School Information

WELCOME TO OUR PLACE IN 2024

Dear Parents and Caregivers,                 

Welcome to Tirau Primary to what is going to be another exciting year for our school.  We continue to grow and look forward to having you as part of our wider school community.

At Tirau Primary, we want everyone to achieve at their very best and our mission statement is 

“Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.”

 In 2020 we  launched our new vision “Growing Successful Learners Together’ and making this live across our school. This fits in beautifully with our whakatauki

Ka tū tahi tatou kite kohikohi i te mātauranga hei oranga tinana, hei oranga wairua kia tū tangata ai tatou

We gather to learn, to nourish to flourish. Here we stand together.

We think it is important that every child can read and write for success. We also strongly emphasise the learning of mathematics.  Our classrooms provide rich, vibrant learning environments and our teaching staff have a genuine passion for teaching and learning.  

All staff are involved in a wide range of new professional development opportunities based around writing and Oral Language and the use of this as a basis for learning.  We have worked to create our school values that encompass thoughts from our students, parents and staff.

TIRAU LEARNerS means:

Developing Lifelong Tirau LEARNers who

Show Excellence

Are Actively Involved

Show Respect

And are Nuturing 

Students at Tirau are encouraged to be physically active through our extensive outdoor education programmes and also through other optional sports activities. We look forward each year to combining with the Putaruru Schools cluster for district events such as swimming and athletics sports. Students in the school are also heavily involved in soccer, netball, rugby, cricket and touch rugby. 

The school maintains its rural character in a number of ways.  As part of this we annually hold a well-supported Agricultural Day and students, prize winning lambs, calves and kids are invited to participate in the Group Day.  

Our school is fortunate to have a very supportive PTA which assists the school in a variety of ways.  In 2024 our PTA  have seen the culmination of a fantastic fundraising effort in the installation of our new playground. This year they will be raising funds to continue to support our LEARNerS in a variety of ways be providing extra resources for the school.

Tirau Primary strategically works to develop confident, connected, lifelong learners and future thinkers. We aim to work in partnership with the community to ensure the success of all our students. 

We value our close relationship between home and school.  So please feel free to come in and discuss your child’s progress with us at any time.  We welcome classroom helpers and Reading Tutors if you would like to help in any way let us know.


Kind Regards

Siobhan Patterson (Principal) 



VISION

Growing Successful Learners Together


WHAKATAUKI

Ka tū tahi tatou kit e kohikohi i te mātauranga hei orange tinana, hei orange wairua kia tū tangata ai tatou

We gather to learn, to nourish to flourish. Here we stand together.


MISSION

At Tirau Primary we believe whatever is worth doing is worth doing well to develop LEARNerS ready to take on the world. We do this through:



VALUES WE UPHOLD 

We have 5 key values that are part of our everyday vocabulary at Tirau Primary School with all the values and key concepts covered as part of our teaching and learning within the classroom. 

We are growing Life-long Learners who

 Display Excellence

Are Actively Involved

Show Respect

Are Nurturing

Which will lead to Success



THE SCHOOL DAY 

9:00 am – School day begins – Teaching Block 1

10:40 am – 11:20 – Morning Tea, children are supervised eating for the first 10 minutes

11:20 am – Teaching Block 2 – (each class will have a fitness/snack break of approximately 10 minutes during this teaching block.)

12:50 – 1:30pm – Lunch – children are supervised eating for the first 10 minutes.

1:30 pm – Teaching Block 3 begins

3:00 pm – School day ends


Staff members, who actively rove around the school, supervise students in the playground during breaks.  We also will have year 5 & 6 peer mediators who help to support the students with minor problems and conflicts. 

We all use a problem solving approach that help repair the relationship and allows the children to decide on the consequences with the support of an adult or trained mediator.

The questions we ask are:


STUDENT ABSENCES

Illness or Unexpected Absence

If your child is ill please either submit an absence form, message using Class dojo or ring the school office to inform us of the reason for absence.

Expected Absence

If you know your child is going to be absent due to an appointment, family holiday or other reason please let your child’s teacher and the school office know. You can do this by sending an email, note or ringing.


SCHOOL BUSES        

Bus Lists are established for children regularly travelling on the buses but we need to know if there is any occasion when your child will not be on the bus. If there is a special occasion, please write or phone the office and the bus list will be altered accordingly.

If for any other reason you pick your child up after school, YOU MUST sign them off or leave a note on the bus list or inform the duty teacher.

NB   Children are not allowed to sign themselves off the bus list – this must be done only by a parent or staff member. 


Every year each family will need to sign a Code of Conduct to ensure they are aware of the expectations of students whilst travelling on the bus, which includes wearing a bus vest at all times. The students will be issued with a free bus vest at the beginning of the school year. If your child misplaces their bus vest during the year there will be a $10 charge and they will be issued with a new vest. We will be checking that all children have bus vests each day. They will have one warning if they don’t have a vest, if they don’t have a bus vest on a second occasion in a week a letter will be sent home. 

