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VietnameseAbsences
Please advise the school by 9.15am on the morning of your child’s absence. If they have an appointment and will be late into school please advise of this by 9.15am. If we are not advised through one of the following ways we phone the home, workplace or emergency contacts which is a time consuming activity we prefer to avoid.
Please advise the school by 9.15am on the morning of your child’s absence. If they have an appointment and will be late into school please advise of this by 9.15am. If we are not advised through one of the following ways we phone the home, workplace or emergency contacts which is a time consuming activity we prefer to avoid.
- Complete an absence note on our Hero communications app (preferred)
- Email the school office (office@stthomas.school.nz)
We appreciate your help in reducing the time we spend checking that our children are safe.
Assemblies
School assemblies are noted on the school calendar available on the website. Parents, caregivers and families are invited to attend any of our assemblies.
Bus
There is a school bus which runs before and after school. For route details click on the file below or contact the school office. Please see here for more information:
Communications
We use the Hero app to send out school news, general updates, reminders, events and much more. The app is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android Phone, Android Tablet and Windows phone devices. If you don’t have a mobile device, there is also an app available for computer, both Mac and PC. Please download Hero to your devices. For instructions on how to sign up for Hero see the attached document. Hero Parent Communications App
Dental Care
The Dental Clinic is based at Stonefields, corner Stonemasons Ave & Vialou Lane. Please phone 5708915 for any enquiries.
Homework
Homework enables all children to learn the skills of independent study. It is also an appropriate time for children to learn spelling, basic facts and to read. Whilst homework is not compulsory, we strongly recommend it is done daily. The following are guidelines for the time to be spent daily on Homework:
Homework enables all children to learn the skills of independent study. It is also an appropriate time for children to learn spelling, basic facts and to read. Whilst homework is not compulsory, we strongly recommend it is done daily. The following are guidelines for the time to be spent daily on Homework:
- Years 1 – 3 Daily reading plus 10 minutes of another activity (spelling words etc)
- Years 4 – 6 20 – 30 minutes
- Years 7 – 8 30 – 45 minutes
Leaving the School Grounds
Students are not permitted to leave the school grounds during the school day unless they are collected by an adult who has reported to the office and signed the appropriate register. Class teachers are advised that students are unable to leave with an adult unless the adult has the authorisation slip issued by the office.
Library
Our new library sits at the heart of the school and offers a range of reading resources as well as educational games for students to engage in. Every class visits the library once a week during class time. Books are issued to students for two weeks. Junior classes can borrow one book each, Middle and Senior classes can borrow two books each.
Litterless Lunchboxes
As part of our approach to being a sustainable school we encourage Litterless Lunches to be brought to school. Not only is this better for the wider environment, and a cheaper option than purchasing pre-packaged food, it also reduces the amount of litter in our school. Litterless lunches are lunches that do not contain soft plastic or other single use packaging. We would be grateful of your support in this initiative to reduce plastic and rubbish in our school.
Reporting to Parents
We have an real-time reporting system through our parent communications app, Hero, which allows parents to review their child’s progress at any time throughout the school year. In Terms 1 and 3 we hold Student Led Learning Conferences which enable students to showcase their learning and progress towards set goals with their families. This combination of reporting methods ensures that parents and caregivers receive comprehensive information about the progress of their children.
Road Safety
All children must use the traffic light crossing supervised by Road Patrol Wardens or the Kia Crossing before and after school. We strongly recommend that parents set a good example for their children by using the crossing too.
School Hours
Children are expected to be in class, prepared for the day by 8.55am. Please ensure you have your child at school in plenty of time. For safety and supervision reasons no child should be dropped to school before 8.15am when the main gates are opened to allow students onsite. Please Note: Classrooms may be locked until 8.30am as teachers are involved in meetings and daily preparations. School finishes at 3pm and for safety and supervision reasons children are expected to leave the school grounds promptly before the gates are closed and locked at 3.30pm.
Stationery
Please order stationery through Office Max or purchase items from Warehouse Stationery or Paper Plus. The office has a small supply of stationery that can be sold as individual items during the school year.
Suncare Policy
The Board of Trustees has a Suncare Policy to ensure children’s safety during the spring and summer months. It is compulsory for all children to wear the St Thomas’s School hat during Terms 1 and 4 whenever they are outdoors. We ask for your support in ensuring your child brings an appropriate hat to school every day during these terms. Sunscreen is to be applied at home before coming to school and to minimise communal use, sunscreen will not be supplied by the schoool. If sunscreen needs to be re-applied during the day, students must to this themselves from their own supply.
Walking School Bus
The Walking School Bus (WSB) programme has been set up by Auckland Transport with the younger students in mind, offering a safe way for them to walk to school where the adult supervision is shared. The school supports this programme and liaises with parent ‘drivers’ to establish walking routes to school whereby the parent may walk once a week acting as supervised ‘driver’ in return for their child walking daily on the walking bus with other parent ‘drivers’. Currently we operate three walking routes to school. Students enjoy the new friendships made while walking and have the opportunity to participate in other WSB initiatives such as the Pedometer Challenge, or Milo Mornings during the winter terms. If you are interested in joining the Walking School Bus, please contact the school office for further information.
