General Information

School begins at 9.00 am and finishes at 3.00 pm Staff are available to assist children from 8.30 am and until 3.15 pm.

Children need to be at school at least ten minutes before school starts so they can organise themselves for the day.

Morning break is 11.00 am to 11:30 am and Playtime is 12.45 pm to 1.15 pm and then the children eat their lunch at 1.15.

School is open from Monday to Friday unless otherwise advised. Parents are asked to phone the office before 9.00 am if children are not attending school or are coming late. This is important for the aspect of children’s safety. Unexplained absences are followed up by the school secretary.

Sign up to https://www.skoolloop.com/ . This is an instant way to know what is happening in our school with messages, newsletter and an up to date calendar.

Sandra is in the office from 8.30 am – 3pm and is happy to answer any queries and pass on any phone messages for children and teachers when necessary.

When your child is enrolled, any health matters which may affect her/his learning or attendance will be discussed and recorded. Parents are advised to inform the class teacher of any incidental health matters. If a child is unwell and needs to go home, his or her parent (or emergency contact) will be contacted. The child will be cared for in the medical room or classroom until they are collected.

Every second Friday at 2.40 p.m. we have a school Shared Prayer time in the Church. Each class and, on occasions, parents take turns at leading this. Parents and friends are warmly invited to attend. It is a special way to finish our school week.

In alternating weeks with Shared Prayer the school meets in the Church at 2.30p.m. for Assembly.

The senior pupils run the programme and give opportunities for children and classes to share important news, birthdays and to show work. Parents are encouraged to attend.

The Year 6 pupils are leaders of our Whānau Groups. Each group has children from each level of the school and enjoy the Friday family group time immensely. Activities the family groups organise include picnics, treasure hunts, craft sessions and talent quests.

Our Library is very well resourced. All classes enjoy using the library and children able to take out 2 books a week.

The P.T.A often offers a lunch option on Wednesday which will be detailed in the newsletter. In the winter terms (Terms 2 & 3), children may bring food wrapped in foil for heating.

At times we require payments for sports or swimming. Eftpos is available at the office or alternatively, you can internet bank. The account is St Francis Xavier. And the number is 123150 0160900 00. Please state clearly your child’s name and what your payment is for.

Stationery packs are available, either in store or online, at the beginning of the year through Office Max. The school has some stationery items which are available to children during the year. However, payment must be made to purchase the item. At the beginning of each year, all children are charged an Activity Donation. This donation contributes to the cost of photocopying, Education in Faith resources, school/class trips and payment for performances at school. This cost is $55 per child. Accounts are sent home each term.

These are set by the diocese and these are used to meet the ownership of Catholic schools. There is a legal obligation to pay these. The fee is set at $450 for this year or $8.65 weekly or $17.30 fortnightly.

Class teachers set tasks and give parents guidelines for their class levels. Teachers are always available to discuss homework requirements.

Throughout the year there are opportunities scheduled for teachers and parents to meet and discuss children’s progress. Early in the year, there is usually a “Meet the Teacher” evening. Parent/Teacher interviews are held towards the end of Term 1 and in Term 3. Children receive written reports at mid-year and at the end of the year, and parents are given opportunities to discuss these if they wish to.
If a teacher has a concern about a child, parents will be contacted. Teachers are very happy to discuss children’s progress outside these scheduled times. We ask parents to arrange suitable times with teachers out of school hours.

Many of our activities involve trips away from school. These require extra supervision and we are grateful for parent help with this. Notification of these trips is given in plenty of time and we enjoy having parents to help. There are various other opportunities for parents to help around the school, e.g. working with small groups of children under the guidance of a teacher, covering/ repairing books, library work, artwork etc. We appreciate this help.