staffroom and senior students will give out the hot dogs.
On Friday we allow students to bring any form of hot food that can be placed in a pie warmer (pies,
savouries, pizza, toasties etc). We ask that the food be wrapped in tin foil with your child’s name written clearly on the outside. Senior student will collect the food in the morning, place it in the pie warmer and then distribute it back to your child’s classroom at lunchtime.
PARENT HELP:
We are lucky enough to have a very active parent community at Barton Rural school but their will be occasions during the year that we will require parent help. This includes our annual Ski/Skate Day, school swimming sports, EOTC trips and Senior Camp. These are wonderful experiences for your children and parents are always welcome to join us. We really appreciate any help weather it be transport, supervision, cooking or baking or any other form of help you can offer.