Parents | Whānau

At Oratia District School we believe a strong partnership between home and school is the key to supporting our students in their learning. At our school, families are respected as partners in their children’s education, so if you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to raise them with your child’s teacher. Our teachers will always make time to talk with you. Please remember that the few minutes immediately before and after school are a very busy time for teachers, so please organise to meet with them at a time when they can give you their full attention. Maintaining this open flow of communication permits parents to have a voice in their children’s education.

Starting school

If your child is enrolling as a New Entrant, you and your child will be invited to make up to three ‘school visits’ prior to their starting date. These informal visits are held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8.30am to 10.30am and help children become familiar with the school and the classroom and get to know their new teacher and classmates. A parent or caregiver stays in the class with the child during the class visits.

Community

There are many ways we invite families and whānau to be part of our school community. For more information about some of these see our Parent Network page and Events Page.  It is a requirement that we are able to contact parents, whānau  and caregivers at all times. Please make sure that the school office has your up-to-date contact details, including mobile phone numbers, email addresses and postal addresses. Report any changes of contact details to the school office. Please inform your child’s teacher (in complete confidence) of any changes in family circumstances that may affect your child’s behaviour or learning.

Student-led conferences

Throughout the year we schedule several opportunities for discussions with your child’s teacher, including a meet-the-teacher evening in the first couple of weeks of the school year, a data sharing evening early in Term 2 (at which we share the results of assessments conducted during the first term) and student-led conferences at about the middle of the year.