Communication

Our newsletter is published fortnightly, shared on our Facebook page and emailed to whānau. You can view the latest and past newsletters, on our website.  Please let the Office know if you prefer a hard copy. 

Facebook is a good platform for us to share events, celebrations, special notices and reminders e.g. regarding sport events or school trips.  Click HERE to go to our page.

This is a platform we use for communication between classroom and home and a place for children to share their learning, their successes and achievements.

Download the app then get in touch with the classroom teacher to sign up for Class Dojo

Whaea Tute makes every effort to be available to meet with whānau on request, otherwise appointments can be made through the Office on (04) 564 6920 or email her directly on principal@arakura.school.nz.

Classroom teachers are in the classroom by 8.30am to meet their class as they arrive and to check in with whānau.  Except for Mondays and Tuesdays when we have professional development and planning meetings, teachers are also available after school. 

See your child's teacher to find out the best way to communicate on a regular basis.

Learning conversations are held twice yearly:

• Term 1 learning conversations are an opportunity for teachers and whānau to come together to learn about your child, your aspirations for your child for the new school year, and to identify any immediate areas of focus

• Term 3 learning conversations is an opportunity to discuss mid year progress reports and what we can do together to help your child complete their year successfully

 Less formal meetings can also be held with classroom teachers on request, to check in on your child's progress.

The purpose of the mid year progress report is to provide a focus for conversation between teachers and whānau about

• Children’s learning with reference to mid year assessments 

• Children’s self assessment of their demonstration of KCR Values - Kindness, Courage, and Respect

• General participation, engagement, attitude to learning

• Attendance level  

This is the formal summary of learning for the school year.  We continually review our reporting process to ensure it is the most effective way of sharing information with whānau.

A community that stands with mana, enables children to grow and develop in mana.  Empowering each other through our home-school partnership is the key to our children’s success and achievement.  Engagement and hui can take the form of:

• Attending assemblies and special performances to celebrate our children’s successes

• Supporting sport events, school-based events like our Open Afternoons, and class or school trips

• Helping at working bees or property projects

• Volunteering for one-off or regular school programmes (e.g. Breakfast Club and Road Patrol)

• Joining special-interest networks e.g. our Arakura Autism Network

• Providing feedback e.g. by completing surveys

• Attending learning conversations

• Contributing to any consultation hui 

• Letting the classroom teacher know about significant events that may affect learning or behaviour

• Letting the classroom teacher know special celebrations and achievements at home so we can acknowledge your child at school

Everyone makes mistakes or makes poor choices - we are human!  What is important is fixing the harm caused, particularly to the relationships with others.  STOPs is the restorative process we have to help children do just so when there’s been a major incident of misbehaviour.  If your child was referred to STOPs then they will be bring a reflection sheet home with information about the incident.  

See PB4L School Wide for further information on STOPs process.