office@blenheim.school.nz
(03) 5775542
11 Seymour Street, Blenheim, Marlborough 7201
FAQS
what you need to know
Absences
Please ring the school office before 9:15am if your child is going to be absent. If we don’t hear from you by then, it is our policy to ring families of children who are away in order to account for your child. You can also use Skool Loop — our school app — to leave an absentee message.
Library
Senior classes visit the Town Library fortnightly. Students are required to have a town library card. Please organise one for your child at the Blenheim Library. Parents are welcome and encouraged to join us for the trip to the library. Juniors classes learn about the library in our own school library.
Assembly
Parents are invited to attend weekly school assemblies on Fridays at 2:15pm. Assemblies celebrate the children’s successes throughout the week. Certificates are shared and learning is positively reinforced.
Medication
Parents must fill in a medication form at the office if their child is required to take medication while at school. All medicines, including asthma inhalers, are stored at the school office. Parents can sign a consent to medicate with Pamol when enroling their child(ren).
Can you help?
Our school is so much more successful when parents work with us. Ways in which you can help include gardening, sorting reading books, PE shed organisation, etc.
Choir
We have a strong choir and all students are encouraged to participate. We join the Marlborough Schools Choir and participate in the Kids 4 Kids Choir biannually. Practices are usually held during school time.
Children Leaving School During the Day
If you need to take your child out of school during the day please enter his/her name in the ‘sign out’ book at the office. Please also fill in the details if the child returns to school the same day. This ensures that we can account for all of our students at any time during the day.
Clothing
A school uniform is required at Blenheim School. Students must be tidily dressed in their school T-shirt and navy polar fleece jacket. Both of these items are monogrammed. Children are expected to wear navy bottoms of their choice (shorts, longs, skirts). Jeans are not allowed. Appropriate footwear includes shoes or sandals (no high heels or jandals). The uniform is available from the school office. Long hair should be tied back so that students can see clearly.
Communication
A newsletter is sent out fortnightly. We prefer to email this, as our ‘Enviroschools’ status requires us to be conscious of paper usage. If you don’t have email, a paper copy will be sent home with the eldest child in the family. Please look for this each week as it will contain dates of school events, as well as celebrating the achievements of students. Click here for downloadable copies.
Discipline
Blenheim School focuses on the positive and seeks to develop a caring attitude and responsibility in each child. Incentives and awards are used regularly. If a child has difficulty in class coping with expected behaviour and work habits, parents and teachers work in partnership to modify their behaviour. We view discipline as a shared responsibility between the home and school, and each child is clearly informed of the school’s expectations regarding behaviour. Bullying and disruptive behaviour are dealt with immediately to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all pupils, according to the school’s policies on behaviour.
Edible Garden
&
Open Orchard
The school is involved in Edible Garden programme with a dedicated teacher who teaches the children about garden care and growing vegetables. Much of the produce is picked and turned into delicious dips, snacks and soup. Students can help themselves to fruit on the school grounds.
OSCAR
Blenheim School has an attached OSCAR programme for affordable after-school and holiday childcare.
Whānau Houses
When students arrive at school they are placed in a whānau group with other family members- these are like school houses.
Our whanau teams are:
Waiporoporo (purple)
Kowhai (yellow)
Karaka (orange)
Orangiuri (blue)
EnviroSchools
Each year we select a group of children to form the EnviroSchools Council. Participants are given special responsibilities to perform throughout the year.
Duffy Books
We are a a Duffy Book School. This means that students have the opportunity once a term to select two books for free to take home. This is currently sponsored by Westpac Bank and the Marlborough Book Club.
Art Gallery
The school has a strong relationship with the Millennium Art Gallery and visits exhibitions on a regular basis. From time to time, the students work with an artist to produce their own artwork.
Library
Jewellery & Valuables
Rings, bracelets and earrings can easily be lost or damaged at school. They may also cause injury to the wearer and to others. For safety reasons, jewellery is not to be worn to school. The school accepts no responsibility in the case of loss, damage or injury. Children are discouraged from bringing toys or valuables to school.
