Takaka Primary School
Our Daily Learning Schedule
Our Daily Learning Schedule
School grounds open for children to arrive 8:30am – 8:50am
Block 1 / Ako Tuatahi 8:50am – 10:30am
Morning Tea Break / Tākaro Tuatahi 10:30am – 10:55am
Read and feed / Pānui me te Kai 10:55am – 11:10am
Block 2 / Ako Tuarua 11:10am – 12:30pm
Lunch Break / Tākaro Tuarua 12:30pm – 1:10pm
Lunch Eating / Wātina 1:10pm – 1:25pm
Block 3: Ako Tuatoru 1:25pm – 2:50pm
Term Dates
Term Dates 2024
Term 1: Thursday 1st February - Friday 12th April
Term 2: Monday 29th April - Friday 5th July
Term 3: Monday 22nd July - Friday 27th September
Term 4: Monday 14th October - Tuesday 17th December
Public Holidays 2024
Waitangi Day: Tuesday 6th February
Good Friday: Friday 29th March
Easter Monday: Monday 1st April
Easter Tuesday: Tuesday 2nd April (Observed by NZ schools)
King’s Birthday: Monday 3rd June
Matariki: Friday 28th June
Labour Day: Monday 28th October
Teacher Only Days
As part of our Collective Agreement announced by the Ministry of Education all primary schools are entitled to two Teacher Only days over and above school holidays for professional learning.
The following are the dates that Tākaka Primary School will be closed for Teacher Only days.
Thursday 28th March (tagged before Good Friday to create an extra long weekend)
This is a day booked in with our Literacy Consultants around Writing
Friday 31st May (tagged onto the public holiday for King’s Birthday)
This is a Kahui Ako Day with all the schools in Golden Bay
Sharing and Celebrating Learning
Reporting at TPS
Research has shown that parent engagement and successful parent-teacher partnerships result in improved educational outcomes for students (Ministry of Education, 2010). We believe that a strong home-school partnership is vital in supporting achievement for our tamariki.
Teachers are continually assessing student learning through daily conversations, marking of books, formal testing, observation and so on, to determine current achievement and next step learning. Sharing progress regularly is vital for each child’s ongoing learning and success. Sharing quality learning information between learners, parents, whānau and kura helps everyone to understand how to best support the learner.
At TPS, we share and celebrate learning and achievement through the following:
Whānau Connect Conferences: (Beginning of Term 1)
We begin the new year with Whānau Connect Conferences and a focus on getting to know tamariki and whānau. These are an opportunity for ākonga/learners and whānau to share key information with the classroom teacher. This includes: the learner's strengths, areas for growth, whānau and learner aspirations, interests and hobbies, successes, challenges and any information that may be relevant to supporting each child as an individual.
Whānau Reconnect: (Term 2)
In Term 2, kaiako again meet with whānau and their tamariki to review the first half of the year. This is an opportunity for learners, whānau and teachers to reconnect to discuss learning progress and achievement, share next learning steps and how home and school can support each ākonga/learner.
Real time Reporting with Hero: (All Year)
Learning posts combined with achievement data and goal-setting will form an online report designed to build year on year so that over time you will have access to written posts, learning samples, and helpful resources all in one place. Your child’s current achievement, next steps and learning progress will be shared with you in real time through Hero. We believe that a strong home-school partnership is vital in supporting achievement for our learners. Hero is designed to strengthen this partnership by providing parents with more regular, relevant and up to date learning information.
Meet our Hero
Every school needs a Hero, meet ours!
We are excited to launch our communication and reporting system, Hero.
Learning posts combined with curriculum information and goal-setting will form an online report designed to build year on year so that over time you will have access to written posts, learning samples, and helpful resources all in one place. Your child’s current achievement, next steps and learning progress will be shared with you in real time through Hero. We believe that a strong home-school partnership is vital in supporting achievement for our learners. Hero is designed to strengthen this partnership by providing parents with more regular, relevant and up to date learning information.
The Hero App is our one stop shop to ensure that you are a genuine partner in your child/children’s education. All communication comes through the school app. The App has been customized for our school to provide easy access to the following features in one place:
School and class notices, including our School Newsletter
Term Dates including Teacher Only Days
School Calendar with dates for all events throughout the term
Quick links to our School Website, School Policies and Procedures, and our Facebook Page
A quick and easy way to report an absence
A place to share learning in real time
As well as a means to book Learning Conferences with your child/ren’s teacher.
