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SCHOOL HOURS
8.45am - children arrive at school
9.00am - school starts
11.00am - 11:20am - morning break
12:30pm - 1:15pm - lunch break
2:50pm - end of school day
SCHOOL BUSES
EVERYONE who goes on the school bus MUST wear a bus vest. Check with Mrs Jeffery in the school office or Mr Gollins about which bus your child will be on.
The school uses Ritchies buses. A lot of children come to school using the Barton Rural School buses that are run by Ritchies. They run a very efficient and reliable service. We request that in the interests of your child/ren’s safety, that you notify the school of any daily changes to your own transport requirements. If you would like to be on the bus, please contact the school office.
Students have to wear a high-vis vest, both to and from school, if using the bus service. This is important for the safety of your child.
This service is currently a free one. However this is reviewed annually.
COMMUNICATION - NEWSLETTERS, FACEBOOK, ASSEMBLY
All school news, permission forms and notices are sent electronically from the school - please ensure you provide the school office with your current e-mail address to be sure you are kept up to date with school happenings.
School assemblies are usually every second Friday and are advertised on Hero. They are run by a different class each time and are a celebration of learning.
Our school Facebook page is mostly used for community interaction. All school communications are posted on our Student Management System (Hero) which is viewed by parents through the App. Hero is a key component of our home, school and child triangle.
STARTING SCHOOL
School visits start about 6 weeks prior to the start date. This usually includes Friday mornings as this is our Discovery programme as well as a visit on other days before children are due to start.
Some children need / prefer more visits and this is different for everyone. Please talk to Mrs Bruin or Mr Gollins if you think more visits will help you settle at school. There are also other opportunities to come along and get involved at school.
FOOD
At lunch, the children sit together and eat. We encourage children to bring 'healthy' foods to eat, as this provides energy for play and learning and makes children more settled in the class. Please provide foods that your child can manage on their own. Yoghurts, sandwiches, crackers and muffins are great. A water bottle for class is also helpful as this is brain juice. We aim for ‘litterless lunches’.
Monday is "Spud Supreme" day. Youa re able to order various hot food and wraps from Spud Supreme through our Hero app.
Tuesday is Hot Dog day. Hot Dogs are $2 and should be ordered before school. There is a sheet to highlight your name and drop the money off in the office.
Friday is Hot Food day. This is the day that you can have hot food. Lots of people have pies, toasties or pizzas. Wrap up in tin foil and put your name on it. Some senior children will come and collect it and put into the pie warmer in the hall.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
When your child starts school, they will need to wear school uniform every day. During Terms 1 and 4 they will need to wear a hat whenever you are outside. Many of our tamariki have their name embroided on the brim which is a service the Home and School Committee organise periodically.
New school uniform is available from The Warehouse and second hand school uniform is available from the school office.
Uniform consists of a red polo shirt, red sweatshirt and polar fleece along with green shorts or trackpants. Comfortable shoes are preferred; we suggest that children wear sports shoes.
Bring your togs during the summer as we try to swim every day.
HELPING HANDS
"Helping Hands" is a parent run group that helps families within our school in times of need by providing meals and/or baking - whether it be celebrating the birth of a new baby and juggling that busy family time, the death/sickness of an immediate family member or any other event where families need a little bit of extra care, we like to help out.
We know all families are busy these days, but it is expected that all families will help this group at some point by supplying a meal or baking when contacted by Kath Cooney.
Barton is a small and close school community and it is always nice to know that this type of care is available if and when families need, and that it will be appreciated by anyone who receives it.