Prospectus
Welcome to the Pinehill School.
We look forward to working with you in providing the best quality education for your child. We strive to build the partnership between home and school and encourage close involvement from you in our activities.
We offer the opportunity for this in a variety of ways including classroom help, sporting and community events, Friends of Pinehill School (PTA) and the Board of Trustees.
One of the underpinning features of our school is the emphasis on school and community values. We actively promote and teach social skills and expect the highest standard of personal behaviour from our children at all times. This extends into our playground and onto our sports fields.
One of the special features of Pinehill is the access to information and communication technologies available in all our classrooms. We use technology to teach higher-level thinking skills, encourage collaboration and enhance motivation across all learning areas.
I trust you will find the information in this prospectus helpful. Should there be anything else you wish to know, please contact the office. We are here to assist in any way.
Once again, welcome to our school – I look forward to working with you as your child moves through Pinehill School.
Ngā mihi nui,
Carla Veldman, Principal
The Pinehill Way
Our Vision
Inspire active learners and leaders who make a difference.
Our Motto
‘Inspire, Learn, Lead’
Our School Values
The Pinehill Way has been an important part of the culture of our school and community since the school began in 1997. The Pinehill Way is fostered through everything we do including, class programmes, TV stations, assemblies and certificates. You will hear your child talking about the Pinehill Way at home. To support home school partnerships and ensure your child receives consistent messages about how we behave and interact with others we encourage you to use this language at home.
Chinese and Korean translations are available on the school website.
Pinehill Learners
As a community, we have determined the traits/skills that we would like our children to leave Pinehill School at the end of Year 6. Class programmes will focus on these learner traits and we will build on these from Year 1-6.
Absences
We ask you to contact the school office before 9.00am to inform us if your child is absent from school due to illness, or is going to arrive late. Absences can be submitted through the Pinehill app – SchoolAppsNZ – Pinehill School. An answerphone is available, or you can email the school at [email protected], with your child’s name, room number and reason for absence or lateness or alternatively complete the on-line form available on our website.
You may receive a text message or email from the school if your child has an unexplained absence. Our system allows you to reply to the text message or email immediately, please be aware that we are unable to reply to these messages.
If your child is not in class at 8.50am when the bell goes, they must come to the office and sign in on the tablet and hand the printed slip to their teacher. If you notify the school that your child will be arriving late, they still must sign in at the office when they arrive at school.
If you are collecting your child during school hours, please come to the school office and sign them out using the tablet before going to their classroom.
Addressing Concerns
If you have a concern of any kind we encourage you to make a time to see us so we can work it out together.
Please address any concerns directly with the class teacher. If your concerns are not resolved satisfactorily please contact Sarah Ward or Rochelle Foster, Deputy Principals. Please contact the office to find which DP is covering your child’s year level.
After School Care
PKC – Premium Kids Care
PKC offers before school and after school care in our school hall. For more details please refer to their website www.premiumkidscare.co.nz or contact Rochelle on 027 325 3229.
Assembly
Our whole school assembly is every Tuesday afternoon at 2.15 pm. Classes take turns at presenting items and class excellence shields are given out at this time. You can find which class will present at assembly in the school calendar.
Students must return the class shield by the Friday following the assembly. Family members are most welcome to attend. Please be seated by 2.15 pm.
Board of Trustees (B.O.T.)
The Board of Trustees is elected by parents. We have 2 positions elected mid-term and 3 positions at the end of term, to ensure continuity on the board. Each term is for a 3 year period.
Trustees are responsible for the governance of our school. Their important role ensures that the needs of the children and their learning are paramount. Board meetings are open meetings and are held twice a term at 6.00 pm. Notification of each meeting is via the school newsletter and in our community calendar. Parents are welcome to attend but must contact the Chairperson before a meeting if they wish to speak at the meeting. [email protected]
Car Park
For the safety of our students and because of a lack of car-parking space, the car park is only available for staff and service vehicles. There is a lay-by in Spencer Road available for morning drop-offs and afternoon pickups. P2 parking is fully enforced from 8.15 am – 9 am and 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm. Outside of these times, you are able to park there if you need to enter the school.
Classroom Involvement
Parents are welcome to be involved in classroom programmes. If you would like to help in the classroom please approach your classroom teacher.
