School Information

10 Key Facts

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.

A Rich and Varied School Curriculum

Click on the link to read:

the Worser Bay School Curriculum Document - updated 2018

our Positive Education Strategy  updated 2023

the Strategic Plan 2024-2026

and our Annual Report for 2022

Absences

A phone call (04-939 7281) or email is required explaining when and why your child/ren is/are absent from school. 

If children arrive after 8.55am they must come to the office, sign in and get a Late Pass to give to their base group teacher. We will ring/text parents shortly after 9.15am if we have not been notified. 

If your child needs to be collected early from school for any reason, please come to the office and sign them out of school.

Rolls are taken shortly after the bell rings at 8.55am and also after lunch.

After School Care

Some of our families choose Kids Community Hub.  Children are collected by shuttle van just after 3pm.

Digital Technology at School 

Instructions for parents*

*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.

Healthy Eating, Accidents and Sickness

Healthy Eating

The 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!

Important Information regarding Allergies

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.  We encourage children to only eat their own lunches.

Order Lunch

Sausage Sizzle on a Tuesday , Pizza lunches once a month, and Sushi lunches on a Friday and can be ordered through our Online Payment link.

Better still, order for the whole term and then forget about it!

Accidents

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.

Sickness

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.

Stationery

Once again, we have teamed up with OfficeMax MySchool for ordering school stationery.

Benefits:

To order online using your credit card, go to OfficeMax MySchool - Worser Bay.

Simply select your child's Year Group and follow the instructions on the website. You do not need to enter a student ID.

Delivery must be to your home or place of work – not to the school. 

If your child already has a book bag, pencil case or head phones (seniors) - these do not require purchasing again. There are additional products available, that’s up to you.

Term Dates

Term Dates for 2024*


Term 1    Easter: Friday 29 March, Monday 01 April and Tuesday 02 April

                Finish: Friday 12 April

 

Term 2  Start: Monday 29 April

                King’s Birthday: Monday 03 June, Tuesday 04 June

                Matariki:           Friday 28 June         

                Finish:               Friday 05 July

 

Term 3    Start:                Monday 22 July

                Finish:               Friday 27 September

 

Term 4 Start:                Monday 14 October

                Labour Day:      Monday 28 October, Tuesday 29 October

               Finish:               Wednesday 18 December


* Dates are subject to change


Voluntary Contributions 2024

At Worser Bay School, we enjoy an active school community and depend heavily on the families and whānau who contribute to the school in many different ways.  

The Ministry of Education provides all schools with an equity-index-based Operational Grant, which funds basic administration, teaching and property running costs of schools. The Government considers our students come from the highest socio-economic area, so we receive a smaller operational grant per student than some other schools. As a school with a smaller roll, our funding base is more modest than other larger schools.

To enable us to provide a quality educational environment and additional resources to enhance the learning we strive for at Worser Bay School, we particularly rely on the Voluntary Contributions made by our families and whānau. This makes up half of the fundraising we undertake each year. Follow the link for more information about Fundraising

The Voluntary Contribution for 2024 is $380 per student. We appreciate that family incomes may be stretched and payments can continue to be made by instalments during the year. If you wish to pay in 2 instalments, these will be $190 to be made by the end of Term 1 and by the end of Term 3. If your child starts part way through the year this is calculated on a pro-rata basis. Please discuss with office staff or pay online in 2024 via the online payments.

Claim your donation rebates with Supergenerous 

Did you know that if you have donated to us, you are eligible to get 33% back in donation rebates? Supergenerous is a small, Kiwi social enterprise helping get these rebates back to charities like us. 

Their aim is to supercharge human generosity and tap into the estimated 1 billion dollars of unclaimed donation rebates sitting in a government bank account right now.

How it works:

You sign up online with them, give them your details and the names of the charities you donated to - that's it. They'll collect the receipts from charities, schools and religious organisations you donated to and manage the IRD side of things so you can sit back and relax.

They don't assume that you want to keep the money for yourself, they know you are already Supergenerous by donating in the first place. They give you the option to become a Supergiver by re-gifting the rebate right back to us. They handle that side of things too. The option is yours.

If they secure your rebate, they take a small fee that allows them to keep operating and reaching out to more generous individuals like yourself.

Still have questions? Visit their website  https://www.supergenerous.co.nz/superpartners/worser-bay-school or sign up via Online PaymentsReceipts also available there.

Re-gifting:

We know that, if you've donated to our cause before, you are already generous. Supergenerous helps your generosity go even further through their re-gift option. Regifting donation rebates also has a powerful compounding effect because each financial year the rebate re-gift is considered a new donation and therefore is entitled to another rebate.

These funds will go towards extra staffing and support in the classroom, for creating a new library/creative space, purchasing new library books and upgrading outdoor learning areas.

For further information, see Balancing the School’s Books and Drivers for the Annual Budget.