If your child travels to school by bus in the mornings they are supervised in our before school care programme

Students who travel by bus after school report to our After School Carer and then are supervised as they play in the Learning Centre until it is time for the bus, they then line up outside the senior classroom. All children are ticked off the bus list and then taken up to wait for the bus in the bus shelters. The buses normally depart from school by 3:45.


COSTS FOR SCHOOL TRIPS and SCHOOL CONSUMABLES FEE

In 2024 we have once again opted into the school donation scheme so we will not be charging for school trips or be charging a consumables fee for the year.


USE OF GROUNDS

Members of the school community who come in and use the school grounds after school during the week and during the weekends do so at their own risk. There is no supervision officially provided and we expect parents to accept responsibility for their own children. Please be aware of who they are coming with and what they are doing. The BOT may withdraw this privilege from people who decline to cooperate. PLEASE NOTE   Driving vehicles into the school grounds over the courts is discouraged. If you need to bring a vehicle in, please use Highway 27 entrance.


CAR PARKS 

Please use the car park situated off SHW 27 for entering to pick up and drop off students. There is limited parking available here but please be mindful of through traffic when entering or exiting. When entering or leaving please take extra care and watch out for children.  Our new drop off /pick up zone outside the office operates before and after school. Please note this driveway is ONE WAY. Please do not park in this driveway area as it is reserved Staff Parking If you are collecting your children, please park in the car park and come to the front of the school to collect them. We also ask that you encourage your children to not run across the carpark – we have had a number of near misses. Please be considerate about not using the accessible parking space in the senior area and the area next to the accessible parking space in the junior school as this makes it difficult for the family using this space.


SMOKE FREE ENVIRONMENT

In accordance with the SmokeFree Environment Act 1990 the grounds and buildings of Tirau Primary School are smoke free and we ask that all visitors to our learning spaces respect this.


AFTER SCHOOL PROCEDURES FOR RELEASING STUDENTS

In light of the Health and Safety legislation that was introduced a few years ago and we have the following procedures for releasing students at the end of the day.

At 3:00 when the bell rings the children will be released as follows.

Bus Children and Children in After School Care will be collected by one of the After School staff and taken to the learning centre. 

Children who walk home or are escorted across the crossing will be released to leave the school grounds in a timely manner.

All other children will remain in their classroom where they will be supervised by their class teacher.  They will then need to be collected by a parent or designated person directly from the classroom. Please update the office about any changes to the after school arrangements for your child as soon as possible

We ask that no children play in the playground at this time unless actively supervised by a parent or guardian. 

To ensure our records are up to date about the people designated to collect your child and also to confirm how they get home from school each family must fill in the form and return to the school office. It is very important that the school office is notified immediately if there is a change to the arrangements for your child so that staff can be informed.  We will not be allowing anyone other than the designated person to collect a child. If a child has not been collected by 3:15 we will contact families and the children will be placed into After School Care at the parent’s cost.

Before school children are supervised in classrooms from 8:30 and because there is no teacher roaming on duty at this time as they are connecting with students and parents and getting ready for the day we will not be allowing children onto the playground before school unless actively supervised by their own parent or caregiver.

At times we do have children who live close to the school grounds returning after they have been home, we ask that they refrain from being back on the school grounds before 3:20 and we encourage parents to be onsite supervising as they are using the school grounds at their own risk, as a school we cannot ensure their safety.



PARENT SUPPORT            

Parents and friends are always welcome here at school. The staff and children appreciate seeing you all turn out to special events like sports days etc. and without your support it would be very difficult to do many of the activities offered. We know we can count on your support and we truly appreciate it. We also appreciate parent helpers in classrooms. Teachers enjoy having parents helping with reading and writing groups along with other support jobs in the classroom.  We also have parents who help around the school with projects such as our environmental group. If you are interested in helping out in any way just come in and see us.



PARENT AND TEACHER ACTION GROUP

We are a passionate group of parents and grandparents giving back to our school community. We run a number of fundraisers during the year, including sausage sizzles, a fun disco for the children, raffles and our large community event, which is always a great night out.

We are an active and social group and would love to welcome new members. We try and make all of our meetings and fundraising efforts fun for those involved.

Meetings are held twice a term and are advertised in the school newsletters. Even if you are unable to make meetings, please let us know if you’d like to contribute to the PTA in some way as we can add you into our contact list.

We’d also love to hear from you if you have ideas for fundraisers.

Contact:  Chairperson: Karley Thomson

Email – karley@windowslive.com 


STATIONERY                      

This year we request that parents purchase their stationery online from Office Max at  myschool.co.nz  All class stationery lists are loaded onto this site.  A few New Entrant packs will be kept at the office if needed plus limited supplies of stationery if students require a replacement during the year. 


REPLACEMENT STATIONERY

During the year when children require replenishments, a note will be sent home specifying what the item is and its cost.   Please action the note quickly so the children’s work is not unduly interrupted.


EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

All schools are required to have an emergency procedure to follow in the event of a fire, storm, earthquake or similar type of civil emergency. All schools are required to practise their emergency drills at least once a term.   We believe it is important that parents know the procedure the school will follow in the event of an emergency.

