General Information
Term Dates 2024
Term 1
Thursday 1 February - Friday 12 April
(Teachers only day: 5 February)
Term 2
Monday 29 April - Friday 5 July
Term 3
Monday 22 July - Friday 27 September
Term 4
Monday 14 October - Thursday 12 December
School Hours
School grounds are open to students at 8:00am. All students need to be at school by 8:40am as school begins at 8:45am.
School closes as 3:00pm. The school day is generally divided up as follows:
8.45am | First Bell |
8.50am | Learning Block One |
11.00am | Morning Interval |
11.30am | Learning Block Two |
1.00pm | Lunch |
1.30pm | Learning Block Three |
2:50pm | Tidy Up Bell |
3:00pm | Home Bell |
Getting to and from school
Students are welcome to ride their bikes to school as long as they follow the road code and wear helmets. A lock is needed to make sure the bike is safe in the school bike stands during the day.
Buses
Students who come to school by bus are required to maintain a high standard of behaviour.
Poor behaviour on the bus will result in pupils being suspended from the bus service.
All bus pupils meet in the school hall or on the basketball court at the end of the school day. Bus rolls are taken and then students are escorted to the buses at the Dargaville High School gates.
If you live outside the zoned area for Dargaville Intermediate School, you will be charged to travel on a Ritchies Bus to attend our school. You will have to fill in the forms provided and return them to Ritchies, as a seat on the bus is not guaranteed.
Permission to leave school grounds
Once pupils arrive at school they are not allowed to leave without the permission of the Principal or Deputy Principal.
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Permission for one day is granted with a signed note only. Students who receive regular music tuition off-site, during school hours, require a permanent pass.
If students are collected by their parents/caregivers or another delegated person, they must be signed out at the school office.
Absence from school
ATTENDANCE = ACHIEVEMENT
Parents/Caregivers are asked to phone 439 8045, text on 021 2548 426 or use the Skool loop app if their child is to be absent from school that day. All messages are noted. The school operates an ‘absence text’ system.
Attendance registers are marked by 9.00am and all absences are collated soon after that. The office then texts the parent/caregiver to check on all unexplained absent pupils.
The school works co-operatively with the truancy officer. It is important that we have your current phone number.
Stationery
A 2024 stationery list is included in the enrolment packs. Stationery packs will be available from the school at the ‘Back to School’ discounted price.
Property
PERSONAL PROPERTY & INSURANCE
Personal property, including that of staff members is not insured by any school authority. Insurance of articles used at school is available through most family insurance policies. Please consult your own insurance company.
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Please encourage your children to name all their property and look after it. Losses should be reported immediately and we will endeavour to recover lost items.
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Hand held electronic games, cameras, speakers, ipads, Cellphones are not to be brought to school. Items will be confiscated and will need to be collected by the student’s parents/caregivers.
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If parents deem it necessary for their child to have any of these items for afterschool use then they must be handed into the school office in the morning and then collected again at the end of the day.
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Money - If money is brought to school it should be handed to a teacher or in to the office for safe keeping. As with personal property we are unable to accept liability for loss or damage.
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Clothing - Every assistance is given to students to recover lost clothing through a ‘found’ property box and through displays but by far the best way to ensure your items return is by having items clearly named.
Reporting to parents
Formal written reports are issued twice yearly, in July and December. Your child’s attainment of knowledge and skills is compared to the National Curriculum levels, and graded as either working towards, at, or above. Their effort in each subject area is also assessed and graded accordingly.
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Parent/teacher/student interviews or learning conferences are held also twice yearly. The first is held in Term One to give you an opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and to discuss the student’s goals.
The second is held in the week following the release of the Mid Year formal report. It is to review progress thus far and how we can collectively build upon it.
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Apart from formal reporting dates, staff may also contact parents throughout the year to share any concerns about achievement or behaviour and to celebrate successes.
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Education and raising our tamariki requires a collective effort. It is based around the shared goal of enabling our children to grow happy and healthy.
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Parent Teacher Association
The School has a small but energetic band of parents/caregivers who work hard for the school and its students. They work closely with the Staff and Board and purchase the ‘extras’ to enhance the education of the children.
They fundraise through sausage sizzles, discos, raffles etc. and are always appreciative of more parent help and new ideas. So please consider joining this enthusiastic, friendly group, send us an email if you are interested in joining the PTA