A-Z Information For Boulcott Whānau

INFORMATION FOR BOULCOTT WHĀNAU

 

Absence

Attending school on a regular basis is hugely important. Every day counts towards a child’s learning and pays huge dividends for their future. Regular attendance is needed for children to continue learning and improving their basic reading, writing and other skills they need. It also means they are likely to experience educational success. It is preferable that holidays are taken within the school holiday breaks rather than during term time. If your child is going to be absent from school please contact the school office before 8:55am via email, our school website or app, or by leaving an absentee message on our school phone. 

 

Arriving Late

We expect all children to be at school and ready for learning before the bell rings at 8:55am, so they are set for success for the busy day ahead. Arriving early means they have time to connect with their peers, play and get their equipment ready for learning. Arriving late often means children miss out on key messages from teachers, which can put them on the back foot for the rest of the day. Children arriving after the bell need to sign in at the school office using our VisTab sign-in system. 

 

Assemblies

Full school assemblies are held on alternate  Wednesdays at 2:20pm to which whanau are invited.  At these assemblies children have the opportunity to share their learning and the CHEER values are focused on and celebrated.

 

Before and After School Care 

SKids runs the Before and After School Care programme that operates at Boulcott School. SKids operate from 7am-8:30am before school and from 3pm-6pm after school. There is also a holiday programme available. Please contact sKids for more information. 

 

Board of Trustees

Our Board focuses on strategic leadership rather than administrative detail and recognises a clear distinction between Board and management roles. The Board has delegated all authority and accountability for the day-to-day operation of the school to the Principal. It concentrates on the future, whilst monitoring the present and is proactive rather than reactive. The Board has a notice board in the corridor between the staffroom and the library to keep our community updated.  All members of the community are welcome to attend the Board meetings. 

 

Bell Times

08:55 – 10:20    Block 1

10:20 – 10:30    Read and Feed 

10:30 – 10:50    Morning tea play

10:50 – 11:50    Block 2

11:50 – 12:00    Brain break 

12:00 – 1:00      Block 3

1:00 – 1:10         Lunch – teachers supervises classes eating

1:10 – 1:55         Lunch-time play

1:55 – 3:00        Block 4

 

Brain break

Brain break is a 10 minute ‘energiser’ which allows children to have a break from learning, eat a healthy snack, drink some water, get some exercise  and go to the toilet. Children may eat fruit or vegetables. They remain supervised by their teacher during this time.

 

Camp

Our Kahikatea Syndicate go on a camp every second year. This means each student will attend school camp once during their time at Boulcott School. Camp dates and approximate costs are advised at the end of the year preceding the camp. 

 

CHEER values

We live and breathe our CHEER values at Boulcott School and celebrate them in classrooms, the playground and at our school assemblies. Our CHEER values are: 

Confidence

Honesty

Excellence

Enthusiasm

Respect

 

Clothing and Footwear

We do not have a school uniform so children can choose what they wear to school each day. Children participate in physical activity during PE, fitness, sport and play each day so clothing that is easy to move in and that can be taken on and off independently is important. Please make sure footwear in particular is suitable for running around and that your child can tie their shoes before sending them to school in shoes with laces. 

School hoodies are available to purchase through our Whānau group and sports tops and school hats can be purchased through the school office. 

 

Dental Service

The Bee Healthy Mobile Dental Van visits Boulcott School each year for several weeks. Annual dental check ups are completed during this time with all children who are registered with the service. If your child needs dental care at another time Bee Healthy can be contacted via 0800 TALK TEETH (825 583). 

 

Emergency Drills

We have a detailed process in place, in case of an emergency. You can find more detail here. We practise  these processes at different times through the school year so staff and students are confident about what to do should an emergency situation arise.

 

Emergency Food Packs

We ask that all families provide a small pack of emergency food for their children in an ice-cream container (2 litre for easy stacking), packed with food items i.e. spaghetti/baked beans, small tin of fruit, muesli bars, barley sugars etc. Please ensure the containers have your child’s name, room and House colour clearly labelled. They can be taken to the school office. 

 

Enrolment

Boulcott School operates an enrolment scheme and all children who live outside the zone need to go through a ballot process, including siblings of current students who live outside the zone. 