To see the APP in action, click on the link for a quick tour.
Getting Started with Hero
Hero’s APP
Hero is available via the APP Store or Google Play Store through the search ‘Hero by Linc Ed’. Simply download the APP onto your phone and you will receive notifications via the app for any new school communication and learning posts from your child/children.
Hero on any other device:
You can access Hero via a computer as well.
Current parents with existing accounts can log in here: (Click link) Login: My Hero Account
Get Hero set up today!
Step 1: If you haven't got a Hero account, click this link to get started: Click for set up Hero
Step 2: Your username is the email address that you have previously shared with the school.
Enter your email and then click 'Request Password Link'.
Step 3: An email will be sent to you containing a link for you to click on. The link will take you to a page where you will see your new password. If you choose to personalise this, you can delete the generated password and enter your own strong, secure password.
Step 4: Download the APP on your phone and you will receive notifications via the app for any new school communication and learning posts from your child/children. This can be downloaded from the APP Store or Google Play Store through the search ‘Hero by Linc Ed’.
Setting Up Notifications:
You have the choice with what type of notifications you wish to receive: either through the app or via email: Follow the steps below to set your personalised notifications.
In the HERO App
Click on your profile image (top right corner)
Select EDIT PROFILE
Scroll down to My Devices and select your preference from the following options:
Default - you will receive in-app notifications on any device logged into Hero with the mobile app.
Email - you will receive email notifications from Hero.
None - you will not be sent any notifications from Hero, but you can log in at any time to view.
Finance and Payments
We use Hero for all Finance for your convenience. Here you can view your account and pay online via the Hero App.
Accessing your School Account:
Go to the Hero App and click the ‘Finance’ icon.
A list of unpaid items will appear next to your child’s photo outlining what the invoice is for.
Click the ‘Pay Online’ button to slide the tab to red.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click ‘Pay Selected Items’.
You will now see a screen that gives a summary of what you are wanting to pay. Once you have checked this, click ‘Pay $? Now’.
Now you can enter your Visa details and click ‘Pay’ to finalise this payment.
This payment will now show on the main Finance screen as PAID next to the invoice. You can also view this by clicking ‘View Donation Payments’ at the top of the screen.
There is a small fee for this convenience or you are welcome to pay via bank transfer to: NBS 03-1354-0403776-00. You can also pay cash at the school office. Once payment has happened, you will see this on the statement inside Hero.
Please don’t hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions about your school account on postie@takakaprimary.school.nz or 03 525 9030.
Sharing Learning through Hero
Real Time Learning with Hero:
Hero also gives students a place to document their learning, be creative and learn how to use technology with an authentic purpose. As children move through the school, they will begin to share their learning with you through Hero. For our younger tamariki, the classroom teachers will support this process. Hero is designed to continue to strengthen the home school partnership by providing parents with more regular feedback on student learning and achievement as it happens in real time in the classroom.
Home Learning
We believe that home learning is a partnership between home and school, and we encourage whanau to engage with their child’s learning. Below, outlines how you can be part of supporting your child's learning.
Year 0-3
Year 4-6
Attendance
Reporting an Absence:
Click ‘Report an Absence’.
Tick ??? is sick today OR ??? will be late today OR ??? will be absent today (Please explain below)
Then provide additional information for the school to be able to code the absence. Eg: Orthodontic appointment in Nelson, On Holiday, Visiting a sick relative etc.
Then click ‘Send Message’.
Our attendance procedures:
Classroom teacher marks register
Known absences are coded by administration staff
Classes are checked to ensure students have not arrived late without signing in
Text sent to whānau requesting reason for absence from class
If no contact is received from whānau, then the student is marked truant at the end of the day. (If contact is received after the absence then this mark is changed to accurately reflect the reason)
Hero notifies us with regular absences and this is monitored by the Principal. After 10 half days continuous absence (generally a week or so) OR low attendance rates, you can expect a phone call from the Principal to discuss attendance and look at what support we can provide you and your child.
If still no improvement in attendance then a referral will be put in to the truancy service to provide further support.
Updated April 2024