Frequently asked questions
Here are some of the most common questions from parents of new entrants. Information throughout this site should also help you get a sense of the school and how teaching and learning happen here. If you have any further questions, however, please don't hesitate to contact us for more information.
When should my child start school?
Your child should start on his/her fifth birthday. However, legally, your child does not have to start until he/she is six years old. Some children benefit from having extra time at Kindergarten or Playcentre. Once your child is enrolled, he/she has to be at school every day. You cannot start your child, and then pull him/her out of school.
What should we do on the first day?
Come to the school office so our staff can confirm that your child is starting as planned. The Principal will welcome your child, and one of the admin staff will take you down to class.
Stay with your child for as long as it takes to settle him/her in. Make the decision with the teacher. Your child can go home at 2pm for the first week or two if need be. Keep in touch with teacher, and decide what is best.
What are the standard school hours?
Normal school hours are 8.50 am to 3pm. There are breaks at 11.05 to 11.30 for Interval, and 12.30 to 1.30 for lunch (we have a short brain food break at 10.00). There is a lunch eating time from 12.30 to 12.40. The children are supervised during lunch eating, and Junior children’s lunch boxes are checked to see that sufficient lunch has been eaten.
Does my child have to wear a uniform?
Uniform is not compulsory at Birkenhead Primary School. However, there are several uniform options available for purchase. We encourage children to wear their uniform on Fridays. Uniform is required if your child is representing the school at an outside event. If your child is involved in inter-school sports, appropriate sports uniforms are provided but must be returned to the school at the end of each season.
When do we get our child’s stationery?
We work with Paper Plus to provide the children's stationery. Contact us to get a stationery list for your child before they start school. The amount of stationery your child will need will depend on what time of year your child starts school. Stationery lists for subsequent years are sent out with your child's class placement information.
What do the Year levels mean?
If your child starts before or on July 1st, then he/she is a Year One child as far as the Ministry of Education is concerned. If your child starts after July 1st, then he/she is a Year Zero for the rest of that year, and then becomes Year One in the following year. These dates are for statistical purposes for the Ministry of Education.
However, within the school, we find that a child who starts after May 1st or thereabouts should then do the rest of that year and then two more years in the Junior School. This is not a hard and fast rule, and we look at individual children. Why? Basically because 19 or 20 months in the Junior School does not usually give the children a solid enough start in their Literacy and Numeracy.
We do not want your child to be a very young Year Six child going off to Intermediate, when the extra time would have given more maturity and confidence. This is a very important point, and should be carefully considered by all parties.
What size class will my child start in?
This is difficult to say, as it depends on how many unexpected children enrol from in zone. We fill one New Entrant class but we overfill it for a short while in order to form a group of five or six children to take out to form the next class. We usually have Teacher Aide support for the teacher during this time before the new class's teacher starts and takes the five or six younger children off to form the new class. However, we may have to keep the children in the same room if we do not have a spare teaching space. In this case, we would start the new teacher straight away and have the two teachers working with the children.
Who teaches my child?
Usually, your child will have the one teacher. If your child goes into the class of one of the Senior Staff, your child will also be taught by that teacher’s release teacher. The teacher is released one day per week to do administrative work – organising programmes etc. The school cannot operate without this provision.
Does my child have homework?
Your child should bring home a reader within the first week of school. Please make this a really positive time for your child. If it is not positive from the start, seek help from your child’s teacher. Some senior teachers use a homework grid whereby the children have basic essential homework, and then earn house-points for additional activities they choose from a grid. There may be no other homework, but your child could bring things to show the other children, or to talk about in “Newstime”.
Does my child have swimming lessons?
If your child starts in late October or in Term One, they will have lessons. The pool is not deep, and it is heated, so the children feel quite confident. The focus for New Entrants is on water confidence.
What should I do if my child has health issues?
You should have filled these in on the enrolment form, but please talk to your child’s teacher about these, and ask that he/she copy off any information you have for their own reference, and for the school file. Talk about medications with the teacher, and bring them to the Office if they need to be in the Sick Bay.
What should I do if I cannot pick my child up in time at 3.00pm?
Phone the office. It is not a problem at all. Phone a friend if you prefer to do so. We will send for/fetch your child to the School Office. Please remind your child of this on a regular basis. If you are not there to pick them up, they should come to the Office.
How can I become involved in the school?
Keep in contact with your child’s teacher. As a New Entrant parent, you might be happy to act as your child’s class’s Classroom Liaison Parent. There is one of these parents for each class in the school. Ask if you can do parent help in class. This shows your child that you think school is an OK place, and that you value what happens there. It also helps you to see what your child is working on, and gives you an idea of how they are coping/doing. Come along to a P.T.A. meeting or a Board meeting. This will give you an idea of the issues the school faces, and you may have skills which would be of real value to the school. Come and see the Principal. There is no shortage of ways in which you can help if you have time.
What should I look for when buying a school bag?
Try for a bag which:
Has a separate pocket for school notices, and library books.
The newsletter goes into the child’s book folder.
Is large enough for his/her lunchbox, drink bottle, togs/towel, raincoat.
What type of footwear is best?
Track shoes or sandals are fine in summer, but during winter, leather or vinyl shoes keep your child’s feet drier. Velcro fasteners are preferable. PLEASE do not send your child to school in jandals. They are totally unsuitable for school activities.
What should I give my child for lunch?
Children need to eat well to have the energy to get through their school day. Fruit, vegetables, sandwiches, wraps, salads, rice or pasta, salads and so on are ideal. Perhaps some things to avoid:
Yoghurts (they get messy in lunchboxes!)
Sweets
Too many chips, cheezels etc.
Sweet bars
Please do not bring takeaway food for your child on a regular basis. An occasional treat is no problem.