Students who will be turning five should be pre-enrolled at least six months before their fifth birthday to assist us in planning class sizes. Five year olds start school as part of a cohort group on or after their birthday. Cohort start dates are at the beginning and middle of each school term. 

 

Enviro School

Boulcott is a Silver Enviroschool. We have an active Senior Greenie Group who plan and organise initiatives such as Nood Food and Movin’ March.

 

Fees and Donations

In 2019 Boulcott School opted into the Government School Donation Scheme, which means the school is given $150 per enrolled child. We do not ask for payment for trips, swimming lessons or school donations from families, however optional trips and activities such as sports tournaments and ArtSplash do incur a fee which families cover. We also ask for a contribution from whānau for overnight camps.

 

Food 

Children need to bring enough food each day for morning tea, brain break (fruit or vegetables only) and lunch. Our Nood Food initiative encourages children to have ’wrapper free’ lunchboxes. 

We ask parents to refrain from bringing food to school for birthday parties and farewells. 

 

Home and School Committee

Our Home and School Committee are a fun group of parents/caregivers, who meet termly to plan and implement fundraising initiatives for Boulcott School. They make a huge contribution to the resourcing of our school and also organise a variety of community events such as our discos. New members are always welcome. Contact can be made via email: homeschool@boulcott.school.nz. 

 

Homework

At Boulcott School we do not expect our students to complete homework but our children are encouraged to read at home each day, with the length of time and the material varying depending on the child’s age and reading level. 

House Groups

Each student at Boulcott School is in a House group named after a native bird. Siblings are placed in the same Houses. Each House also has a colour. Our House groups are: 

Kea (yellow)

Tūī (blue)

Kākāpō (green)

Pūkeko (red)

 

Kapa Haka

All our students participate in Kapa haka on Fridays at different times of the year. Our Kahikatea students participate in HuttFest each year and a Kapa haka exchange with Waterloo and Eastern Hutt schools.

 

Library

Boulcott School has a well stocked school library which classes visit each week. Year 1 and 2 students can take home one book, Year 3 and 4 students can issue two books and Year 5 and 6  students can take out three books. Books are issued for a fortnight. 

Lost Property 

Lost Property is kept next to the hall entrance off the main corridor. Left over items are displayed several times a term. Please make sure items that are likely to be lost such as hats, jerseys, hoodies, jackets and drink bottles are clearly named.

 

Lunch Orders

We offer Pita Pit lunches on Thursdays and sushi on Fridays. These can only be ordered online by going to www.lunchonline.co.nz to register. An account is created for your child and payment made, so you have funds in the account before you order, which can be used at any time to order lunch on a Thursday or Friday. The lunches are delivered directly to school and your child will collect it at lunchtime from the school foyer.

Morning Drop-off

Students are able to enter the school buildings and their classrooms from 8:30am. If your child needs to be at school earlier than 8:30am on a regular basis we have SKIDS care avalible in the mornings from 7am. 

 

Music Lessons

There are several external music tutors who offer private music lessons at Boulcott School during the school day. These include keyboard, piano, drums, ukulele and guitar. Please see the school newsletter for more information. 

 

Newsletters and Notices

Our school newsletter is emailed to families fortnightly on Wednesdays and is available here on our website. Other notices and information about trips are also sent via email. We use google forms when we are seeking permission for trips. 

 

Nood Food

As an enviro school, we encourage children to bring food to school that is free of packaging. There are many different types of reusable containers that can be used to avoid the need for pre packaged food. 

 

Office

Our school office is open between 8:30am and 3:30pm Monday through Friday. The office email address is info@boulcott.school.nz and the phone number is 04 566 3058. 

 

Parking

The parking spaces closest to the school have a 15 minute time limit during pick up and drop off times. The street is very busy at peak times so patience is essential. If you park on the opposite side of the street please use the pedestrian crossing. Please do not use the staff car-park. 

 

Pick up time

Most Year 1s are picked up from their classrooms at the end of the day.  Please be aware that a lot of noise carries into the classrooms from the corridors in the afternoon. Older students are dismissed from their classroom at the end of the day and can wait on the Kahikatea deck, outside Rooms 1 & 2 to be picked up. 

 

Playground Supervision

There are two teachers on duty during break times, one on the concrete and playground areas and one on the field. The teachers wear hi-vis vests so the children can see them easily. There are also trained Senior students who help as Peer Mediators in the playground. They help children sort out minor issues.