Please note:  If we have to evacuate our school grounds we will evacuate to the 

                                  Tirau Co-Operating Church Hall Main Road Tirau.


EVACUATION PROCEDURE

In the event of a FIRE the warning is given by the automatic bell system at which time there will be an orderly evacuation from classrooms to an assembly point in the middle of the main sports field where the roll is taken and all children and adults in the school are required to be accounted for. Our normal evacuation procedure also covers checking all out-buildings.


LOCKDOWN

In the event of a Lockdown being implemented at Tirau School there will be an intermittent ringing of the bell for 40 seconds. The procedure is for all children/staff/visitors to go to the nearest building lock themselves in and then get low and keep quiet.  Please do not come down to school if you hear of a Lockdown at school, as we are not allowed to open the door to anyone. Also please do not ring the school, as we need to keep the lines open for communication with emergency services.  We will endeavour to update our Facebook page when it is practicable to do so. At the conclusion of the Lockdown a roll will be taken to make sure everyone is accounted for.


CIVIL DEFENCE

In the event of a CIVIL DEFENCE emergency and the school having to be evacuated, the Civil Defence Controller, in consultation with the Principal, will arrange for transportation of all of the students to a safe area and parents will be notified by a special broadcast on the nearest broadcasting radio station as to when and where the children can be collected.

Please listen to the radio and do not try to telephone the school as the telephone needs to be kept free for emergency messages.

In the event of an emergency occurring, the staff of the school will care for the students until they are collected by parents or a suitably known alternative. Any parents collecting students MUST check in with the Deputy Principal or office, they will make note of which students have been collected, and by whom.


EARTHQUAKE

In the event of an EARTHQUAKE no obvious alarm is required. It would be obvious to all. The procedure we follow is that the students, on the command of DROP, will crawl under their desks and hold on to their desk legs. At the conclusion of the earthquake, there will be an evacuation, and the roll will be taken and all people accounted for.


MEDICAL INFORMATION                  

Please advise the School Office if your child has ANY medical condition we need to know about so that our emergency file can be kept up to date.

Any medication to be administered at school will be given only after a signed Medical Consent form is received.

Any medication must be kept in the Medical Room cabinet  (and have the original label on it stating Patient’s name, Dr, dosage of medicine and expiry date).  Our Executive Officer or Duty Teacher will make arrangements for its administration.


SUN PROTECTION                       

As you know, the sun can cause lots of problems these days. Please ensure during the summer months that your child has a wide brimmed hat or cap with a flap at the back available to wear when outside the classroom.  

We also ask that all children have their own bottle of SPF 15+ Broad Spectrum sunblock lotion that complies with the Australian Standard, and that the children know how and when to apply it. Sunblock is available at school as a back-up, but the school cannot provide for the needs of everyone. Hats are available for purchase from the school office for $8.00.


HEALTH  MATTERS

Our Public Health Nurse visits the school regularly and she is always available and prepared to discuss health matters with you.


DENTAL THERAPIST                               

The Dental van visits our school annually for assessment of your child’s teeth.  We will inform you when they are scheduled to visit.  If you urgently need to visit the dental team outside of these visits please phone 0800 TALK TEETH (0800 825 583)


LUNCHES   

Subway is available to order for lunch on a Wednesday only. 

This is in alignment with our schools Healthy Eating Guidelines.

Please order before 9:00 am at the school office. 

 Your child needs to have $10.00 in a named envelope to place in the basket on the office desk.

WEDNESDAYS

Subway lunch (ham and salad roll, biscuit, drink) $10.00




SCHOLASTIC LUCKY BOOKS

At least twice each term a Scholastic Lucky Book Club Catalogue will be sent home with your child.  

We are encouraging parents/caregiver to order online at scholastic.co.nz/LOOP or by downloading the app.

Your books will be delivered to school and we will give them to your child to take home or we can hold them at the office for you to collect if requested. We would prefer this way of ordering instead of cash. Cheques are no longer accepted.



SPORTS

Every year we have a number of school sporting events. The children who excel at our school events may be selected to represent Tirau Primary School at Interschool events alongside other Putāruru Schools

Term 1 – Swimming Sports – usually late February

Duathalon/Triathlon – usually early March

Term 2 - Cross Country – every even year

Term 3 –        Winter Sports tournament   Yrs 4-6

Term 4 - Athletics


SPORTS TEAMS

 There are a number of sporting codes that we enter teams into each season, the competitions take place in the following terms.

Touch Term 4 all children Friday after school

Netball Term 2 Year 3 – 6 play in teams Friday after school

Years 1 – 4 can do the Future Ferns programme Friday after school

Football Term 2 all children Saturday Mornings

Basketball Term 2 Year 5 & 6 Tuesday after school

Rugby is played through clubs – each season information is shared through our school newsletter

Hockey – this is offered in Matamata, please contact the school office if you would like to be part of a team and we will see what we can do.


At times we may need to combine our sports teams with other local schools if we do not have the numbers to make up a team. Each team will require a team coach and/or manager. 


Information is sent out when we require registrations for sports and we organise the students into teams. Costs for individual sports can vary these will be communicated through our fortnightly newsletter.