Parents who wish to help out for any camps or overnight stays now must be police vetted as per the Vulnerable Children Act. Please contact the school office for more information.
Dental Service
Our school is serviced by mobile dental therapists. Children are checked at school and if work is needed, they will make an appointment time for your child to attend the clinic they are currently attached to. The clinic can be contacted on phone at 479-4236.
Enrolment Scheme
This Enrolment Scheme is designed to cater to the local community by offering Priority Entry to all pupils who live inside the geographical boundaries. A map showing the general boundaries of the zone can be found on the Pinehill Zone map link on our website.
Starting from the intersection of Oteha Valley Road and State Highway 17 travel east along the centre of Oteha Valley Road until the Northern Motorway. Turn south along the motorway until McClymonts Road overbridge. Head east along McClymonts Road and north into Medallion Drive (numbers 79, 82 and above), include numbers 61-75 and 48-60 of Masons Road and Lavender Garden Lane. Turn east into Fernhill Way (numbers 67, 86 and below), as far as Crimson Park (excluded), then proceed along the centre of Fernhill Way turning right along the centre of Ponderosa Drive to East Coast Road (numbers 489-721, 586-812). Head north until St Clair Place (included) and south as far as Rosedale Road. All no exit roads on the eastern side of East Coast Road between St Clair Place and Rosedale Road are included. Oaktree Avenue (numbers 101, 102 and above), Arran Road (99, 98 and above), Weetman Drive and associated no exit roads from these roads are included. Travel west along the centre of Rosedale Road until Tawa Drive then continue north along State Highway 17 back to the starting point including Bushlands Park Drive and all roads accessed via Bushlands Park Drive.
All properties inside these boundaries have an automatic right of enrolment at Pinehill School.
Zoning can be found here
The school will accept all children who satisfy the Principal (as the Board representative) that they are permanent residents of the defined residential zone.
Parents who live within this geographical zone are encouraged to complete the ‘Application to Enrol’ form at the earliest opportunity should they wish to enrol their children at Pinehill School.
Currently, siblings of children attending Pinehill School have priority entry.
Selective Entry
Children who live outside the zone may be accepted for enrolment dependent on a place being available at their class level at the time of enrolment application.
Friends of Pinehill School (F.O.P.S.) – PTA
Friends of Pinehill School is a group of parents, teachers or members of our school community who are involved in supporting the school. They seek to be representative of the whole school community. Their primary aim is to bring the community together and support the Board of Trustees and the staff in providing top-quality learning opportunities and experiences for our children.
They meet regularly to discuss school events and programmes. They also fundraise for specific projects and for any “extras” that the school requires that may not be covered by our government funding.
Friends of Pinehill School meet once a month in the staffroom, dates and times will be advised in the newsletter and the school calendar. The meetings are open to ALL parents. The format is fairly informal. Please come and join us at any time.
If you have any queries please free to contact a member of the committee. Contact details are on the school website under Friends of Pinehill, the email address is [email protected].
Health Room
Minor injuries or illnesses are treated and logged by staff in our school Health Room. Parents are notified of any serious injury or illness.
Home Learning
We do not provide worksheets or projects as homework. For further information please see our Home Learning Guidelines which will come home in the first few weeks of the year or ask the classroom teacher for a copy.
Library
Classes are timetabled to visit the library every week. Children may borrow a maximum of 2 books which are issued for 2 weeks. Every child must have a book bag to take their reading and library books home.
An account will be sent home for any books that are lost or damaged. The library is open at lunchtimes for children to visit.
Lost Property
Please ensure that ALL items of clothing and other items are named. There is a lost property box outside Room 5. Items are only held until the end of each term. Any items not claimed will be disposed of.
Lunchtime
Children sit together for the first ten minutes of lunchtime so that teachers are able to supervise their eating. We do not provide rubbish bins outside, in eating areas so children are asked to place all rubbish back in their lunch boxes and take it home. This has a dual purpose – it keeps our school environment clean and tidy and also enables you to monitor what your child is eating during school time. We request that no sweets or chocolate bars are included in your child’s lunch.
During the lunchtime break, we have three teachers on duty supervising the playgrounds in specified areas. Duty teachers also ensure that if students get hurt they receive attention from health room staff.
Musical and Cultural Activities
We have a private keyboard and guitar tutors who work in the school. See the office for details or contact the Modern School of Music.