 

Positive Behaviour For Learning School-Wide (PB4L-SW)

Boulcott School’s CHEER values (confidence, honesty, excellence, enthusiasm and respect) are explicitly taught and recognised, forming the basis of our behaviour expectations within the PB4L School-Wide framework. We have a school-wide incentive system for acknowledging positive and pro-social behaviours in the classroom and playground. Students earn CHEER tokens which go towards a class reward. Cheer tokens are also given for whole school events such as cross country and athletics, and the winning House receives the  House Cup. Two staff members are on duty to maintain safety and support students to solve problems. Trained peer mediators support students to solve minor issues. Restorative philosophy and practice is implemented to maintain relational and proactive approaches to preventing and responding to minor and major behaviours. 

 

Read and Feed

This is a ten minute period at 10:20am each day when children eat their morning tea in their classroom while their teacher reads aloud to the class. Following this is a 20 minute morning tea play time. 

 

Reporting to Whānau

Boulcott School holds parent teacher conferences in Term 1 and Term 3 each year. Written reports are sent home at the end of Term 2 and Term 4. Parents of new entrant  students are also invited to attend  a meeting with their child’s teacher after approximately 6 weeks at school. Families can arrange meetings outside of this schedule with their child’s teacher. 

 

Road Patrols and Road Safety

A group of our Year 6 students are trained by our Community Constable as Road Patrols. They are stationed at the pedestrian crossing on Boulcott Street before school from 8:30am until 8:55am and after school between 3pm and 3:10pm. 

 

School App

When your child starts at Boulcott School you will be emailed instructions about downloading our School App. This is a useful tool for receiving information from the school. This app enables you to access your child’s enrolment information, read newsletters and log an absentee. Our school reports are also loaded onto the app.  

 

School Photos

School photos are taken at the beginning  of Term 4 each year by Sue Allman Photography. All children are in their class photo and parents can choose for their child to have a portrait photo. Sibling photos can also be taken. 

 

School Visits 

New entrant cohorts are invited to attend school visits in the weeks leading up to beginning school. These are important so children can get to know their teacher, classmates and some of the routines of school. Enrolled children’s families are contacted by the child’s teacher or team leader several weeks before beginning visits. 

 

Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic book club flyers are sent home several times a term. Orders must be made online using LOOP.

Orders are then delivered to classrooms once they arrive. There is usually a turn around time of several weeks. The school receives Scholastic points to spend on school supplies and library books for every item ordered. 

 

Seesaw

Seesaw is a secure, online learning journal that each student at Boulcott School has. Parents are encouraged to link to their child’s journal using the Seesaw website or parent version of the app. Parents can only view their own child’s journal. Teachers and students post photos showing learning and events in classes.  It is a great way to stay up to date with what your child is doing at school. 

 

Stationery

Stationery lists for the following year are sent home during the last week of Term 4. Our current stationery supplier is Warehouse Stationery. Stationery sets can be ordered online or in store at the beginning of the school year. We try to ensure that these packs include everything that will be needed for the year including spare items. 

 

Swimming

Year 2, 3 and 4 children attend eight swimming lessons at Huia Pool over a two week period in Term 1. These lessons are taught by trained swimming instructors with small groups of children who are at a similar level. Travel to the pool is by bus. 

 

Syndicates 

Our school is divided into three teams or syndicates. 

These are: 

Harakeke Year 0, 1 and 2

Kōwhai     Year 3 and 4

Kahikatea  Year 5 and 6

 

Technology

Boulcott School has invested significantly in technology throughout the school. All classrooms have a set of ipads. Classes in the Kōwhai and Kahikatea teams also chromebooks and use google classroom. 

 

Toys and Valuables

Toys and valuables should be kept at home as it is heartbreaking for children if they are lost or damaged. 

 

Visitors 

Visitors to the school need to sign in at the school office using the VisTab sign-in system. This system prints a sticker which visitors are required to wear at all times. 

 

Whānau Group

Our Whānau group fundraises for special items such as our Kapa haka uniforms through selling personalised Boulcott hoodies. They also have an active role in supporting events such as Matariki and Pōwhiri. They meet regularly to discuss their aspirations for our tamariki and how we can better meet the needs of our Māori learners. All whānau are welcome to these hui throughout the year.