Lunches & Soup
Optional Subway lunches are offered on Wednesdays (cost involved). In winter, soup is available on Thursdays. We encourage students to bring healthy options in their lunches. Juice and fizzy drinks are not allowed at school — we are a water-promoting school.
Swimming
The school has a fabulous pool that is heated and covered. All children are expected to swim as part of the school programme unless they have a note from parents excusing them because of illness. The school has an excellent, well-maintained pool. Swimming is a very important focus for Term One, as long as the weather permits.
Positive Play Bands
Encouraging positive play and great role models is important to us. Positive play bands acknowldgege students who are modeling positive behaviours in the playground and in the classroom. These students are rewarded with a wristband to wear for the day. Points are tallied at the end of term and the winning whānau team is rewarded.
Book CLub
Families periodically have the opportunity to buy books through the Ashton Scholastic Book Club. Order forms are sent home and should be returned to the office when completed.
Playing with Friends After School
For safety and clarity, any arrangements to go to a friend’s home directly from school must be made by the adults of both families so that the adults can ensure children reach home safely. These kinds of arrangements can not be made during school hours by children phoning parents.
The Blenheim School Facebook page is where we share pictures of the learning and other activities that take place at our school. This is a quick and easy way for parents to stay current with what is going on in the classroom. Students' names are not identified on the site; they are often in snapshots of groups with a general comment.
Visiting the School & Parents in Classrooms
We promote a safe and secure environment for each child. Visitors must sign in at the office upon arrival so we know who is present during school hours. Parents are welcome to drop their children off at their classroom in the mornings and, if necessary, inform the teacher of any relevant health or emotional factors that may affect their child during the day. If you have any queries regarding the overall progress of your child in class, please arrange an appropriate time with the teacher to discuss this after school. The staff are fully committed to preparing the day’s lessons before school; they cannot use this time for unscheduled interviews. You are welcome to come and view your child’s work after school and we are happy to make arrangements to meet with parents then. Parents are also welcome to come to the classroom to pick up children leaving early because of appointments, etc.
Sports/Teams
The school has a range of sports students can participate in while at Blenheim School. This includes summer sports of Touch Rugby,Tennis, Summer Soccer, Volley Ball. Winter sports include netball and basketball. We encourage all students to participate in a team sport as it helps to develop the skills of co-operation and team spirit.
Public Health Nurse
The Public Health Nurse, visits the school as required to attend to individual children and families who have health concerns. Parents are able to request an assessment of their new-entrant child and attend this assessment so accurate information is available. They may also receive advice on family health issues. Please sign a permission form to be contacted by the nurse necessary.
Sunsmart School
We are a sun-smart school; students are required to wear a hat during Terms 1 and 4, to eat their lunch in the shaded areas, and to wear sunblock. Please put sunscreen on your child before he/she leaves home in the morning. Hats are allocated to students as part of their stationary packs.
Parent Concerns
If parents have a concern about their child’s education, they are asked to first meet and convey these concerns to the class teacher. Should the concerns continue, then the Principal will be happy to discuss these with the parents and teacher.
GRIT Guardians
At Blenheim School, students can become a GRIT guardian. These are seniors students who practice peer mediation and restoriative justice on the playground. Our students use our GRIT guardians in the first instance to solve small problems that occur.
Social Worker in Schools
The school has a Social Worker in Schools who is in school on Thursdays. In consultation with the teacher or principal, she can work with families and individual students supporting them with a range of needs — food parcels, accommodation, grief, anxiety, support with parenting, health concerns, etc. Her role is to listen and to put parents in contact with other agencies for assistance as needed.
Kiwi Can
Kiwi Can, operated through the Graeme Dingle Foundation, is a values-based programme run by two instructors. It supports our GRIT values, taught through physical activity, play and role-playing scenarios. The students love Kiwi Can and its very positive atmosphere.