Enrolling

The Ngake Hub is open to students and supervised by Teachers from 8.30am.
The first bell rings at 8.55am each morning, prompting students to head to their classrooms. We recommend parents/caregivers say goodbye to their child at this time to avoid disruptions to the start of the school day.

Bell Times
8.55am First bell- Head to class
9.00am School starts

9.00am-10.30am Learning session 1
10.30am -10.50am Morning tea

10.50am-12.30pm Learning session 2
12.30pm -12.40pm Supervised eating

12.40pm - 1.30pm Lunch Break

1.30pm-3.00pm Learning session 3
3.00pm End of school day

Once the enrolment process has been completed, Carolina from the school office will make contact with parents to book suitable dates for pre-school visits. We typically host pre-schoolers for three consecutive visits on Fridays from 9.00am-10.30am.

Parents are welcome to attend these valuable sessions with their child which help familiarise new students with their Teacher, classroom and new classmates.

On the morning of your child’s first visit please sign in on the iPad in the school office, one of the administration staff will escort you to Kiwi class.

A stationery list will be provided to parents during the enrolment period. Stationery lists can also be found under the Everyday Life heading on the school website.

Please arrive about 8.45am to give your child time to meet the teacher, settle and organise their belongings.

New students will be allocated a name tag in the cloakroom to hang their bag and a tote tray to put their stationery in. The first bell will ring at 8.55am and the second at 9.00am to indicate the start of school. We encourage parents to say good-bye to their child before the 9.00am bell to avoid any disruptions to the start of the school day.

Each new student will be assigned a buddy from the class to help them settle and keep them company during the morning tea and lunch break.

Starting school can be physically, mentally and emotionally tiring for new students therefore for their first week of school, all new students starting in the Ngake Hub finish at 2pm. We find this is an important part of ensuring your child has a successful transition to school.

What to bring on the first day:

• School bag (large enough to fit reading books and lunchbox)

• Named lunch box and water bottle

• Stationery

• A wide brimmed sunhat (Compulsory in Term 1 & 4)

• Spare clothes 

Having some basic skills before starting school will ensure that you child has a confident start to school. It is helpful if your child can:

• manage and look after their own belongings

• communicate their needs and feelings

• go the toilet and wash their hands independently

• dry and dress themselves after swimming

• put on their own shoes

• recognise when they are thirsty and get a drink of water

Children may find it easier to participate in the class if they:

• can follow simple instructions

• can sit on a chair at a table for a short time to complete an activity

• are comfortable being away from you

• know how to share, take turns, and wait for things

• know the names of colours and shapes

• know some letter names and sounds of the alphabet

• know the numbers 1 to 10

• can hold a pencil correctly and use scissors

• can write their name

• are able to hold a picture book and turn the pages carefully

You can help your child’s learning by supporting them and being excited by their learning. Follow this link for ideas to help children develop their numeracy and literacy skills at home.

Wide brimmed sun hats are compulsory for students to wear anytime they are outside during Term 1 and 4. It is also helpful if the hat is named and remains at school. Students without a hat are required to play in the shaded areas of the playground. Wide-brimmed Kilbirnie School sun hats can be purchased from the school office.

In the Ngake Hub, student toilets are located in the Learning Studio adjacent to the classrooms. Children can access these at any time throughout the day, with permission from the teacher by simply making the T for Toilet hand signal.

In the Ngake Hub, all students wash their hands before eating their morning tea and lunch.

At 12.30pm students make their way to the seated outdoor area to sit and eat for 10 minutes under teacher supervision. At 12.40pm a bell rings to dismiss those students who have finished eating and are ready to play in the playground.

Students are free to play anywhere within the school grounds. There are always two teachers on lunchtime duty as well as peer mediators that the students can go to for any problems. The school library is open at lunchtimes if a quiet place to sit, read or draw is preferred. On wet days, students eat inside their classrooms. Wet weather monitors and duty teachers supervise students as they play indoors.

Please phone the school office before 9.00am on: 9392311. Alternatively, you can email the school office at office@kilbirnie.school.nz

It is also helpful to inform your child’s teacher by email before 9.00am.

Students arriving late or leaving early for any reason are required to sign in or out using the Vistab touch screen system in the school office.​​​​​​​

From Monday to Thursday students who are deemed ready will bring home a reading book to share with whānau. On Fridays, students will bring home their poetry folder to share.

We also encourage parents to read aloud to their children each night. This valuable bedtime routine allows parents and their children to spend quality time together and helps extend student’s vocabulary and build essential literacy skills.

Yes, Kilbirnie After School Care is a supervised childcare programme for Kilbirnie School children that:

• runs from 3.00pm to 6.00pm Monday to Friday during the school term
• has a ratio of one adult to 10 children
• can be used on a regular or casual basis.

The programme is held on Kilbirnie School grounds and children are provided with afternoon tea (alternative snacks are offered for children on specific diets) and a range of enjoyable activities to choose from.

Find out more at http://kilbirnieasc.weebly.com/

Throughout the school year students will participate in swimming, cross country, rugby, tennis, football, athletics and gymnastics during school time as part of the Health and Physical Education curriculum.

After school sports available for Year 1 & 2 students are floorball and touch rugby in terms 1 & 4. Students who play floorball or touch rugby wear Kilbirnie School t-shirts which can be purchased from the school office.