The school has very clear expectations regarding behaviour. Aiming for full engagement in learning, an inclusive collaborative culture and strong home/school partnerships certainly goes a long way to minimising negative behaviours.
Modelling and rewarding pro-social behaviour and encouraging a ‘culture of telling’ is first and foremost.
What we do know, however, is that things never go entirely smoothly. We are in the people business and there is always an element of unpredictability! While we always focus on the positive, we also have consequences for negative behaviours. Teachers and your child/ren will be able to explain the ‘colour chart’. Although very rarely utilised, it serves a useful purpose.
It is extremely important to act on negative behaviours quickly. Most incidences occur in the playground, usually out of eyesight or hearing of duty teachers. Please help us by encouraging your child to speak up - then teachers can deal with things at the time. Please don’t wait a month for things to build up. This isn’t helpful.
It is useful to also be mindful of the use of the term ‘bullying’ and be very clear as to what it is. It has 4 defining characteristics:
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Bullying is deliberate
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Bullying involves a power imbalance
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Bullying has an element of repetition
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Bullying is harmful
In a nutshell, it is not a word to be thrown around lightly!
Developing resilience in our children, supporting them to have the ability to bounce back, to stand up for themselves, to be flexible, to show courage and make good decisions, to deal with things for themselves, to really understand who they are and what they value can never be underestimated.
Ultimately, we have one value = one rule and that is of Respect.
What do I do if I have concerns about my child?
The first step is talking to your child’s Base Group teacher. You may find time for an informal catch up or, better still, make a time for a later date. Teachers are very busy preparing for the day in the mornings, so if it's more than a couple of minutes, an appointment is best. You can do this either by approaching the Base Group teacher directly or by sending them an email. Expect a response within two working days from a teacher. If urgent, please contact the school office.
Deeper or ongoing concerns may require follow-up appointments with the Base Group teacher to allow for thinking and planning time for both staff and parents. It may also be appropriate for others in the teaching team to be present, as they may see a lot of your child's learning and engagement during the day.
Teachers keep the Team Leader informed of discussions, action plans and outcomes. If the concerns are not resolved or if they continue, the Team Leader will meet with you for further discussion, including your child’s teacher/s if required.
If I have concerns about wider school activities /day-to-day operations, who do I talk to?
Please call or email the school office and make an appointment to discuss your concerns with the Principal.
You will be asked to provide some detail to the Office Manager so that any necessary background information can be gathered.
Formal Complaints
Please check out our Policies and Procedures regarding Formal Complaints.
You will find the login details here and then follow the link above.
Digital Technology at School
Instructions for parents*
- Please read our guidelines (below) carefully. If there are any points you would like to discuss with the school, let your child's Base Group teacher know as soon as possible.
- The Worser Bay School Acceptable Use of Technologies Agreement was developed with the students, based on the school ‘rule’, the value of respect and learning about digital citizenship and safety on the net. WBS Cybersafety Guidelines and Agreement
- The guidelines and agreement have been discussed at school in a way that is age appropriate. Please reinforce the messages and go through this information again at home.
- Please sign the agreement and return it to the school. The other information can be kept at home for your future reference.
- Starting in 2015, senior students (Years 4-6) will be able to bring a digital device to school to assist their learning. This is NOT compulsory. Students can use their own devices throughout the day for collaborative learning, web-based research and applications, including using Google Apps for Education. BYOD Agreement
*The term ‘parent’ used throughout this document also refers to legal guardians and caregivers.
Digital Portfolio - Seesaw
We use Seesaw - a digital portfolio. Seesaw gives your child creative tools to capture and reflect on their learning - in real time. Then this work is shared with you. Seesaw will give you a window into each of our classrooms and into your student’s learning process. Our students are excited to use this tool in partnership with the great things our teachers do in their classrooms.
You can download Seesaw’s Parent App for iOS, Android, or use the web to view your student’s learning artefacts. When your child adds new work, you will receive a notification to see, hear and respond to your child’s learning item. You only have access to your own child’s work and all of the content is stored securely.
Please pay online via our Online Payments link and then speak with your Base Group teacher concerning setup.
Healthy EatingThe school promotes healthy eating habits. We discourage food and drink with high sugar content. Children are encouraged to have named water bottles handy in the classroom. In the junior area, an 'easy to grab out of tote tray' snack is encouraged. Lollies and soft drinks are not permitted.We are ‘rubbish free’, so require students to take their lunch rubbish home with them. Better still, lunches can be placed in compartmentalised lunch boxes without any need for plastics or paper! Sushi lunches on a Friday and Sausage Sizzle on a Tuesday can be ordered through our Online Payment link. Better still, order for the whole term and then forget about it! |
Minor bumps or scratches receive first aid treatment in the school's medical room. In more serious cases, we will contact you immediately.
Please keep the school informed of any changes of work, mobile or home phone numbers, as well as other contacts in case we are unable get hold of you. If your child requires specific medication during school hours, we prefer that they receive this type of medication from a parent, or at home. Click here for our School's Health and Safety Policy. |
In the event of your child being sick with an infectious condition, please check with the office as to when is appropriate for your child to return to school.