Our school participates in the biennial Mid Bays Music Festival. In alternate years we have school production. We also have a music specialist providing lessons for all classes on a regular basis. Other musical and cultural activities are included in classroom programmes.
New Entrants
Children may start school from their 5th birthday and must attend school on their 6th birthday. To assist in the transition to school we offer two school visits before their starting date. Information will be provided once enrolment has been accepted.
Newsletter
Newsletters will be sent out via the SchoolApp every Wednesday afternoon and are also available on our website – click here. The newsletter is our official form of communication of the events taking place in the school, celebrates children who receive awards and shares aspects of classroom programmes. We encourage you to read the newsletter carefully to ensure that you are fully informed and to help your child participate fully in all aspects of school life.
Office Hours
8.15am – 3.30pm. Our office staff are available to assist you during these times.
School App
The school also has an ‘app’ available through SchoolAppsNZ, please go to your app store to download SchoolAppsNZ. This is the school’s main form of communication for notifications, newsletters, the school calendar, sports activities etc. Our online shop Kindo, TV station and other information are available through the app as well.
To maintain the high standard of facilities and resources, it is necessary to request a donation from parents to supplement the Ministry of Education Grant.
School donations can be paid through Kindo; direct debit; or through the school office at the beginning of the year; on a term by term basis, or a payment plan which can be discussed with the school, please contact the accounts department in the office. These donations are tax deductible www.ird.govt.nz.
Activity Fee – Years 1 – 6. This covers activities that support the curriculum as well as all trips, school visits and whole school or team activities that occur throughout the year. In addition, the school swimming programme for Years 1 – 6 is funded through the Activity Fee. This can be paid as per the school donation options listed above.
We also provide an on-line maths and reading programmes through Maths Seeds and Mathletics; Reading Eggs and Write that Essay. We ask for a contribution towards the cost for each of these programmes.
A myKindo account offers an easy way for you to view and pay your child’s account, and register for sports participation. It’s quick, secure and open 24/7, and offers many card and bank transfer options, and options to hold an online balance or pay-as-you-go. Access is via our school website, app or go directly to myKindo.co.nz.
School Hours
Classes start: 8.50am
Morning Tea: 10.30am – 10.50am
Lunchtime: 12.30pm – 1.30pm
Classes finish: 3.00pm
Any variation of closing time is notified to parents through our newsletters, SchoolApp, website and/or email. Children are allowed into the classrooms from 8.15am. Any children dropped off before this time will need to attend before school care in the school hall.
We ask you to wait outside your child’s classroom at the end of the day, please do not enter the classroom.
School Houses
Upon enrolment, children are placed in one of our four school houses – Kawau, Motuihe, Rakino and Waiheke. The house system encourages interaction between all children in the school and provides leadership opportunities for our Year 6 children who are elected as House Captains. Families are grouped in the same houses.
School Contact Details
The best way to contact the teaching staff is by email. Email addresses can be found on our website – click here
School contact details are:
Phone: 09-478-0301
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.pinehill.school.nz
Sport & Fitness
Daily fitness activities are programmed school-wide at 10.15 am.
We are always keen to involve as many children as possible in our sports teams. We have flippaball, hockey, basketball, and netball teams playing in regular competition. Students are notified through the Daily Notices (TV station, and on our website on the Sports page). Parents are notified through the weekly school newsletter and the website of any information to do with seasonal sports teams.
We also offer opportunities for children to play for the school at various times throughout the year as part of our cluster sports competition with our local schools.
We expect the highest standards of sporting behaviour from our children both on and off the field.
Stationery
Your child’s school stationery list can be viewed on the school website or on Kindo where you can order a class pack.
Sun Protection
Children must wear hats during Terms 1 and 4. Children without hats must stay in the covered areas. They may wear a hat of their choice or purchase a school hat from our uniform provider. It is also beneficial if they are able to have suntan lotion with them at school during the hot months.
Uniform
Pinehill has a compulsory school uniform. Uniforms are sold through:
Janbells Ltd, Shop 7
408 Beach Road
Mairangi Bay
Phone 478-3450
Please check with Janbells for opening hours, click here to go to their website.
Footwear: Black lace-up, velcro or buckle shoes to be worn with white ankle socks or plain black sandals.
