Information for New Entrants

Getting off to a good start

Pre-school Visits

Approximately three weeks prior to your child starting school you will be contacted by the school office to arrange pre-school visits. This usually involves two visits to the classroom your child will be joining. It is essential that a parent or caregiver remain with the child for each visit. Your child will have two visits prior to starting school. These will be arranged in consultation with you.

You will also have the opportunity to meet with the Principal following one of these visits. This can be confirmed at the same time as your school visits are booked in.

Pre-school visits offers parents and children the chance to explore the school grounds and classrooms at leisure and talk to the Principal and teachers. It is a good idea to bring up any concerns at this stage. Please feel free to bring your child to the school during weekends and after school so they can become more familiar with the environment. You will be able to show them their classroom, the playgrounds etc.

Settling In

It is helpful to make sure he/she has developed some essential social skills. Children should know how to blow their noses, go to the toilet by themselves and wash their hands afterwards. Boys may be confronting a urinal for the very first time – and need to be taught how to use it. Let your child practise dealing with the intricacies of eating a packed lunch before going to school. He/she also needs to practise getting shoes on and off – please no laces if the child is not able to tie them unassisted.

It is a good idea for your child to be able to read and write his/her own name before going to school. It is also useful for new entrants to be able to count to 10, recognise the letters of the alphabet and know how to use scissors, pencils and felt tip pens.

Become involved in the school as much as possible. We encourage classroom involvement from parents who have the time. We also provide ample opportunity for parents to participate through working bees, social get-togethers and fund raising.

Please ensure that your child arrives at school with plenty of time to put their book bag away, say goodbye to you and be ready to settle into the day. Teachers like to see the children in the classroom by 8.45am, but not before 8.30am. If your child is tearful in the mornings please leave them with the teacher and go, as this will help them to settle more easily. If there is a continuing problem the teacher will phone.

Always ensure that you are on time to collect your child at the end of each day – try to arrive at least five minutes before the bell rings. It can be most disconcerting for a child to watch all the other children disappear out of the gate and still be waiting for mummy or daddy to come. Parking outside school can be hectic so please allow plenty of time. Expect your five year old to be tired when he/she is collected from school. They need plenty of sleep during those first few months of heavy concentration.

When you pick your child up from school ask questions that will prompt a positive and simple response; eg; “Did you enjoy yourself at playtime?”, “Did the children like your morning news?”, “What did you write about at writing time?”.

Things you will need

Your child will require the following:

• A raincoat folded in their school bag every day.
• A sunhat in their bag. The school has a compulsory hat policy and a “no hat, no play” rule which is strictly enforced during the summer months (Terms 1 and 4).
• All clothing (including hats and shoes) to be named with a tag or marker pen.
• A lunchbox and drink bottle named.
• Spare underwear in their bag should they have a problem.

Ways to support your child

You can help them by:

• Having a look at the classroom and their special things regularly.
• Bringing them to school between 8.30am and 8:45am and leaving before the bell rings.
• Talking to the teacher about your child.
• Listening to all their day’s activities.
• Coming along to all their special school occasions.
• Making sure they have plenty of sleep.
• Keeping them at home when sick.

Supporting their Reading

To foster a love of reading you can:

• Listen to them read their book every night.
• Read to them every night.
• Share their library books with them.

Supporting their Mathematics

To help them with their mathematics, they need to know:

• Colours, numbers and shapes.
• Maths language – eg: for measuring; longer, shorter, lighter, heavier, etc.
• How to count as far as they can.

Supporting their Writing

To support their writing, help them to:

• Learn how to hold my pencil correctly
• Recognise and write my name
• Recognise and name the letters of the alphabet
• Learn the sounds the letters make
• Know the difference between upper and lower case letters
• Draw a picture and tell someone about what I’ve drawn
• Practise writing the letters, checking how I make them

Bell Times

Absentees

If your child is to be absent from school, you must telephone the absentee line each day absent before 9.00am and leave a message. If the absence is to be three or more days and is for other than illness we will require. Written notification to both the school office and the classroom teacher.

Uniforms

The school uniform shop is open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8.10am to 8.50am in the school hall. For more information view the Uniforms page.

School Houses

We have four houses at Kohimarama School. Families are always placed in the same house and your child will be allocated their house near to their start date. Each house has its own colour and your child will require a house t-shirt for sports. These can be purchased from the uniform shop.

• Atkin — Green
• Colenso — Yellow
• Patteson — Blue
• Selwyn — Red

Children can wear their House t-shirts to school, every second Friday. For more information, view the Uniforms and Calendar pages.

PTA

We have a very active PTA at Kohimarama School. For more information, see the PTA page.

Walking School Bus

Our walking school bus is very well utilised, with many participants at the junior level. There are routes covering most areas of the school zone. Information brochure enclosed with this pack. For more information, see the Walking School Bus page

School Traffic

The area around the school is extremely busy at drop off and pick up times: Please note that no vehicle is to enter the school grounds at these times. Likewise, please observe the parking by-laws and do not double park, park on yellow lines, over our neighbours’ driveways or pull into the school driveways to drop your children off (no matter how brief you intend your stop to be). All students and their parents must cross the street at the school patrolled pedestrian crossings on Kohimarama and Rawhitiroa Roads. To alleviate congestion and get some great exercise we encourage as many of you as possible to walk to school – either with the walking bus or independently – or to perhaps car pool with other parents once your child has settled into school. Please consider parking further away from school and walking the rest of the way.