We have access to the regular services of:
Children's vision and hearing are professionally checked at intervals throughout their time at Worser Bay School.
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As in any environment, we have students with allergies, the most common being nuts, eggs and dairy. Allergic reactions can be so severe that they may be life threatening. Please read this Important Information regarding Allergies.
Need to Know
10 Key Facts
- School starts at 8.55am and finishes at 3pm.
- Children usually arrive from 8.30am. (The school cannot take any responsibility for students in the school facilities before 8.30am or after 3.00pm.)
- Morning break is at 11.00am - 11.40am and lunch from 1.00pm - 1.40pm.
- Student-led Assemblies are usually held at 9.10am every second Friday - come along. Dates are in the Newsletter and on the Calendar. Similarly, please join with us at Karakia every Monday and every other Friday morning just after 9.00am.
- Worser Bay School does not have a uniform.
- No child is permitted to leave the school grounds during the school day unless this has been arranged between the school and a parent/caregiver.
- Children must not bring money, valuable or ’attractive‘ items to school.
- Terms 1 and 4, children must wear a hat that shades the face, ears and neck. We also have sunblock in every classroom.
- Wheels Day is every Wednesday.
Students are invited to bring scooters and helmets. No helmet, no scoot!
- Whetūkairangi - Star Gazer
The school was established in 1897, on a historically significant pā site. The Ngai Tara tribe called the pā Whetu-kairangi (star gazer) to convey the idea it was located on high ground, from which only the stars and sea might be seen.
Worser Bay School has invested in SchoolDocs, an online tool designed to assist schools with their Policies and Procedures Management. The Board and staff have been working with SchoolDocs since Term 1 2017.
SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies which have been well researched and follow the Ministry of Education National Administration Guidelines. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school using specific information such as our Charter, Procedures for Behaviour Management, Reporting to Parents, etc.
SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools, and a regular review cycle. Our Board of Trustees are the owners of all of the Worser Bay School policies, and they have the opportunity to view and provide comment on suggested changes and additions, before they are accepted or implemented. Our Board are committed to a transparent review process and they are keen to involve staff and parents in policy review. Each term our Board will notify parents through the School Newsletter and the SchoolDocs website of the policies under review.
Follow the link to access the Worser Bay School Policies and Procedures.
- Enter the username (worserbay) and password (stargazers)
- Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed
- Read the policy
If the Policy is under review - occasionally the parent community will be invited to give comments - follow the instructions below:
- Click the Policy ‘Under Review’ button at the top right-hand corner of the page
- Select the reviewer type 'Parent'
- Enter your name (optional)
- Submit your ratings and comments.
Copyright: Except where stated, the content on this site is the copyright of SchoolDocs Ltd. It may not be reproduced without written permission from SchoolDocs Ltd.
The school has a clearly defined Emergency Management Plan - the summary is below.
We encourage parents to ensure their emergency contacts are regularly updated and at least 5 people who live locally are also nominated. In the event that there is an emergency, the school will keep the children here for a period of 24 hours. In this time, we would anticipate that either parents/caregivers or nominated contact people will be able to collect the children. After a period of 24 hours, the school will send child/ren home with a school community member. All children will be carefully recorded by the teacher/person supervising on pick up.
In the event of an emergency or natural disaster occurring during school hours, what the the school does:
The school...
- displays Emergency Management Guidelines in all classrooms
- regularly reviews procedures related to emergencies and updates as appropriate
- carries out regular drills based on these Evacuation Guidelines
- has staff who have a current First Aid Certificate
- maintains careful records of children being picked up, and by whom
- sends out WBS parent group emails and/or text messages and also updates the front page of the school website with up-to-date information
- liaises with appropriate emergency services and WREMO - Wellington Region Emergency Management Office
- has signage in an obvious place in the highly unlikely event that we have needed to evacuate somewhere else
- keeps the students as calm as possible
- is situated in a very safe location. For this reason, parents/caregivers do not need to risk their own safety by rushing to the school to collect their child/ren.
- keeps a small amount of food and water supplies on site
- encourages families to register free for Wellington Regional Emergency Management Office WREMO text alerts via the Red Cross Hazard App.
For further Helpful Information for Families: Get Prepared website What's the Plan, Stan?
The School Premises as a Community Emergency Hub
We are a Community Emergency Hub not a Civil Defence Centre.
Community Emergency Hubs are about the community coming together to do what it can to help each other - people helping people with what they have available.
The Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) works with our communities to empower and promote a community-led response to the challenges communities will face during a disaster. As we saw in Christchurch and other disasters around the world, people want to help those in need. After a significant emergency, such as an earthquake, the community will naturally come together for company, to share their stories about their experience, hand out information, offer assistance to those who need it, and look for assistance.
Community Emergency Hubs (formally known as Civil Defence Centres) are pre-identified places for the community to coordinate their efforts to help each other during and after a disaster. Community Emergency Hubs will be opened by people in their community, not official school or council staff, when there is need for the community to help itself, such as when there has been widespread infrastructural damage, damage to buildings and roads, or communication networks are down for extended periods.
To find out more, review the following two WREMO documents: